•
l\fAy 18, 1928
A Seven- Day Journal
Power from the Desert.
PARTlCULARS of a. curiou and interesting s<'heme
of obtaining power from the Wes tern Desert, were
received from Cairo thi week. The scheme is
dP cribed in a report issued by the Desert \uvey
Department. During the war a reconnaissance officer
working among the ~enussis reported t.he discovery of
a vast depre sion in the desert, t h e bottom of which
is about 130ft. below sea. level. ubsequent investi-
gation confirmed the exis tence of the depression.
and showed that it ha an aren, of about 4! million
acres- or about helf the present habitable- area of
Re:Yl>t-and that in pat·ts it i as much as 440ft.
below the ea level. Various schemes were considered
for turning the depression to good &<'count, including
one for the <'reation of a vast inland harbour. another
fot· the rlrl\inag<> of the D elta, and a. thirci for the
reclamation of marsh lands. T he cheme finally
favoured by the Department is to cut n, conduit
from the Mediterranean to the depression and to
generate electrical power from the infiowing ·water.
Natural evaporation would be relied upon to take off
the water. From the lake created, 4 ,000,000 cubic
feet of water wollld., it i estimated, be evaporated
daily. The fall obtainable would be about 120ft.
The report estimate. that a maximum of 300,000
horse-power, OI' l 70,000 on. the most conservative
l>a i:;;, could h<> g~'nernte<l from the plant installed at
the lak('. This power. it is stated. would be sufficient
to :o~atisfy all the need:o~ of Lower Egypt now and for
the next hundred years. The sch eme, it is estimated.
would c>ost about ~ l !l,OOO,OOO to carry out, and
.Cl ,OOO,OOO annually for upkeep cxpetl.~es . T h(' revenue
ft·om it would be OYer £2,000,000 annually. I mpor·tant
and valuable climatic modifications, it is pointed out,
would abo probably attend the creation of a lake in
the midRt of what is now an a rid desert.
Institution of Naval Architects.
A COMPLlM~NTARY di tmer was given by the Council
and m<>mbcrs of the ] nstitution of Naval Architects
to their late President, his Gra<;e the Duke of North-
umberland, K. G .. and the honorary treas urer, Sir
Charles Ellis, at the Whitehall R ooms, Northwnber-
land-avenue. London, on Tuesday last. May 15th.
Presentations were made in recognition o£ the great
service rendered to the l r1-"!titntion by the two
~ontlemen in whose honour the dinner was hold.
A striking picture of H.M .~. " H ood" at full speed,
by 1\Ir. Bernard A. C ribbl~. the well-known marine
painter, was pro ented to the Duke nf Northumber-
land. and a hand. ome silver gi lt centre piece to 'ir
CharieR Rllis. In the unavoidable a.bsen~'e of AdroiraJ
. of the Fleet Lord Wester VVemyRs, Pre ident. of the
•
I nstitution. , 'ir John Biles. H on. ice-president,
took the chair· and made the pt·e entation of the picture
of H. M .•. ·· H ood " to the DukE'< of N o£·thumberla.nd,
whilt> Mr. Francis H enderson, hon. treasurer of the
1nstitutinn. presented the centre piece to 'it· Chal'les
Ellis.
Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co , Ltd
XP"AKlN<: at the annual ~eneral moJet.ing of . 'ir
\\'. C:. Arms trong, 'Vhi tworth a,nd Co .. Ltd. , held
in London on Friday las t. ~fay 11th, the chairman,
Lord :-iouthhorough. s tated that t.he building
of the batt.leship .. Nel on " had involved the
c·ompany in a s ubstantial loss. D iscussions in con-
nection with that loes were. he said. being carried
on with certain C:overmnent Departments and he was
hopeful that the firm's claims would meet with con-
sideration from the Govenunent. Lord . outh-
borough also Rta.ted t.ha.t the firm's Scotswood works
were being developed, and that a sum of a bout
£250,000 was being speut on new buildings, plant and
<>quipm('nt. The Tyne l ron , hipbuilding yacd, he
added, had been pmchased, and would be used as an
auxiliary to the Walker yard. The machine tool
bllSiness at Opensha\\ was to be developed in con·
junction with anrl in the name of Ct'aven Brothers
(Manchester), L td., a. company in which Messt·s.
Armstrong now held the majority of the shares. As
the lin~s on tvhici-} the company was to operate in the
tuture had become clearlv defined, the board of
directors felt that the time. had come for the appoint-
ment of a permanent chairman. The post, involving
the FiU]Weme direction of the affairs of the company,
h,ad been offort>cl to and had been accepted by the
l·.al'l of Ver·ularn.
The U. S. Cruiser Programme.
AL•r•~:touw-tthe Amoricrn naval p• ogramme. in its
revised form, ha - now been p a:5 Prl by bo~h HollSes
of Congres..;. hmds fo r beginning work on the s hips
~1ave till to be voted. The approximate expenditure
mvolved is £o4,800,000. representing the cost of
fifteen cnric;er·, one aircraft carrier, and two special
vessels for the alvage of submarines. The Bill,
as approved by Congre s, authorises the President
to undertake the construction ot all these ships
before July 1st, 1931. F ive cruisers are to be laid
down in each of the financial years 1929, 1930 and 1931,
THE ENGINEER
the cost not to exceed £3,400,000 each. The aircraft
carrier is to be begun before June 30th, 1930, her
cost being limited to £3, 00,000. All the cruisers are
to be of the largest and most powerful type permissibTe
under the Wa-shington Treaty, and will therefore
have a tanda.rd displacement of 10,000 tons and an
Sin, gun armament. The displacement of the air-
craft carrier was originally fixed at about 13,500
tons, but in view of the financial limit now specified,
together with the high cost of construction in the
United 'tates, the size of the vessel may have to be
curtailed. American s hipbuilding interests are dis-
concerted by an amendment to the Bill , stipulating
that eight of the cmisers shall be constructed in
Government yards. The Senate, however, has
adopted a fmther amendment which excepts from
this rule ". uch material or parts t hereof a the
ecretary of the N a.vy may find procurable by con·
tract or purchase at an appreciable saving in cost
to the Government. " The debate on the Bill ha
been. so protra cted that it is now doubtful whether
Congt·e s ·will find time to vote money for starting
work on any of the vessels before it adjourns.
A Greenock Shipyard to Close Down.
lT was officia lly intimated on •'atlU'day last, May
12th, that owing to insufficient new ·work the dit·ectors
of Ha.rland and Wolff, Ltd. , had deciclect to close
down the firm 's shipyard at Greenock. The members
of the staff will terminate their engagements at t-he
end of next month, but it is expected that it will be
possible to reopen the yard when shipbuilding pros-
pects further· improve. T he output from the yard
has not been ver·y lar·ge fo r· several years past, and
although some s uch measure was perha'}.>S expected,
the decision. to close will, neverthele . be a dis-
appointment to the town of Greenock. It will be
t'ecalled that after pw·chasing the old-established
shipyard and engine works of Cai rd and Co. in 1916,
H a rland and \Volff carried out a large pt·ogt·amme of
extensions . T he old ·west H a.r bout· was filled in, the
" ' est Kirk was removed and t·oconstnteted on a new
site, and a. C'onsidera.ble amount of property was
taken down to make room for the extended ya•·cl.
Unfortunately. it ha n0t been possible to utilise
the p lant to its ful l cap acity. No engine~ have been
constructed since Messrs. Cainl's time, and the output
of totu1age has not in any one year exceeded a total
of about 100,000 gross tons, which was roughly the
figut·e for 1922 when the last Caird vessel was built.
This year only one ship. a 5800-ton cargo steamer for
J ames N ourse, Ltd., of London, has been constructed.
At the recent annual meeting of Harland and ' Volff,
L ord Kylsant stated that wrule some temporary
economies might be necessary, he trllSted that t h e
t ime might be neat· when increased work would enable
the firm to keep all its establishments running.
Safeguarding the Steel Industry.
AT a largely ottended meeting held at the Albert
H all, London, on Tuesday evening of this week, t.he
polic~r of the Empire lndustries Association was
explai ned by the chairman, ::iir R obert Horne. ir
Robert said that the Association would not be pre-
pai·ed to see efficient British indllStries ruined by the
import of goods produced in fo reign countries w1der
conditiol1-.., that were not permissible in this country.
H e argued that the duties imposed w1der the K ey
Industries Act and the • afeguarding of I ndustries
Act had lessened importation and had increased
employment. Manufact.nrers had not become slack
and inefficient, as opponents of the policy embodied
in those two Acts had feared they would, nor had
prices been raised against the home consllffier. ir
R obert proc~edecl to refer particularly to the need for
safeguarding t.he s teel indust.ry. It was, he said, one
of the basic industriP.s of the colllltry, but no one
could look at its statis tics to-day without feeling
alarm. The Government. had said that the steel
industry with 1ts many ramifications rould not be
dealt with in isolation, but the matter could not be
left in that position, for the industry was suffering
neither from incompetenl'\y nor ineffiPiency, but
solely because of foreign competition. . ir H enry
Page Croft, following Sir R obert, proposed a resolu-
tion urging the Government to take immediate steps
to provide adequate safeguards for the steel industry.
Last year, he said, this cotmtry impor·ted more steel
than it expo1·ted, and in a ve1·y shol't time the industry
would be, entirely dominated by foreign competition.
Two years of safeguarding 'vould, he claimed, rf'stot·e
the industry to prosp erity. Mr. Georgc pencer and
l\It•. Davrd Bremner spoke in s upport of the resolution.
whirh was carried with ucc·lama.tion.
Apprenticeship in the Engineering Industries.
TH ~ sixth r~port is;.:ued by the ~Iini stJ·y of L abour
detailing the res ults of an im1uiry into apprenticeship
and training for the l'l killecl occupation ha just been
issued. Jt covers the engineering, s hipbuildin!Z, s hip-
repairing and other metal industries. The $eventh
report. t o be issued at an early date, will s ummari e
and cliscuss the information in the preceding six.
The sixth report, to be obtained from the Stationery
Office at 7s. 6cl. net, is a. lengthy document, running
to over 200 pae:es. It contains a vast amount of
information concerning not, only the conditions
governing apprenticeship in the metal · working
533
indus tries, but al ·o the work whi<'h the apprentices
are called upon to do. l\!any curiollS facts n,re
revealed , but perhaps the most ignificant is the
extra.ordina ey matmer in which the practice of
apprenticeship varies from cli. tri<'t to district a nd
fr·om t rade to tr·ado. l n :-icotland, for instance, 9 per
cent. of the apprentices in all the trades covered by
the report are shown as serving a five-year engage-
ment. In Manchester, however- and the same figtU'e.
are roughly good for the whole of Lancashire-only
2 · per cent. of the appt·entices are returned as
engaged for five years, no less t han 5 · 4 per cent.
serving for seven years. I n the textile engineering
industry only 1 · 9 per cent. of the youths in tt·a.inin.g
were apprentices bound by written agreement. •
Apprentices bound by verbal agreement numbered
68 · 5 per cent., the remainder, 29 · 6 per cent., being
what the rep ort cla sifies as learners. In the marine
engineering industry, on the other hand. 49 · 5 per
cent. of the youths were apprentices botmd by wr itten
n.greement and 49 · 8 per cent. were verbally boLUtd
apprentices, only 0 · 7 per cent. being learner . Of
the apprentices covered by the whole of the returns,
5 · 7 per cent. paid p remiums. Of these premium
apprentices, 93 per cent. paid £5 or less. l n the
Mersey and Barrow di. trict :35 · 1 per cent.. of the
apprentices paid premiums, whereas in Manchester
and the rest of L ancashire and Chester the premium
apprentices were not more than 2 per cent. of the
total. T he figLU·es in the report are derived from
returns received in 1925 from 1573 firms, employing
500,527 male workers, of whom 58,647 were appi·en-
tices or learners.
New Shipbuilding Orders and Conversions.
Tnt:: newly formed firm of Workman, <.:lark (1928 ),
Ltd ., which recently received its first order fot· a
small ves el from the Belrast H arbour Authorities,
is to build a twin-screw motor ve. se] for Alfred Holt
and Co. T he new s hip " ·ill be generally simi lar to the
" I domineus" and " Orestes." which were built by
the old fit·m for t he !'lame owners in 1926. There is
a. marked t·evival of intere t in the pos ibilities of
increased economy in propulsion, which are affonle(L
by the combined reciprocating steam en gine and the
exhallSt turbine working on a single shaft '"ith .flexible
gearing on the Bauer- \Vac·h principle. In this con-
nection we understand that the Clan L ine, Ltd.. will
convert six of its recently constructed steamers to
this form of drive. Three ships will be so fitted out
by Willia.m Beax·dmore and Co., Ltd., at Da.lmuir,
and a. fw·ther three at Hamburg by the Vulcan Werke.
All the steamers to be converted have a. deadweight-
carrying capacity of about 8850 tons, and their present
designed speed is about 11 to 12 knots. They were
built between 1921 and 1923 by the Ayrshire Dock-
yard Company, L td., at I rvine, and were engined by
D unsmuir and Jackson, LttL , of Glasgow. T he
Blythswood hipbuilcling Company, Ltd., of • 'cots-
toun, is t o construct for the Prince Line, L td., two
twin-screw motor vessels for that company's New
Yor·k- outh America ser·vice. The new ships will be
pr·opelled by Doxford opposed piston motors. which
will be built by Richardsons, 'Vestgarth and Co .. L td. ,
at \\'e t H artlepool. At Dumbarton Williarn Denny
and Brothers, Ltd., have recently carr ied out ·peed
t rials on the motor ves "el " Da.ga," in. which they
have installed Denny-:-iulzer engines, Originally.
this ship was the " Malia." and was propelled by two
Carnmellaird-Fullagar· engines. One of the e engines
was built for the all-welded coaster " Fullagar,"
and being fotmd to be too powerful for the lmll was
taken out and installed along with a similar· set in the
" 1\falia." On the trial trip a speed of 1 0~ knots was
obtained. L ater two 1000 S.H .P. units of the san1e
design which were originally de -igned for the ship
were installed. The vessel, which form9rly belonged to
T . and J. B rocklebank, Ltd,, of Liverpool, has now
passed into the hands of the British and Burmese
team Navigation Company, Ltd. , Glasgow.
· Pulverised Fuel for a Cargo Liner.
l N a paper read at the summer m<>etings of the
Institution of Naval Ar<'hitects, held at Cambridge last
year--see TH E ENGINEER of J uly 15th, 1927- Engi-
neer-Captain J . C. Brand des<'ribed in some detail
the progress which had then been made by Clarke,
Chapman and Co., Ltd., of Gateshead, with the firing
of Scotch marine boilers by means of pulverised coal.
During recen t months the 'Voodeson pulverised fuel
burner has so been developed that it can now be
readily applied to existing marine boilers. The burner
ea ing does not project more t.han about 2ft. from the
ft·ont of the boiler . and the length of flame ca11, '''t'
undE"r:o~tand , be controlled FiO as not to exc·eNI 3ft. o1·
4ft. We are able to ~ tate that, with a view to testing
the new ;.:ystem un.clet· nct11al sPa-goiug c·ondit ions,
arrangements have been made to equip with pln.nt of
this type one of the single-ended coal-fired boilers on
a. 10.500-ton twin-screw c:at'go liner belonaiug to tho
Dlue Htar L ine (1920), Ltd. The particuiar s teamer
has yet to be decided upon. The burner will be care-
iully tested throughout a lengthy voyage, and if
succes~ ful the two other double-ended boiler " on the
shjp will then be converted for pulverised fuel work-
ing, the single-ended boilet• being retained for hand
fi_ring, to give the necessary flexibility in steam raising
etther at very slow speeds or dming continued
manreuvring periods.
 THE ENGINEER l\IAY 18, 1928

•' TONE\iV ARE PIPE W 0 RK.' OF DO U LTO N AN D 0 0. , LT D. , AT ERI TH

PIPE BURNING KILNS A ND DELIVERY S IDINGS

The Erith Stoneware Pipe Works.
ERITfl. on the K ent side of the Thames, was n oted.
about a gen eration ago, for the importation of coal
and the export of ballast for the sa iling ships which
brou gh t in the coal. Now, with steamers an d water
ballast. the sand pits have ceased busines . but the
coa,l st ill comes in and- a reYersal of process- earthy
material, in the form of clay, a rrives from another
p art of the coast and is manufactured into an export-
able commodity. This happens at t he n ew works
of D oulton and Co., L td., where there h as just been
started one of t h e most m odern of stoneware pipe
making plants embodying every p o. sible labour-
saving device. I t is described and illustrated here-
with and in ow· Supplement.
TH E ' ITE.
To the men who knew Erith of fort y yea r~:; 01· so ago
it seems almo~t in('r·edible t hat what mi~ht be
day's work looking as spick and span as tho e f1·om
a City office.
' ' ' e imagine that the success of t lus company in
such pioneering work as the sewering of foreign cities
was largely dependent upon the quality of its product.
but recent developments abroad have made a serious
inroad on E nalancl's export business in this direction .
and it is to be hoped that t h e inaugtuation of t-h e
works described below will help to regain her pre tige
in this directi on .
The Erith pipe works have the merit of an ideally
flat situation. a river fron tage, a,t ''"hich fair -sized
steamers can t ie up, a railway connection. and a good
supp ly of labour. The site certainly n eeded piling
for the h eavier structures and som e · 600 reinforced
concrete piles were sunk for that purpose by- Messrs.
'hristiani and Nielsen ; but the majority of the
buildings are of single-storey h eight and compara-
t ively light on thei1· found ations.
Continuing the sam e general theme it seems
appropriate here to mention t.he fact that the com-
pany is bui lding a number of semi -detached cottages
on the hillside behind the works for the m ore impor-
tant workpeople, and \\-e were impres. ed , during our
factory is insuffic·ient to k eep pace with tho d emand
for new stuff, so that the greater pwpot·ti on of it has
to b e bought outside.
All the m aterials coming by water are handled at
the jetty sho\m in Fig. 1, which is equipped with a.
crane by Butters Bro . and Co. Thi s crane, which , like
a ll the rest of the machinery on the site, is electrically
operated by cmTent pr·ocluced in the works power -
house. i of 4 tons capacity and has an outrea.ch of
55ft. It can travel along the jett y. and for that purpo:>e
collect s its c·urren.t from an underground conduit, so
that there are no exposed live wires. I n normal
,...-orkin g. however, the jib is of sufficient length to
command the cr·ane's work without recourse to tl1e
t ravelling m ovement. I t is supported on a framework
having an 8ft. 6in. p ortal with 23ft. between the run-
ning rai ls, and the operator has a good view down into
the hold of a vessel lying alongside. The c·rane is
ecp1jpped with a B arnard grab, which is furnished with
long tines when clay i~ being handled. though thoy
can be ea ·ily removed fo1· lifting ~an d or coa l.
The clay, coal and sand llnloaded by the ct·ane are
all taken up to the works by one conveyot·, the load-
ing hopper of whic·h is v isible in Fig. 1. while it is

FIG . 1 JETT Y AND UNLOADING CRA NE FI G . 2 - .MAIN MATERI ALS CO N VEYO R

described as a heavy industry could be buil t up on tho
old marshe~ between the Col'inthian C'lub and the
Oil Works, but it must b e remembered that in the
intet·va l a huge amount of spoil has been transported
there during the construction of the tube railways
and has brought up the level of the land from the
wated ogged marsh to that of the embankment. Of
this land Ooulton's have secw·ed some 25 acres, and
thereon have built the factory, one side of which i
illustrated in the picture above. And this factory
is n oteworthy for several reason . First , it has been
laid out regardless of any site restriction ; secondly,
it h as been organised on the experience of the owners,
which goes back for over eig hty years at the old
Lambeth works ; and thirdly, the conditions of
working in the factory are such that the " hands"
both men and g irls- go away home at the end of a
ca>3ual tour row1.d t.his pat·t of the company's }H'Op erty, more p rominen t ly shown in Fig. 2. I n view of the
by the cordial relations which exi. t between the fact that su ch a diver. ity of m aterials has to b e
tenants of the cottages and the offiC'ials of the firm. handled, a nd t.he t enacious natme of the clay, which
tends to stick to a con veyor belt, steel b and conveyors
H ANDLINU R Aw MATERIAL . have been adopted fo 1· this serv ice, as they can be
Now, coming to the m anufacture of stoneware pip es; effectively scraped clean without da,mage. T hese
I
the_y are mad~ of a mixture of clay. san~ and ·.·grog," (·on.veyors have b~en s~ppli,ed by t h e • teel Ban~
wJn le a con 1derable amount of coal 1 · requu·ed for Conveyor and Engmeenng Company, Ltd. , and a1e
p ower and heating purposes in the process of manu- 24in. wide.
factut·e. These raw mater ials a re congregated near The coal and sand can, obviously, be easily loaded
the river front. The clay comes, by chartered on to the conveyor through a hopper, but the clay
steamer, from the company's own pits in Poole offer some difficulty, a s it tends to stall in a hopper
Harbour, D orset , the sand from pits in Kent, and the on account of its tenacious and plastic nature.
coal from the N orth, also by water. T he " grog " - This difficulty has, h owever , been overcome by
I
which is the technical name for b rok en pottery - is the h opper a rrangement , shown in Fig. II. of
collect ed from wherever it may be available, and it is ow· , upplement, which ·was devised b y ~k C. E .
noteworthy that t h e wastage of burnt ware in this Morl'is, of the D oulton Company, in conjunction
 l\IAY 1 , 192
w1th the Stee l Band ('mweyot· Company. The
e·sential feature:-; of tho arrangement C'ompri'e
two shoots, '' hich. can be ~een in the upper part of
Fig. n . That on the.' ri~ht. OJ1 to "hieh the clay iR
dumped by the grab. 1s pi,·ot cd at it top edge. while
the Jeft .hand s hoo t is pi,·oted at the bottom. The
angular attitude o f both hoot,; can. be adjusted b y
m"Otu- of wire ropes and '' iuches, on e of which c·an be
..een on the !:'xtreme right of the illustration. In thi.;;
"ay the shoots c·an be l'>O :-lop ed that they ~ni t the
nllturnl angle of s lip o f th!:' chty, and it i. (('cl s t eadily
rorwat·d towards the ('OJW('~·or. The shoot!':, by the
way. are 6ft." ide and arc built up o f .I in. steel plate.
The malet·ial coming d o" n the ~hoo t s i~ no t dmnped
direct ly on to tlte <·orweyor· b a nd , but is first dropped
on to what might bC' d esc· t·ihccl ns •t lo ng sttu· wheel o t·
[eedel'. This feedt't' is clriven in svr1clwonism
•
with the
conveyor by the c·ha in and h!:'vel gC'aring which ~h ows
up so prominently irt Fig. J 1. of our Hupplemont and
en.sUl'es that the "hole of n g rah full shall not he
suddf'nly dumped o n t o the band.
From the loading hoppe r the s upplie:-; a re taken by
thP ri.,ing C'onveyor "~'«' F ig. 2 for a di~tan('P of
FIG . 3 - THE ENGINE- HOUSE
FI G . 4 THE BOILER - HOUSE
157ft. to the trall ... f<•r ~oota ti o11 shO\\ll in Fig. I\T.-
~upplem('nt,. "h<'r't> '" t m11 o f approximately a right
angle i made. H e re, it ,, ill be seen , the first con-
veyor runs O\'Ol' tlw t op of a second band and the
matel'ia\8 are ploughed off from one to lhe ot her d own
appropriate shoots. The t·e t\l'e two s hoots, a.:; it htts
been .round that the s lope of dr:-.charge for· .. a nd a nd
coaJ ts not. the sam e a s that for clny if the conve~ o r
band h to be effectively loaded, and the di:;charging
plough can bt" moved t o :-.crape of£ into either of th<'
hopper.... The plough can a lso be r emoved entir ely
and then the conveyor discharges over the end into n
hopper \\ith an o utlet comroa.ndmg a roadway below,
on \\luch distributing truck.s can be run. · outlet .. icle o l the c·ltl,\' hopp er the re is a rotar) .cutter
The general practiCe is, however, to transfer the
load f~om one conv<>~ o r to the other find to dump the
ma~ert~l into store~oo beneath the -..econd conveyor,
wh_1c:h ' . 296ft. long. ThC' <'oal j,., ploughed off on to
a Site adja<'ent t o the boiler-house and the kilns, while
the <'lay and sand nre t·Arri<"Cl 011 furthf'r to covered
btore ·. The on\,\ o tht•r· bulky ra." material, the
"grog," i~-1 brought into the \~orks a:-; convenience'
may offer and is ,.,tored in a yard hes ~<le the mill
~'hO\\D in Fig. \'I. of om· Supplemf'nt.
ln th1s mill thC' m a te rial , "hiC'h may c·ompri;o;e
T-HE ENGINEER 535
" wastt'r-.. " from the facto r.' i bel£, Htty old crocke ry old-fashioned m e t hod of s upplying a mill by the
and s<'l'tlP fire-bnck, is cru,.,h <'<l to ~ in. c ube in a Bla ke· barTO\\ lond. a s it can b " a,.,surC'd that, once a mixture'
:\Iar·sclen jtl\\ c•na-.;h<'r from "hich i t is <>icvated to n lu1s h ~>C' n -;ettled upon tliHI the bulkhf'ads set appro-
grind ing pan, h ) <..:. \\' hittnkPr and Co .. Ltd .. 9ft. m prittte ly. t httt mixture '' 111 b e uppliecl a. long a ' the
<llnmete•·. Ln this part the mal et·ial is ground t o a fine r\Pcessar·y materials ttre provided.
}>O\Hler a nd it is then t'tliscd t o two o,·erhead rotat',\ Tho p1·epat·ed mixture 1s take n fro m thP p10portion·
screen::; furnished '' ith wire fabric having a m esh of 1ng mac hine to th<' mill hotL.,e by a plate conveyor
ft·om 10 to 20 pet· in<"h, ncco1·ding to Lhe class of w o rk which ri.;;es t o thl' second floo r at an angle of about
in h n nd. The rejects are r c llu·nf'd t o the mill, while 25 d eg. The dri,•e for thi.. <·onveyor is interlocked with
the fine st uff is s t o r·ed in two bunker s of 40 t ons capa - that o f the proportioning machine and the mill in
city end1. The motor':-\ for· clr·ivi ng the crus her and thf' s uch a manne r thnt the mac hines can only be s tinted
mill are 1:\I'I'HngNL on th<' fl oor· above and are rnt>C·h- in the proper sc.><juC'nc·e-. and thr rf" is no fear t.hat onP
a nically connC'clctl with their· rnnc hines l)y be lt a nd may b r c·hokNI b y th e oth<"r thro ugh prf' mR t urc
c hain , rc~p<'C'tive l y, as s hO\\ 11 in Fig. YI. in the l'i tnrting.
uppl<"ment. Tho <"Ontro llor·s of these mot ors n.re also 1
so inter<.onneot('cl clect.l·icall •y t.lu'\t. the crusht>r· c·annot
b e ~ t arted until t hr mill is undrr way. The IIH\.Icriul d e livered b~ the plate <·on voyor is, of
'
cou r·sc, o r\ly r oughly mixed together· although it is in.
PttOt>ORT10NIN{I 1\!At'JUN£. t hf' cotTN·t p r·op o rtion, and it requires considerably
•
\\' e no'' com e to the s tage in mnnufac ture where it m o r·e m tl nipulat ion befor'E' it is l'ea.cly fo r moulding. This
J s necf'sstu·y t o incorporat<" t h(' nu·iou-.; ingredients work is effec·t ed in the mill s hown in Fig;,. I., TII. and V.
in the prop e r proportio ns. of o ur . \rpple rnent, "hich is by the Pragos Engineer·
Thi-.; <>1wmt ion is rffN·tNL in t\ proportionin_g ing C'ompan~. of Lo ndon. Thi.:; mac hine is a mn-.;sive
•
FI G. 5 - THE PR OPORTIONING MACHINE
rnachirw, the inlet hoppers of which c·an be seen in the st ructur·<' rctt<"hing r ight up thr·ough the mill houl)e
floor in Fig. 5. The re nr<' three separate hoppers. The from the ~ ro und t o th<' second noor. The main fr·ame
o ne in. tho forewouncl is s upplied with c lay b y s ide- is fom wd b y four· c•ast ir·on c·olumns of c rescent -
ti pping wagons, ns s hown o n the le ft. The next .. haped se<·tio n with ho rizontAl bracing. At the top
hopper r·t>ceivC's :-;nnd, a lso by lt uc:k, and the third ther·e i ~• tl ~rindin~ p n n - soo Fig. l.- 9it. in diame ter,
ground grog b) s hoots from the overhead bunke rs. I 'O lUtd whirh n pn11· of I'O il ~ is driven h y a. vertical
The b o ttom of the hoppe r,.. is formed by u s low· !Spindle. The conveyor fro m the propor-tioning
moving m etallic· hand rnu<'h . after th~ fashion of a maC'hine doliv!:'t'l'\ dir·ectly into this pAn. The rolls are
tra,·ell ing grnt.e stoker , wlurh s t eadtly drag:- the set at differ<>nt d1stances from the centt·e o f the pan.
-;e,·eral m alet·iab for·ward under the bulkheads of the so that in their roh1tion th<"y \\Ork over practically
I hopperR. 'fhebe bulkhends can b e adjusted a,.. to the whole of its floo1·. The floor 1-; partly p erforated,
height above tho t mvelling band so as to regulate the with <~I its tm. "icle b y 2in. long. and partly plain. The
relative lH'O}>CH'trons o f thE' ingredients. a nd at thf' rebult i:-. that lhf' m1 x tw-e 1,., ground on the plain parts
o f thf' floor nncl ts then s queezed thro ugh the p erfora-
to che" up uny lnrge m nsses unci e ns ure a contmuo us tion.s to fn\1 mt o n -..rmilar pan immediately ben eath.
p assage of the C'lay. At the <~<'livery en.d of the h~nd In thC'sf'<·mHI pAn o;rf" Fig. IlL- the perforations are
t hE're tb a l:-.o t\ -.;c· r~tchcr to cleh,•e1· the m•x~d m atenals ~ 1n. "Hle by 2m. long. The plain parts of the flo ot·
on to an c levnt .m~ c·onveyor. The dr1ve £? 1' the of thrs pan arc -..o plar<>d that they come beneath
trtwc-llmg band rs by mean-; of a be lt ruruung on the p e1·forat rons H bove. Th i« a rTangement i::,, of
-.;t<"pped cone pullo~·s, so thttt the rate of delivery can c·our·se. noces ... t\1)' t o pre,·ent the mAterial being
be adjusted t o suit the r·<>qui rement~ of the work-.;. ~'CJ ueezed ... tnlrght tiH·ough the second pan. ln both
Thoro i:s no clo.ubt .that the pi'Ovision . of tl~1s pro- those mills tl fin£> spr·oy of "tll<'r' i... added to often
portioning mnc·hm<> 11-1 largely respons1ble tor the the ela.v •
.
unifcmnly $!OO<l qunlity of the \\Are ~urned out b~: the . The mat<>t·iul from tltC' H<"<'O IHl n1ill fall~ on to a large
Doult on f1H·tor·y, nnd rnl\.l'ks t\ Ht «>p m advance o t the d1sc• k eyed CH\ t o the vC'r·tic·t\l spindlf' immediately
 536
below t ho pan . This di~:~c incidentally provides a
means for· c•al'l'ying the bevol gearing dri v ing t h e two
mills. .) w~t helo '' this diKe thor o is the fo otsto]>
bearing fo r· c·arrying t.ho weight of the revolving p arts.
The material i:-~ scraped off the disc b y a plo ugh and
fallR down. a s hoot. to a :fine grinding r o ller mi ll.
ThiR mi ll. \\ hic h NUl b<.' s<>en t oward s tho right in
Fig. HI. has t\ pair· of c·h illed iron r o lls, 2ft. 7 !.in. wide
by 1ft . 7 ~in. in, diamCitN·. T he r o lls aro g r·o~nd t o a
very :fine l'n n·fac·e, and rnn ono at 1!)0 revoluti on~>~ p t'l r·
minute tt rH I t h<' o th<>r at 17 1) l'Ovolut ion s per minute,.
so lh~:tt l h~y produce a ~t·iw ling ad ion. T h ey are ,~t
F IG . 6 PIPE · M AK ING
I mm. aJH:>.r·t., and i11 viow of tho damage whic h would
be cauRed if a n y ·foreign matt.er, s u ch as a n all, were
to drop b ot.wcen t h e t·olls, a breaking p late is arranged
in t.he adjuRt mf'nt. for the bearings to give way in
t·ase o f such an accident. 1' h ese p latef! can be re-
plared and the mill Rtarted again easily within
20 minutes. It i ~:~, naturally, necessary to keep the
sur·faccs of the •·oils in good o rdet·, and for t.his purpose
a special g rinding wheel is provid ed. 'rhe counter·
shaft for driving litis gr·inder can be f!eon b en eath t h e
ceiling in F ig. liL
The material coming from the fine g t·inding mill
fall s into a mixing m achine below see Fig. V .
whi<'h is very s imila r to those used in bl'ickmaking.
That is to say, it is a lon g c·ylindet· w it hin w hich
there r otat ef! a wot·m. T he matel'ial is stilTed up and
push ed forwal'(l by th is worm and is extrud ed thro ugh
a _perforated plato at the e nd. Olttside t his plate
t.her e r otates a star wheel, wh ic·h s lices off the materia l
as it i:-1!-.ues and a llows it to drop int o another· very
~-e imil ar· mac hine below. 'l'ho second m ix e t· ser
l<'ig. Y. h as a roller feed , and its outlet is a rectangular
ol'ifi.cc, measltl'ing 6in. by 4~in. A long f!lug of the
finished c· lay is p1rs hed o ut t ht·ough this o r·ifice a long
n table t o an automat ic cu t te r. The c·ut.te r· is a
simple frame wi th a wire stret c hed across. This
fr·amo is r eriprocat c d vor·tically an,d at eac·h strok e
<· uts off a sect ion, ahout. Sin. lo ng, ft·om the
s lug. rrheHe lumpS of c lay drop int o the boot of a
buck et e levator wJric h d elive rs them t o a con veyot·
running a long t h e length of t.he mou lding room at t h e
level of t he first floor . T his conveyor is a lso a s teel
band, by the samo makers us those at the rivers ide,
and is 18ia. wide by •
440ft. between centrca. The
lumpf! of c lay a r·o d e livered by tho e levator· on t.o a
Kloping s h oot leading to th <> C'Onv<'yor, and, in tumbling
clown this ~;hoot, pass tuHier a sw in~ing gate, hinged
tlt the top. w lric·h pr·cvents them falling off the RidoH
of the con veyor. I t wi ll , of cou 1·se, b e unders tood
that the s t eel b and C'onveyor is flat , and t h at witho ut
the gato the re might b o a liability for the lumps to
a•Tive on the b elt HO near to the edge a~ t.o t u m ble off
on to the floor. Along the length o[ t.hia con veyor
t h ere a r e sevon discharging p loughs, adjacent to the
machines which thoy at·e intended to ser·ve. The
c lay is p lo ughed off the conveyor on to tho floor , and
is s tack ed in a handy manner b y a labo ure 1'. Tn this
conn<.'ction we learned t h at., provided t.ho l)t.ack of c lay
is s heotcd ovet· fairly well it. will t·emain in condition
fo r· working up in the machines fot· sovo1·al days.
B efore passing on fl'om this con veyor·, it may b e as
well t o mention t h e fa<"t that both its sLrancls are
p ut to a useful p w ·poso. T ho t op atmncl is, as just
described, u sed t.o d eliver lump c lay to the p ipe·
making mach ines, "hi le the t·etw·n strand is u sed to
take scrap pioceH back to the grinding mi ll.
H aving fo llowed through the process o f p reparing
lire clay for moulding. it seems appropriate hore to
mnlw tl di vPt'sion in order to dN~ct·ihr 1111' p ower·
THE ENGINEER lVlAY 18, 1928
l
plant. whic·h. inc·idontally, providCIR an important clireC't-current at. 220 voltM. Tho cnginPs twe d esign NI
servic·o in s uppl)' ing slCiam fo t· tlw ch·y in~ of thC~ to ~ivo t.h ei r· rated o utput with fl hac k pt'<'ssure of
ware made. 1 lb. pot· H<tuar·o inch, and in tlte O\ c•nt of tlw wholo
of tho oxhttust not b e ing r<'<trrirod for h eating pur-
POWI•: R AND H Jo:Nrl <: Pt. AN'l'. pose!-\, tlw haJanr <" iM oxhmrst ocl to at mosphert>.
Tho p ower plant. h~ts bocn. plann<'!l out on a ,getH~l'OI I H thro ugh a loaclod ' ·ah·e. B<lfor·e hoing int r·oduc·ed
~;calo. so that it will bo adcquatt' for tho ser·vi<·c o f I h e t o the heating syst l'm t hc ox hn.ust s t <'fllll is passe cl
fad or·y, <>von if tho wholc of IIIo si t e availablo is through a KO]Hll'ator· to ox t.r·,wt n>~ muc·h of llw oi l it
d ovolopcd. l t c·omp r·ises two L ~\1\l'itshiro boi l er~ Hee rnay c·ontai n 11s possible.
l•'ig. 4 hy .J o lm Thompson Ltd . T hey nre :JOft. long T he h eating ~;yst.om, ..vltic·h utilises lit<' <''htwMI
hy 8ft. in diniiH)Ic>r. a11d t\1'<' hand fir·od . Tlw wodcing -.t eam il'l t\ llC(WOI'k Of piping hC'l\('Ht lt tJw (loor of t lrl'
Jli'Cssurc i-. I SO l b . per sr ptn.re itwh, Hnd tlw s tom11 iH ch·y ing s h ed, nnd wns ttr·r·nn~<'d hy A:-.hwoll l\ ncl
Nc~bit , Ltd . l t. c ompriMeM somo 7 mi l<>s o f 2 n t. piping.
arranged in t won ty ht\~ s tl lo ng t IH' longt 1t of t h<'
s heet. 'l'he re are t.wo MOptwatE' C'Oi ll" of piping in <'nch
bay, so that thor o nrr fol'ly d ischo.rgo lrnp:-~ in nil.
T h e s t Ntm s uppl y main stnl'l s t\L Sin. in dittrnotN· nn cl
is reduced t o 4in . at t.ho clis tnnt. (In cl. The r<>tw·n
cond cn.-;nte main fr·om t.h c tr·n.ps is so looped that t h cr'tl
is n o fNw, should a trap get o u t of orclor· nnd hi O\\
steam, ~hat its sec· lion o f heo,t in g <"Oil will I'Oh tlw
ot,hers of their s upplies of s t c:am. Th<.' ex t en t of this
heating syst (lm may br gttu~od ft·om tho fac· t tlr t\t tltn
d rying f! hod m etH\l u'es 4 00ft. by 125ft., nnd has 11
C'Onsi<lMablo amount of glnzin~ in t,ho t•oof.
Now, having l'Ov iewed t.h e pr·0visicm of I lrr> ('luy,
1ho power ttnd I ho hC'al rleorsst\.J'~r in the Jn·oc·ess of
manu f aollu·o, wo NI n go cm I o I h <l tt<·t riH I 11H1 king of
the pipPs.
'PI PE·lllAKlN(l M AC'HI NF.~.
Thoro two sovcn pipe-making rnnchines, by \\'oott on
Brot.lrors, Lt d ., arr·angcd it\ o row n lo ng the• west<'r'n
-;ide of t.hp clr·yi n~ Rhcd . Thoy nro, t og<•thf'r·, c·npablt'
of making pipes of nny cliamel<'l' from 2in . l o 24i n.,
and fr·om 2fl . to 3ft. long. These nu\c·hinos, of whic h
o ne is illus trated in [<'ig. 6, ex t <>nd thro ug h l he fl oor
nbovo, whf'nce t.hey MO feet with c·lay from th<'l sttwi<M
o.longAid o the long c•onveyot·.
'fhe rn nch ine is rC'A IIy vcry Himple nnd eompr·iHeM
a vc.wti ct~ l cylinder within w h irh thoro works u COf\1':<<'
pitc h worm. This wor·m is <h·iv<'ln tht·oug h gcn r·ing,
a H eywood a n d Bt·i d~cs fri ct ion clutoh, and tt H ans
R enold ohain by •
an e lectJ·io motor of some f>O H .P .
d ownwA.rds, accord ing to the s ize o[ Lhe pipE's to I)('
m ade. The cylinclor· is C'IHu·gcd with c lay at t h<> top
- by hand, a11d thi!'l olay i:o; fol'ccd ciO\\IlWftrds by thc
r otatio n o f the worm, t o form tho pipe by nn ox t rus ion
M AC HIN E p•·o ce~!'l. 'rhe a nnular o ri fioo for thix purpose i-.
provided by suppor t ing a core withih a la rger ('in·ular
oponin g by m ean.q o f an interna l s p ider. Th<' clny
superheated by about I 00 d eg. F ah. in l"ugden fl owa ft-eely ro und this spider and join A together· agttin
I
s uperheaters, while t h oro is a <:reen's economiser· on
the feed s ide. The c himney stttcl< is 120ft. high, and
to fo i·m a. c:ompacL mass as it issues fro m t.he tm nulu.-..
I t is, however, necessary to fonn tho socke t, on th"
natural draught is r elied trpon to maintain the s t eam pipe fo t· its connertion with its mate, ,nnd that, is
pressure . 'oal is d elivered on to the firing floor by effected in t h e following manner :- B oneat h tho
side-tipping tmclcs, handled by a. f'implex petro l bottom of the eylinde 1· t h ere is a horizon ~a.l table,
locom otive, from t.he adjacent clump Kervcd b y t h e which iA counterweigh ted and can tdide up and down
main con veyor. on g u id es. I n the p r ocess of making a pipr a former.
'rho feed water is, a lmost e ntirely, rot.tu·ned con - for t h o socket, is sot in t h e con t.1o of tho tn.ble, aucl t,he
densate from t he heating system that u tilisofl the tA.ble is raiRod so that the formo1· butts close up again.qt
exhaust from t h e main engines. Ther·e ar<' two main tho annular opening. The table is lock ed in this
feed pumps b y ' ,Yeirf! flOe Fig. 4 whic·h suc·k from l)O!'Ii l ion and the worm iR Ret in rnot ion by en~ogi nj:{
'·
FIG , 7 - DR Y I NG SH ED
a largo <·ylindric·al sLorngo t nnk. 'l'ho r ot urn con - tho fri nt.ion c·hrt.c·h. Tho c·lrty i:~ forc·ed cl ownwtHd nncl
densate is fed in to this tank, lhr·ough a Last!en and fill~ tho HOC·kct. fOI'IliOr and, liS 1" 0011 1\~ it, is SC'C'n tht\1
H j o •·t, wood-wool pac·ked o il filt<'r', by a Nash c·en · the ol1ty is sp ewing o u t t.hrough t ht' j oin t,.., Lhe trtblo
trifu gal vacuum. pump. Tlr i~; pump is C8))ablo o f is roloa:sc<.J nnd the fot·co of the oxt,.uding c· h:~.y cll'i\·!1s
maintaining a vacuum of about. I Oin. water ga.ugo in it down whi le the cylindrico l part or t h e pipo is
the r etu nt mainR, and has a lternative drives by foL·mod. \\' h on t\ s u llkient length of pipe~ has b<'on
e locLI'ic moLOt' and an impulse Htcam tur·bine. The extrude d , the wor·m i~ s topped, t\ kn~t h gauge is
disrharge ft·om t.ho fi lter to t.he storage tank is visible, placed on Lho p la t.fonl', and the pipe is cut. off with 1\
so that the attendant can easily see i( the feed wtttor· wir<'. Tho pipo iP Uwn lifted oiT the table--it. il:l q ui to
is comi ng over really c·lean. Ht.rong enoue,h to bea1· rea.-;onn.b le handling,- tm< l is
Tn the ongine-ho uHe t,her·o n r·e I wo H <'llisA and s lipped on t o n manclr·<:'l, w h ich is grensocl to prevent
1\Iot·corn. 21)0 H .P. c·ompound engines seo l+'ig. 3- tho c lay sticki1lg. With c·onveuient tools , t.h c~ fins
c·onpl~<l with 171) -k \\' C:.E.C'. gene•·atOJ'M prtH luc·ing lef t at the sock<>t ~nd two tumed off Etnd the ser·r·,,tion"
 M.AY 18, 1928
for· the ke~ ing of the joint in~ matcrinl are made ttt
<'ach end. Th<' pipe is t aken off the mttnclrcl, ~<tamped
and curri<>cl away lo the dryin~ Ah cd . The scrap stuff
c·omin~ r'ro m the finishin~ mtwhino iA take n upAtairH
by the ronveyor· Reen on the loft, irt Fi~. 6, ond i ~;
return<>d to the mill by th!' Ion ~ band c onveyo r, n.s
a lready rnent ion eel.
Be~id<.'s plain s tr·aight pipes, lhN·e are, of coun-~e
various c·omplicated formH r'Ntuir·NI in drainage
t.p.. tciDli, nnd many of the m ure pro duc·c<l by hnnd
m o uld inS( o r· a combination o f Jllt\(·hine unci hund work :
hut tho pro<'css of pro ducinS( n t.i mplo b end is both
si mple and intoreHt ing. A pip machine is set up, as
a lready clt>Hcrib ed, and the Hock ot en d of the piece iH
formed ns us ual , but a fl soon O.'i the Lablo i~ released
it is pulled downward quic·kly and a man grasps the
free ('nd of the pipe in his twms. The n, a s it ron.-
tinucA t o b e extrud ed, he pulh; it s ide wayt>, and , by
judgment, produces the requir·ed b end. The pipe is
then put in a t emplate and ndjm>l cd, if n eceRsar·v,
to ~et the COrrect form, and goeA on through the
maining proccs. eli a u s ual ; but ftom what we saw
it seem..'! seldom nece . ary lo make much aclj tL<.;tment
after the op erator has made the firl'! t b end .
Jn the making of the larger pipes men are gen e r·ally
t>mployed at the machines, hut the Hmaller ~Sizes are
mado by girls, and it is rather s urpr·is ing to see the
d oxte t·ous wa~ in w~i ch they handle comparatively
heavy gr·een ptpes wtthout dama~ing .th em and with-
out getting the it clothes s oiled. Tho pipes are canied
from the machines to the drying flool'S-4!ee Fig. 7-
in V ·Rhaprd wooden troughs, that remind o n e very
much of the butcher ' b oy's o f years ago, and are Rtood
on end t o dry. On this Boor' they ar·e insp ected and
any accidental ro ughneHs tt·immed off, and they are
occa ionally turned up ide down.. An. extensive
Hyt~tem of portable ins pec tion lampli hM been in.atalled
fot· these purpoHes, and one of the e xtendible lendli
r an b e seen hangin g in the roof in Fig. 7.
Aftor Htnnding in. the dt·ying s h ed for s ome days,
the wnt·e b o<·omes " white hard," that is to say , mos t
of th<' contained moi.r; ture has b een dri ven o ff, and it
is ready t o go t o the ki Ins for firing.
Ku.Ns.
There a r·e fotu-teen kiln.'! at Er·ith, each capable o f
holdi n~ from 40 t o 50 tons o f ware, arranged in two
parallel r ows jus t outs ide the drying s he d . These
kilns are plainly seen in the vie w at the h ead o[ t his
article. There is, it will b e seen, a stack, 70ft. high ,
for cnch pnir· of kilns. These kilns a l'e rectangular in
form and are h e ld togethe l' by h eavy bucks taves and
t ie rodli. Their d esign is the J'es ult of the long exp e ri-
enre of the owners in the i•· othor works The fire -
placeR are arranged along b oth the o uts ide s ide walls
und the product!:! of combus tion go up flues in the
walls t o the top of the kiln. They then go downward
through the ma of ware s t acked within, through the
p erforated fire -brick floor , and by a Aystem of under-
ground flues to the s tack.
The firing proce s has t o b e carried out ve1>y care-
fully in the ear·ly stages, a s the ware i t:~ comparatively
ten der , and the fires are s tar·ted up g r·aduall y. Then
when the full temperature hus b een attained, salt is
wprinkled on the fires to produce the fumes n ecessary
to glaze the ware, and, finally, the flres are damped
to allow the kiln and its contents to cool down again
s lowly. A cycle of operatio n.~ of a kiln, from setting
the unburned ware to taking out the fmi.shed produc t
varies from twelve to twenty-ono days, according
to the weight of the s tuff b eing handled. The " set-
ting" or filling of the kiln also requires cor1.CJide rab\e
11k ill , as the ware s hrinks very cons ide rably during
firing, as much as about J in. in a foot, ~:~o t hat a lthough
<>veryt.hing may be pack ed in nice a nd tightly at the
beginnin~. it a ll gets s lack when the temperature iK
raised and the various pieces give no muLual s upport.
In t h iK connection acc w ·alo manufacture also playH
an important part, a s if all the pieces s tand r eall)
~quare, there i ~:~ much leRs liability for a collapse.
lo'or· ROme purpo$es cw.tomers require that pipes
Rhall be te.'lted hydraulically, and fo r that purpose
Mest~n~. Doulton have inRta lled 1wmo machines in
wh irh pipet:~ can be t est ed rapidl y to a pressure or
20 lh. p er· Kqua•·e inc h ; while the re iH also a d epart-
ment for· furnishing the pipt'K wit.h the , ' tanJord
'WHiem of jointing, whic h il'l a rnixtlu·e of Kulphlll·,
tar a nd suncl poured hot into ncclrr·ately m achi ned
mou lds.
In the fore~oing ac·counl W<' have n ot given. d e tails
of the buildings. whic h include a block of o ffices, a
<·an teen, &<·., n~ they ure what might b e d t>sc r·ibecl as a
Htandar·d en~ineering job. Mr·. P ercival M. Fr·a o;er·
1\C'tcd os arc hrtect.
1t .,corn~; prope r· t o p o int out that it was o nl y
through the courte y and for·eb t>nr·fulC'C of the dir·ec-
torato of MesRr'}!. D oulton that wo w e re enabled t o
obtain the intimate exp erience n cce!:!Aary for the
pr·eparation of thi!l a r·ticle; whilo Mr. 0. E. M o rTis,
the general manager of tho c·ornpany 't~ p ipe wor·ks,
who wM resporu;ible fo t· the lay-out and equipment of
the factotJ', .Mr·. E . H . Buck, the work!! manage r , and
Mr-. C. F. 0rofts, the work"' e nginee r·, we r·e mos t
helpful in explaining the p roc·ENHe;;.
Publi!' V.' orka D epur lmC'Int , ~l'W Z(•uluncl. i~ c·alling
'I'IIF.
for tend(lrH to be pref!ontt~d by ,July lOth for 50 kV HWitch -
geor und at c<>l work for_Ar·apuni power ac·hemo.
THE EN G INEER
Iron and Steel Institute.
No. lT.•
T11r~ Hpring mee t.in~~ of the l r·o11nnd Stee l l n <;tiLuLe
W<.W<' r·csumcd on Frid~ty mol'l1in~ . May 4th. the Pr<'Ai-
clt'nt. l\h. Be njumin Tal b ot, in t lw <·hair.
l l wn~ tmnounC'ecl t h ttt ~mnt s f r·orn the ( 'n•·n c•gie
R c•o;N\rc·h Frrnd of the Jn s titut<> luul b een awarded t o
.Mr·. H enry Temel , Kl nd n o , ( 'zcc·hoo;lovakia: .Mr·.
,J . \ 'i<>t 6 riwz, Fhul n.pcst ; 1\[r·. Dtwicl Binnie, o f the'
Roy~tl T c'c·hnical Co lleg<>. (:Ius go" : and :\1•·. H. :-;,
Smith , of ~lteffield Univ<'l·:-..it\•.
•
'fur~ H ETERO<: ENJ~ ITY OJ? STrO:EL 1 NOOT8.
The seco nd l'epor·t of t h o Tr'»ili tu to's Committee
o n the He ~erogeneity of •'t<>ol J n~oLs was the n pro-
Honi ed by D r-. W. H. H atfield (the chairman of lhe
('o mmilt<>e). The Commit tee, h e Knid, felt that. with
re- the puhlication of this r·eport (the first repo rt wa<~
publis h ed two years a~o) it hacl n ow pre. e nted the
r·est~lt s of a v e ry syst e matic and cnre ful s tudy or the
vatro w! g on e ral types ol' ingots , which s tudy wo-,
really nccessat·y in order to put on record the state
of tho a r't to date. T he ingots s tudied a n d reported
on wer'<' representative of good prac tice, a n d were
n ot selected ; they 1'0 present.ed roa.lly good wor·kmnn-
s hip from tire Rtandpoi nL of the in~ot. maker. Afte r·
e mphasising that, in no ra-;es, were they ~;uperior· i ngot ij
whrch had b een o btained ail a matter of lu<'k in the
cou r·se of manufacture. h e added that the Committee
had leamed a lot in the cour.;o of the inves tigation,
and, as a r esult, wa.'l now mu(·h m or e modeRt n.bout
its ttbility to explain the var·iou~ phenomena titan it
was befo re work b egan.
Tho work is con6ned to 1\ <·onsidNott<m of further types or
cnrbon stool ingot11, and to 11ovon•l exMnplc11 of alloy steel ingots.
Con11idernt.ion is also given to tho tmbject o£ ingot moulds.
Soiontiflc invostigo.tions are in hand with a view to tho olliCidu.-
tion of mnttors arising out of t.ho firHL genernl rcsenrch. The
whole o.f tho w~rk ho~ been mo.de pol!siblo through the gonero11ily
or tho firms w1th whteh some of the members o.re associated, in
supplyin~t dnta, and in fncilitating nnd futoncin~t a moat <:ostly
fom1 of investigation, whilst for the lost-mentioned inveRtigs.
tion11 the J ron ond Steel l lll!titute ill providing the lll'<'<'SI<Ory
fund s.
Tho ropo rt. i!l di vided into the following I!{'(' I •onI! : -
Stctio>~. / . -Introduction.
• «:tio1t 11.- !ngot. moulds.
~tction I I / . -Certain featuret~ ()( l!t<'cl IIIO.nufll('turo whid1
may influence heterogenoit.y.
Sectio1l L V. - A study of nickel, nickel·<·hromium, m1d ni r kc•l
chromium·molybdenum steel ingot!!.
Section V.- A study of co.rbon steol11 other than ·• killed ."
SectiOil V I . -An interim report. on the reeenrchcs ~>t Rlwf.
field \JnivorPity and 0 1Mgow Hoyol Tcehnir ol Colle)l<'.
Stctum V H .- Bibliography, broul(ht up to date.
Tho 6ret, report, i88uod by tho Comm1tteo in :\lay, J 920, dtmlt,
Wtlh carbon steel ingots of various sizes, t he steel having been
so refined tho.t, gases given ofT during the freezing of the in~ot
dtd not produce blow-hole&-i.c. , all the steel Wl\ll o( the" killed "
type, ond, consequently, tho in~o ts wero of the sound type.
The researches of the Committee 11howcd , however, that all the
ingot11, ulthough representing I(Ood normal production , disclosed
definite h ot~rogono tty ns rogo.rds tho distribution of the carbon,
sulphur, and phosphorus, and, furth er, U1ot the dc~ree of hetero-
geneity incrcoaed with increase in tho fll6!18 of the lllgot. H wos
suggested that those vc.riations in composition were due to the
mGI\ner in which the liquid steel solidified , and whilst. Section J V.
of the first. report. wne devoted to a consideration or the inRuonrc
or the various fM tors involved, and to a tentative d iscuesion of
certain theories in oxplc.nation of the observed fncts, it was
reolisod lhllL much :research wM ncecl!sory before any 6tlempt
could bo made to gi,·e a complete picturo of the mechMiem of
fr(.'(Y.ting. In certain directions the Comnuttco hos smre been
ablt~ to prov•de for the execution of scwerol much-needed in\'CI!ti -
gattons. Until this work is more advanced, the Committee
proposes to obstoin from a further lheorctJClll dtssertation upon
the results, and lhis second report w1ll be confuwd. as far 011
poSI!ible, to u statement of the e88cnttol (Q('t8 detormin<'d.
\Vhore explono.tions of isolated phcnotnenu ore cl ii!CUI!II<'d, the
object ill llimply to oncourngo IIROful di8CuAAion. AI! indi!'l\tive
of the dillicullios of c.rriving nt a <'O IIlploto undoratandin$ of the
general problorn, attention may bo dro.wn to the experlnlCIItul
dilliculty of determining the tomptwt\lure gradients ex i stin~
within tho 11tcol c.nd the mould durn1g tll(l 6('tual freezin~. mHl,
incidentally, to tbe difficulty of obt l\inin~t llle neceAAc.ry dtltl\ to
enable the thickneAA of the advnnt'llllt woll of froz<'n steel to be
plotted ogoinst. time. The study or any movement or the liquid
stct•l in tho form of convection <·urr<'lllll 111 olso difficult. S11rh
problems ore, however, receivin~t Oltt'nllon.
The dcsi~tU of the moutd is of grcnt mflu ence in sffecting the
charnctcriatic features of the inl(ot. c011t in tl. I n ection J l ..
ther(lfore, particulars of many of the moulds ui!Cd for produe1n~
the in~o t11 studied arc presonted. unci f!Ome considerntion in
detail t8 given to the 1n o.nner in whi!'h the mould affects th(l
freezing of the ingot. H ero, o~tnin , iH I\ l(oncrol problem whil'h
does not permit of any attempt •~t finul !!ll\lcmt•nt until llltH'h
lllOI'O dolo ho.vo boon obto.iued.
'rho Committee, ho.ving now 1111d<•r t·onHidMutiou \•o.rious typt'll
of ingots produced by different proCCili!CH, hus felt it to be del!ir-
able that certain motnll urgico.l f•onHidoral ionl!l!hould be discu11Hod ,
and 'ect ion IIJ. ill therefore dovott'd lo that purpo8C. H is
shown how the ovoilablo resourt·e11 of n1w lllntcrial innu<'u<·e
the cllo.ri\Cter of the proce811 ond produr t, ond to who.t extent
technical control is limited by the dogrce of 8Cientitlc nchio,•e-
ment,
Sect•on 1 \'. con loins valuable dntu de ri ved from the 8tudy
of further ingots. 'fho 11 rat r(lport d!'nlt with cnrbon steel
1ngots produced from fully killed 1!h1ol, and an 6('Count is now
gtven of alloy steel ingots produced from fully k1lled steel con·
taining nit' kel, nickel and chromium, ond nickel, chromium,
tmd molybdenum ; whilllt in ono t•oso tho distribution of a l!ml\ll
quuntit.y of copper present in the ingot i11 studied. Thoso sto~ls,
n 11 is genoro.lly known, are employed whore onhonc<'d moohGntctLI
ehoro.otcristics nre ncce811nry to withsti.Lnd tho high strc88es to
which they ore subjected in their final form. Jncidontolly, tho
temperatures permi88ible in the h~ t· wor~ing of such not . 80
road1ly weldable steel!!. do n_ot porm.'t of r6tBUlg t~om to weld1!'g
heats and it, is therefore 1mpernt1VO tht\t. the mgot motorto.l
shall be free from cavit,y of o.ny kind. The ingots studied indicate
thot a high t«hnical standnrd hns boon attamed in tho pro-
duction of such material. A rcfr6('tory-lmed feeder hcod t8
invariably uaod for preventing a shru~kago ~avit,r wit~m the
ingot proper, with the further effec~. 111 conJunctton w1lh tt.ae
dt'si!(ll of uloul~, of caua~g the m~JOr .aeg~egates to ~ollect tn
tho feeder portiOn or t.he mgot., wluoh 18 at8Carded. rho dntt\
•
• No. I. appeared May llth .
• 537
presented will enahle tho dl.'grcc of l!cgregntion of the 11peC'inl
olomonts to be judged, and o180, in 80me mensure, lh111r <'flt'I'L
flll regnrde the 8CAre~tntion of tho normnl elements.
I n Hrction V. t.he Commitl<'(l presents data derived from sovornl
irtgot!! reprei!Cntotive of tho great. tonnagcH of mild slct'l pro-
duced. Suob stool is mon\tfo.ct.urcd in for greater quantity thnu
tho solid stool, both cnrbon ttnd alloy, hitherto ron11iderod.
Whore killed stool is mndo for the production of forginga otHI
other products from whirh onerous I!Crvieo is expected, tho lorge
di8Card from the top of the 1ngots results in a vory mat<'rially
enhonred coat. of the produr t. In the type of mo.tcrial dill·
ou88cd in this 1100tion, the yield of lini11hed product is much hight'r,
thus focilitnting the econom•c object. m v1ow of provid in~t a large•
tonnogo of cheap mnterio.l for general purposes. lnc•d<>ntnlly,
this mtLlerial is usuc.lly fo•rl) low in cnrbon, and the roll mEt
lomporotures are high, and theso factors re8ult Ul a ml\tt'rial
snlillfG<"tory for the purpose!! in tended, since minor cavities may
weld up in the monipulotivo proc08808. Novertholo88, u com-
parative study of ingots of sut'h mntorio.l is c88enti61 for a proper
<·omprehon8ion of tho whole problem of ingot production. Tl1e
studr. of tho effect of gn~~es~tivon oil during freezing tllso bot'Omcs
p01!81blo, with very instructive rcBults.
ln Section VI. will be round t\ statement. reporting vrogress
of t.ho researches undertaken on b<>hslf of the Comm1ttoo. At.
Sheffield University, Professor Dosch, F.R.S., b68 made him-
sol£ responsible for work upon tho viscosity and dens1lY of
molten steels, whilst. ot. the Olosgow Hoyo.l Tcchnic6l Coliet(o,
Profe880r Androw hne undertoken a study of tbo liqutdus nnd
solidus of the steels undc·r cone1dcration, to~tether with u stud~
of the formation and nature of the 11ulphidcl! in commcrctnl RtcclH.
In Section \'H. the Committee ie able, through tho 681!istan<·t·
of Mr. Lloyd ond his stall, to prcsont o sutnmnry or litorotur<•
publi~thcd sinr c tho ))ibliogrnphy in the lt\Hl r<~port wos compiled.
Dr. Waiter Rosenhain , in cong t·aLu l atin~ tho ( 'om -
mit toe upon having pref!(>ntecl n large ma~" of fa<·tw,
!!aid thn.t the establiHhment of those factR wu!l the
res ult o f a very large amount of wo r·k of an exp ens ive
and diffic ult c haracter , \\ hic h h e ventured t o s u~~c:-~t
n o o n e but a Committee fortunate enough to ~=:eclll'e
the free co-operation of a !urge number· ot' t:~ teel firm.'!
could have produced. \\'hiiRt he was most read y
t o accep t the assurance that to t h e best of the Com -
mittee'!! knowledge and b e lief the ingoLs were rept·e-
s entativo of good p ra c tice, it mus t be bome in mind
that neither the CommiLLce nor anyone olse could
possibly t~ay to what degt·ee o£ accw·acy they w er o
really representative, i.e., how uniform, from ingot
to ingot, wa.s the distribution of the impurities. No
d o ubt he would be t o ld Lhat the collective wisdom
and e:x-per ience of the memb(>r~ of the CommittC<'
enable d them to say that the ingots were representa -
tive ; they might b e satisfied about that, but when
it came t o a matter of data upon whic h ultimately,
h e hoped , scientific d <>clu ctions wero to be bar;ed,
more was really needed. P erhaps the Committee
mig ht b e able to examine Roctions of, say, half a-doze n
of a few classes of ingots, all of which were made unde r
the s ame conditions, and a scel'Lain. exactly how n ear ly
alike thos<> half-a-dozen ingots were. The funda -
mental facts in r egard to the d istr ibution of impuri -
ties would then be known, and it would b e possible
t.o t~ay what effec t s were accidental, i.e., due to con-
ditions and fac t o r11 which metall urgists either did
not know or w ere not able t o control. It appeared
t o him that the re wore two fac t s which s t ood out
as gen eralisations to be drawn from the report. Ono
wns the limited extent t o which segregation occurred
in r egard to what might be called the metallic
e lements, i.e., mangan ese, nickel and chr omium.
That waR perhaps not s urprising ; the atoms of those
elem ents wer e so s imilar to the atoms of iron itself
that the forces which s eparaLed them m.ust b e much
s maller than in. the case of tho m etalloids. Nove •··
theless, the ascertainment of that fact wa.s important
and valuable. The second wa.s the marked influence
of the liberation of gas durin~ the soldification of an
ingot upon the arrangement of the seg regates. With
l'egat·d to the illustratioN! in the report, Dr. R ose11 hain
~a.id that h e had seen the o riginal!! and was very sorry
that. Lhe reproduc tion!'~ did not do t.he faintest jtmti('(l
to those very beautiful pieces of wol'k, and he s ug-
ges ted that it was wor·th while consid e ring whe th<' t'
it. would not b e p ossible to r eproduce them on a mor·<•
adequate Rca le. In making Ruggestion.s for fntur·e re-
search b y the Committee, h e referred to ingots whic h ,
wllf'n rolled, were not completely s olid internally,
and s nid that, when an ingot o f that kjnd wa.<J aftN··
war·<l.~ c u t and e t c hed, a whito patch '"a found in
the centr e. That implied a very remarkable form o f
s<>grr'gation , and he a sked if tho Rcg r·egation Wfl'! in -
fluen ced by allowing Lhe ingot~:~ t o re main aftcl' tr·cut -
m ent in the soaking pit; h ow fnt' d id diffusion in tlw
Holid un u Herni-solid Btate eiLhor accentuate or tend
to wipe o ut these differe n c<'H of compos ition ? l fis
own impression was thaL so far· us Lhe m etallic el emen t ~
w e t·e con cerned it would Lend to wipe them o ut, but
whe the r or not the ~:~eg regation of !,!Uiphur or phos-
phoms \\ o uld dim in i.~ la was a. point of ver·y great
interes t , both prac tically and theoretically, becau.o;c
from it m e tallurgistA mighL team whethet· o r not th o:-~e
e lem ents were capable of diffW!ing thro ugh solid iron.
Another point for inves tigation was that of fluid
compt·cssion., partic ularly in the cnHe of tho Harme l
process. He believed Lhat in that pr·oceKs, at tho
t o p of the ingot, a high ly Hegr·egated Aubstance was
sq ueozed out, and that was vor·y interesting a s t h t·ow-
ing lig h t on the procCRHC.-1 whi('h took place in scgr()gll ·
tion.
\\' ith regard t o the d ot e r·minat ion of the liquidul'! anti
solidWI of commerc ial stcoiA, h e s aid that a goorl denl
of work on that subject had bet>n done in his laborn-
tOtJ', and it had b een fo und that the attempt to d e t e r -
mine the solidus by I he e lectrica l rcs it:~ tance method
h a cl had t o b e abandQn<.'d, for the v e ry reason thnt
Pr·ofeHsor Andre w had re- di~:~covered , 'name ly, tlaut
the effect of e lectrical conductivity was too small
•
 538 THE ENGINEER MAY 18, 1928
to be definitely marked. The determination of the betn horrified to find h ow much rletail had been lost sidered that other inv~stigators should try to con-
liq~idus could ~e made with platinum thermo-couples in the re.procluotion of the illustration~ . That was tribute more than had been contributed lately to t.he
qu1te well. Fmally, he suggested that a pamphlet, almost inevitable when the degree of reduction of size investigation of the physical chemistry of high-
ummari ing the leading facts in the rc;.port, would was so greut, but, if it wt>1·e possible, he would see that temperature stc<'l making. Exp<'riments had been
be of great value, o that outsiders, . uch a. himself, fresh reproductions were made of, at any rate, two or made before on the effect of vibration during
could read it and \md<'rstand it. three of the Committee's very beautiful tracings, and solidification, but without much promi;.;c of mate1·ial
P rofessor C. H. De~ch (a member of the Committee}, would regard the r·ost as a fu'>lt charge on the funds advantage .
. aid t h at the ingots used were representative of the of the Institute. Jn emphasising the costly nature of Concerning the President's remarks, he said that it
regular p ractice of firmr. of good standing, and were the Committee's work, which, he said, had been ren- had been the "i. h of the Committt>e to examine ingot
provided by firms which were represented on the dered po;.;sible b y the generosit.y of s teel works in this iron, but, Ul\fortunately, the firms rE-presented on the
Committee. The product ion of the ingots, the sacrifice count1·y, h e saicl that the cost mnst be thought of not Committee were not pt·oducer~ of thA.t matel'ial, and
oi t-he~ by cutt.illg t.h em up, and the grinding and merely in tc1m::; of thousandc:;, but of tens of thousands the Committeo would weiC'ome an offor of s uch mater ial
sw·facmg and pt·eparation of micro etchings and of pounds, and in view of the fact that the s teel indu;.;try in order that it. mi~ht carry out an ~Hlequate
sulphur p rints had been eno1mously costly, and that had hAd to face such great difficultie during the past examination.
cost had been borne entirely by the steel industry. six )ears the c·reclit due to the industry wa;.; all the The next paper was one by Mr. Y. Harhord,
Naturally, the Committee had had a number of diffi- greater. entitled " A Comparison of the Mo:st Tmportant
culties, but no difficulties had arisen through the Mr. E. A. Atl<iJ\S, referring to futut·e investigations, Methods Employed in the Cleaning of Blas t-furnace
withholding of information, and the spirit which had suggested that some experimental work might be Gas." The author pre ented the following summary
p rompted the furni hing of l'luch very full details in carriNl out on the kind of additions which should be and conclusions :-
regard to p roductions of that kind-such details a made to the ladle and their effect npon segregation- CLEANIKG BLA "T-FURNA(;g GA '.
had not, he believed, been published hefort>- was to not only the amount of segregation, but the size of
be very highly commended. ( l ) H a dust content in tho gas of about 0 · 5 gramme is con-
the inclusions. H e was quite convinced that it was sidered sufficient for the purposes required, this can be achieved
Mr. A. McCance, referring to the Committee's com- pos ible to make additions to the ladle which would by a washer of the tower and spray t)')>e \\ ithout disintegrators
parison of the degree of segregation between a 57-cwt. affect the upward displaceroents of the inclusioru;, or by electrostatic plants. H a lower dul!t con tent is required.
and a 15-cwt. ingot, and the statement that the res\llts parti<'ularly if those inclusions oould be made to aplant wo.sher of the disintegrato r I)'P~' or a Hnlbcrg-Beth filtration
is necessGry.
showt'd a distinctly higher degree of segregation for coalesce. Another line of investigation which might (2) The Klinp: Weidlein plant cannot be regarded o.s a satis
each of the elements in the former case, suggest<'d be followed- though that was perhaps a little more factory cleaner, and to obtain reo.sonable results it shO\IId only
that the figmes given in Table JII. of the report hardly fanciful- was to find out what would be the effect be used as a primary cleaner in conjunction with some other
form of cleaner. Its capital cost is too high for a first-stage
bore out that contention, except in the case of sulphur. upon the steel of subjecting the moulds to intense gas cleane r, and unless used in conjunction with an electro-
The range b etween the maximum and m m1mum vibration dm·ing solidification. static cleaner, one of its main claims namely, retention of
s ulp h ur con tent was cer tainly greater in the larger The President, referring to an inves tigat-ion with sensible heatr-is lost.
(3) The coat of operating the electrosttllic plants appears less
ingot, bu t the figures relating to ca1·bon and phos- which he had been concerned in 1894, in America, than m ost other types oi plants, but tho average dust content
phorus d id not s how a distinctly higher degree of said that ho had a particular iron which carlif'd a lot in the cleaned go.s is higher than with dismtegrator washers. The
segregation in the larger ingot. \Yith regard to the of copper, from which spring steels were to be made, sensible heat is retained, but the handling of the dry dust ho.s
design of moulds, the C'ommit.tee stated t hat the and he had to find out exactly whether the copper was some disadvantages. Improvements aro still being made with
this type of apparatus, which must bo regarded o.s being still
correct taper was difficult to decide, as it depended going to segregate as did the metalloids. H e had moro or less in ita infancy, and it will probably havo a very big
on t he rates of cooling at the freezing temperature been very t hankful to find that he had to confine his field in the future. The capital cost is hi~h .
in t h e various par ts of the ingot, and t hat the taper attention largely to carbon, phosphorus, and sulrhide. ( 4 ) The most efficient t.y pe of wet wo.shN">l are of the !'Om-
. hould be such as to make possible efficient feHling Commenting on Dr. Rosenhain's suggestion that the bined l()wer and disintegrat()r type. The cost of running such
plants is, however, higher thnn other t.y pes of c·leancr, ext·cpt th e
of the body of the ingot. Those were expressions Committee might inve. tigate ingots which were rolled Halber~- Both.
of opinion, and he would like to see a connected and with liquid ct>ntres, h e agreed that, that would be a (5) 'J he Halber(;·Both clcnner, if due LLttenlion is given to
detailed series of experiments carriE>d out, eo that very interesting and impo•·tant division of the Com- renewal of bags, ~·ves a lower dust content in the final gas !l"d
its cost of operat•on is no more than thnt of the mol"() Ptl\c•ent
people de igning ingot moulds would k now what mittee's work- if the funds would la t out, for he wet cleaners. The two main objections to this plant arc 11 11 high
was t h e best taper to use so as to dimini h segregation. realised how costly those investigation;.; were. H e cnpitnl cost and the handling of the dry d\lst.
Mr. J. G. Penrce (Director, B rit ish Cast Iron suggested that an investigation of the pure form Mr. W. Simons said that, although the rongh clenn-
R esearch A.-;sociation) said that tbe report hinted in of ingot iron wou ld be valuable.
a very delicate way at the lack of information on the D 1·. Ratfield replied to the discussion. Dealing ina of gas might bs ust>ful, he was convinced that
the only proper course to pursue wo~; to clean t he gas
p roper ties of ea t iron which determined the heat flow with Dr. R osenhain's ugge tion that a ummary of p erfectly. He was not much concerned with the
in in got moulds. T hat was perfectly true, but he the report, pointing out its salient facts, might be relative merits of one plant as compared with nnother,
was able to say that , following a discussion between prepared, he sa.id t hat although he understood that but it was an unforttmate fact that in thi.<:; country
t h e Chairman of a, 'ub-committee of the British Cast s uch a summary might be desirab le, he did not see therf' was a ltHge number of blast-fmnace:; still in
1ron Research Association and himself, a meeting of why the Committee s hould prepare it. T he work had opet'ation without any gas cleaning at all. Those
the Sub-Committee had taken p lace recently at , hef · had to he done, and the report bad had to b e written, who appealed fot· help for a depr~ssed indu."1try could
field , at which both makers and users of ingot moulds and surely it wa not too much to ask t.ho e who were not expect much help if th<'y did not help themselve~
were represented. As a, result of that meeting if, was seriously interested in steel ingots to rend t.he report. by secm·ing the obvious advantages which the adop-
hoped to formulate, with t.he support of ingot; mould Regarding the future. he i'iaid that it was the intentio? tion of gas-cleaning apparatus offered. I n the selec-
makers throughout the country, a l'\cheme for the of the Committee to put in hand constructive expen- tion of a gas-cleaning plant, of course, one must bE'>
systematic determination of those constants. In ments, to test various avenues of possible improve- influenced by the size of the blast-furnace plant, but
view of the fact that mould and ingot separated shortly ment. At t,he same time he emphasised that it was where there were five or six furn aces, and the1·e was a
after poming, as mentioned in the first report, it not for the CommitteE' only to undertake s uch work. continuous supply of ga , there was much to be said
seemed n ecessary in addition to determine temperature The data in the rt>port were now available to t.hf' for the H alberg-Deth plant.
gradients by direct measurt>ment, and that, of course, indw:;try of this and other countries ; there was Mr. G. B. Butler . aid that up to t-he last yen.r -or so
could only be done in the s teel work<;. H e supported sufficient info1·mation in it to enable the technical he personally had been rather against the H alberg-
t he suggestion made by D r. R osenhain that a sum- world at large to draw its own deduct.ions and n:ake Beth process, but h e was rapidly altering his views
mary of t h e reports should bo published. H e feared, its own experiments, and he hnd reason to behove with regard to it. Probably one of t he future develop-
h e said, that engineers who might not read the repof ts that the steel indus try was drawing deductions and mf'nts, when the point at which blast-furnace gas was
in d etail, but might gather fleeting impressions fl"om was utilising the information given for the improve- u.<>ed in coke ovens wa.s reached, would b e the neces·
t h e illus t rations, might feel that steel ingots were not ment of techniquE'. sity t.o clean the whole of the gas, very p_ro_bably. by
wh at t hey had thought they were, and that we were Commenting on Dr. Ro:-~enhain 's remark::: as to t.he the Halberg-Beth proct>ss. H e was obtammg fatrly
d iscovering d iffe rences in composition which h ad not rt>J)J'Csen.tative nature of t.he ing~ts, h e gave an good results with the Kling " 'eidlein cle?'ner, and
before been realised. A summary of the meaning of assu•·ance that many inaots 0
of each s tze an d class were without it he would p robably have b een 111 a very
f .
the reports might be given to one of the great engi- cut and investigated, and even in the case o mgots much wo•·se position than he was. One of the biggest
neeJ·ing institutions, under the authOJ'ity ?f the Com- weighing as much as 25 tons each, as many as half:a- mistakt>s made by n early everybody in regard to gas
mittee, showing exactly, not how bad steel mgots '"'ere, dozen had been. cut open, though t he results rolatmg cleaning was to look for one particular type of cleaner
bu t how much better they wore than they used to be. to only one of them might be given in the report. I t which would do eve1-ything, and ho considered t hat.
P 1ofessor J. H. Andrew, a. member of the C'om- would have been impossible to have pub l i~hed the the only way in which bla t-furnace gas co.uld be
. d ealing whole of the data made available. With regard to cleaned economically for use throughout the chfferent
m it tee, said t h at when that par t of the report
with the researches at Glasgow- for whteh he was the question of diffusion. he said that in the ~rst depa1·tment. of a work.:; was to clean it in stages.
respon sible-was written t~e work '~·as in a. ver,y report of the Committee it was sta~d ~hat suffiCient Mr. D. Sillars highly approved of the H alborg-Beth
incomplete stage, but he belaeved that m a fortn1ght s evidence existed, based on the exammat10n of bloom.<:;, process, except in regard to its p~·ice. I t WtlS a mos t
time t he complete set of freezing a nd melting points to indicate clearly that the time/temperature effect satisfactory arrangement for takmg out ~he whole of
would be ob tained. Commenting on D r. Rosenhain's resulting from soaking really d id not lead to any ~ub- the dust, but whether that was an economiCal arrange-
rem arks as to method.-; of determining the liquidus, stantial diffusion of the elements. H owever, smce ment was another matter. He emphasised the grea.t
he said that, if he had h ad faci lities such as were at t he D r. R osenhain had raised the point, the Committee necessity, when t h e wet cleaning process was used, of
disp osal of Dr. Rosenhain, he migh t h ave adopted the would see \vhether the general statements in the first removing entrained water after the gas was cooled
m eth od suggested, but the cost of tungsten wire was report could be amplified. With r:egard to the H~rmet and cleaned. One type of plant which had not been
abou t l s. 6d. per foot, and of platinum ab_out. £3. process, he said that the Corruruttee had prev1ously mentioned by M.r. Harbord was one b~ed upon a
R e b elieved h e had got very accurate de~e1mmat~ons expressed the wi. h to examine ingots produced under gas cleaner, which was ve~ well known m gasworks
of the melting ancl f reezing points. T he soltdw> fluid compres:-lion, b ut apparently there were no such in this coWl t ry, for· t~kmg sulphw·etted. hydrogen
dt>terminations appeared to be very soWld. ingots left in the count1-y_ If any s_teel mak~rs out of gas by the washmg method. In t b lS country
Mr. T . M. ervice (a member of t he Committee) posses.<:;ed ingot concerning th: product1on of w~uoh the plant wa.s made only in small units~ but ther~ was
said that it was the gt>neral practice in certain s';lrvers sufficient information was avatlable, the Comm1ttee a very large Wlit in America, about whJCh ~e ?eheved
to ask fo r definite information on segregatiOn m would be glad to have the opportunity of putting that we should hear a great deal more. The prm01ple was
various parts of the ingots ; it coul? be a~cepted t.hat information on record. the use of on.e central shaft, upon which were mounted
t.he inaots examined bv the Comm1ttee d1d represent ·with regard to the tapering of moulds, he said a number of discs, the discs being rotated by the
everyday practice. \\Tith regard to Dr. Rosenhain 's that l\[r. 1\IcCance would find a little evidence if h~ s haft. A thin film of water wa created by the
question as to whether segregates were :emove~l by s tudied the different de~igns of mo\1lds givPn in the centrifugal force of the machine acting on the w~ter
long soaking, h e said th&:t unfo:tunatol ~ h1s exponence report. runnina over the discs. This new type of machme,
was t h at the segt·cgatten s t1 ll re~amed, and tl~e Discussing Mr. H arbord's question ~ to tempera- he und:rstood , was giving excellent re~ults, and giv~g
g~>nerally similar types of ingots wh1ch had been spht ture , he said that it was felt that the sc1ence of deter· them in one apparattlS- i.e., the coohng ~nd clearung
did not. show that diffusion had taken place to any mining high temperatures was n:ot v_ery advanct>d, and were carried out in one apparatus. A different con-
marked ext.ent. those physicis ts who were workmg m that field ~h?uld struction was when the tower was divided into five
M1·. F. W. H arbord, Pa-;t-P resident, teferring to the be persuaded, and, i£ necessary, should_ b e gtven ot' s ix different sections, each section being separa.t?lY
driven instead of there b eing one long haft to dnve
ingots cast from the electric ~nrnace, asked whether financial assistance, to pay great attention to the the whole tower from top to bottom. lt was important
the temperature was much htgher than would have s ubject. Replying to l\1r. At~ins, he Raid th_a t in
to note that the power cost in that plant was very
been the case had they hecn cast from the open- tackling this s ubject the Co~~ttee wa~ up agamJ t a
hearth f urnace having the same charge. Pres umably, wonderfully wide field of sctentt~c requ_u'ement~, and low and that the b eadngs could be very well protected.
he said, it would be rather on the high side. whilst as a Committee it was takmg an mterest m the Mr. J. E. Holgate related his experience wi~h regard
physical chemist ry of s teel making, ont> could not to the purification of gas from a. furnace ma.king_f~rro·
Profe sor R. C. H. Carpenter, F.R .• ·., a member of ma.ngane e. The dtL"1t wa.<:; in a very finely div1ded
t h e ('ommittee, said that, like Dr. Ro enhain, h e had expect it to make that it. .first plank, and he con·

•
 MAY 18, 1928
AE R I A L
s lat(·; incle< cl, it, '~ as Joto•·e like fumes ll~tlll ordinary
dw.. t. Aftc1· c·ow.;iderelion. iL \\f\s conc luded that, t h e
on ly m ethod th nt colllcl lw upplieu unde r the pa1··
tic·ular condition"> was Lho electrical m eth od , f1lld a.
p lont \\lis inlitallecl a t a cost of over £30,000. lt
deuncd llw gaseH very satisffwtoril y, but oth e r diln-
c·ultics lu1d ari"en. 1n the f-irst place, the residents
\\Jlhio half a mile, and evcn a milc, of the works h a d
c·omplained of the noise from the ntpping of the pipes.
There wus another difrit ul ty in re~nrd to mising steam.
P 1·obably tl1 ut could h ave b een ovPrcomc o n fu rt he r
investigation , but the plant had h nd t.o be shut dowu
tt'i the resul t of in<Lustrinl d epression.
P rofessor C. H . D esch Raid that one g 1·t•nt difl'icully
"ith the elc<"t•·ostttlic met.hod wns the oxtremE>Iy hig h
}lotentitll that had to be \lscd, loading I o ins ulntio u
diffieulties, a nd so on, a nd 1H~ llsked if the tw th or h a d
hnd experience of c·l<'nning blust -furnaco gas E> lec ti'O·
1-(hltir_RII y n.t COJl.-;idcnlbly lo ..ver voltage. He b elieved
1httt m Hom e cem ent works n ew clec:trosttttic plants
lmd bern iustalled. \\ <H·king at 11 conside ra bly Jo ,, Cl'
voltage than t hut of t he o riginal J .Qdgo-Cott roll plant.
lf that W<'J'C Ho, it would mean a r educt ion in the cost
of tl1e electros tatic pl a nt., and insu lation diffic ulties
would becom e l<'ss ~overe. H e believed a lso that that
type did not involve the rnpping referred t o b y Mr.
H olga.te.
Mr. E. Bainbridge Pruphasisecl the neces~iLy for
c·o~'>idering c·arefull:y the type of dust. to b e dealt with
before deciding upon lhe cleaning plant l o b o install<'cl,
and he refcrred to a case in"' hich the du.st to b e dealt
with ha._d an extremely high water-soluble alkali
conte?L ut the form of chloride. T h e semi -cleaned gM
<:ont amed alkaline fumes, and he point ed out lha t t h e
u ~.;o of su ch semi-cleaned gal> for s toves would vory
'-OOn glaze the brickwork and r <>;;ull i11 considemblc
Jo~-~. or eflic·i('w·y. D f't1 1ing \\itl1 the ~\utlwr'H ('0 111·
Pll l'l'iOn of blust -fnrH u<·<' gus <·lcanon; in Tablo I. <Jf
t ht• )lupcr . he asked on ''ha 1 tt•mpor a t u1 t" the figures
ol 11.\(>J·ogC' dust cout cuL iu dC'nn gas \\f'l'(' basecl , a nd
"heth~>r tl1ey were all on on e common hu..,is. J n that
connechon 11(~ 1-(nid that in the case of one plant" llic:h
was cleaning ga» lJ)- a pl'OCC~-i.; in. \\hi eh the gas left
the plant. at tt t emperat uro IJet. wcen 200 d eg. and
250 cleg: Cent., the guarantee man had insisted upon
tul~ulatmg the du ... t tont<·nt of the gas at, 2.10 de~.,
'' llll'h "tt'i Hli~">lroding. ll put. the tool gAs plants in
un u~tfavow·n blo p osition on puvcr, tllthough lu
lJl'a<:ttee they "' ould probably bo very much better.
THE ENGINE EH
VI EW A V 0 N M O· U T H
Mr. J ohn Smecton, who ex pt·,•sst'd ug rcc·ll tellt with
Mr. fiimon.s' content..ion tlHtt ili was necessary l o c iNlll.
the gas tho ro ug hly if ono '' ero to get t h e }JighesL
e aie iency from it, p oi.u t.ed o ut t-hat. Lhe <·ost o[ n pla n L
d epended on what it produced. J n ncldi t io n t.o Lh c
hig h efTi(·ien<·y with which tho rough ly c·Jeanecl gn.c;
ro uld b e used , lhcre wa;; t h e a d vantage t.hat the cost
o f c leaniug Lhe apptHatus in which s uc h gas was useu
could b o saved . Mo~t of the troub le with the h eavy
gas engines in this co unt ry h a(l b e<'n clue to impe•··
fectly c lean ed gas. The moro Lhoroughly tiJo gas
was purified, wheth.e1· by wet Ot' dry clcnning plant
- and it seem ed fairly evi d ~' n t tha~ dry c leaning was
t he m ore e ffi cient- t h e g rea.Let· was the r eturn
financially a nd in e v ery ot her way.
Mr. H ttrbord, rep ly ing Lo tho cli r~c u.;o~si o n , s~;~id that.
the question of whet.h er to c lettn the whole o f the
gas thor oug hly in tho firl'lt.. pinto or Lo d o it in HLage;;
and by-pass gas h aving a cerLn.in dust content to
the fltoves, was one in regai'CI t o whi<·h cttch individual
w;er mus t make hiR mind up, Juwinf,! in view t.lle c·osts
tmdel' tho pa•·Licu lat· conditio ns prevailing irt each
case. The effect o f wate t· vapour b e ing catTied m ech-
nnica lly a long with tho gas, a:; m ent io n e<l b y Mr.
1 ' ilia•·:;, was very importa nt. At, 01te works he had
visit ed it had b een found that the dust content of the
cleaned gas varied at differ ent parts of the m a in, and if
the gas were drawn from a point a little fw·th e r a long
the main t.han that from whic h it wac; taken previously,
t:~o that the m echanical sprays h ad h a d time to settle
and the gas had lost a p ortion o( its rnoistw·e, the
dust conten t was very much lower. It was b eliev ed
that. t h e moisture which was carr·ied over m echanic·
a lly was can 'Ying the dust. 'l'h o new American plant
mention ed by .Mr. 'illars was of very consid erable
1
int~re:;t, bul hiR papN hud b een conf'mecl t o phmts
i 11 op(wut ion in this c·(JIIItl·r.v. H o \\ n" 11na blo to givo
Prole;;;;o1· D clo(ch infol'lnn.t 1on nho u t lower \'(Jlt tlge
I'IC'oning~ ami h a d not hf•a•·cl of Hfl) plant.., beiug triPd
on those lim•s in tllis <"Oltnl;ry, but i[ tlH')- "NC s uc-
cessful in cernPn t '' od <s he had no clo uhl t hut l\CC'sHrs.
L octge " o uld thmsh out the watler "ell ,,j(h n Yie''
to applying it, to blast-[umace "ork.
.At this point the President hed to lea\·~ the tneetmg,
and 1\lr. F. W. H arbord (P ast- P resident) occupied
the chair for 1he remainder of the morning scs..,ion.
(To be e<mtinu~.)
•
DO UK
1
The Avonmouth Dock Extension.
~ 1). r.
X1•: \HI.Y L\\Cllty ;\'01.1 1':; lll-{0 \\0 l'('('lll'l l!•rl tl H· Ojl C HIIl ~
IJ,,. King J~U ..\ fLI'd \' I r. of the d oc-k nt. votll• \011111
w hic h bNli'F; his name, ancl gn,·c an illusirat Pd acc·otntl
of Ure w o rks Ow n jus t (·omplot cd. * Tit" R c)yu.l
Edward D ock , op<'n"d on. .J ul y !Hh , 1908, wu.., o••" o t
four- c·orL..,iderahle d ock extcn."> io n-.: t~L pol'ls in li H·
B rist.ol Chatmcl \\ hi<'h hn<l b eeH b egun t~b o ut the
st~me time. The Que<'n Al ~>xan<lra D o<'k al. ( 'mdiiT
was op en ed in l!J07 , und tho King's Do<"k. :-iwansc•n,
was bro ug ht into use in I 009 ; hut. the <'~l<'IL..,ion.., t~t
N e wpol'l , the last o[ tho folu· t o bo unclf' rtukC'll , WNt•
n o t f-imtll y complct.O< l tmLil I 0 14. T ir o cn-.;t c m nt·m of
the H oyal • Edward Doc·k a t Avonmout.h, '' hif'h ts t o
be op ened by H. R .H . I h e P l'inc<' o [ \ \ 'a les 0 11 \ \'ccl11 c'...,.
du y, 2:Jrd inst-., is tho fir.-t impo r.t~Hlt udclit i<lll to the
d ock wat.er a rea in the po"t of Bl'iKto l c !Tec· lc<l s irW<'
190 . During the p eriod o f si xteen years int or voni 1\~
b ot.ween the opening of t ho dock. and tho commen<~<' ­
m ent of Lhe eastern a l'm extens ion in 1924, ~evo rnl
v1~luable a dditions hn.U, howevo1·, b een m a d e t o the
equipment at. Avonmouth. The former limlJor poncl
OIL the notLh-wei$t ern s ide of t.he d ock wa.., d eepen ed
and equipped as an oil bas in, a wharf and j ett iel:i
boing built in it for the accommod a tio n of ves~els
cliocharging bulk oil cargoes, while most o f the land
a t·ea ly ing b etween the oil bas in a nd Lho ::>even t
ornbankmf'nt was IE>nscd t o o il companies fo" Ht o rnge
)lHI'JlOKC's fi iV[ is now t.hick ly d olLed \\ ith llutks.
l•'h c s iu~le-slorcy s lwds eovct·ing a b o u t :330,000 "<!uo.ro
foot, built during th<' \\tU' period, \\ C'l'<' ac(lllired hy
the Port. Authority, un.cl a t·e no'\ lL'>C'd muinlv for
timiJer nnd o ther t>t o •·ag~'. Cold s lon:tgc of a ' tollll
uopaul t .} o l 500,000 cubic feel wa., added m 1920. a nd
a s econd granary was complet.ed 1n 1022. Durmg th~
same period the warehollbe and transtt bhed accom·
modat.ion at the dock~; at Bristol, knO\\ n as the Ctiy
* ::Ieo Tu~:; l!::.OlNJ:;J::It, July 3rd, lOLlr, 17th, :!lth, 1908.
H
•
 540 THE ENGJNE~H, MAY J H, l H:lH

PLAN OF AVONl\IOUTH DO C K f-5 ,' HOVvJNO EXTEN ,' f ONH

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SC ALC Of
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N Whurf E 1 Potutr Houac E2 Pumfl //oust

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D ocks, htts been ext.end<'d an cl large ttddi l ions hn V<' ~oo till kilO\\ n ns the Ne" ( 'ut , being <'xruvated f()r tlw gnwtlrie~-> nl these cloc·ks, IIH'Iudin~ the 1\\ o t•rc•c·tt•d
b oon macle to the tobacco sto1·os. rivo•· on the south sid o of t.he ci t y. T his wol'l<, whinh in c·otulection w ith t h e en;..tNn nrm l'xtensio n "h1<·h
wns <•omple ted in 1809 by tl privntt> compan~•, Jllll<~C'd tl t'O cle~o~cTibcd h cweunc lC'r .
HTSTOin. into the hundl'l o f the City ('oq>ot·ntion in 184 8. T he .llu11iripal E.rpcll(ilturr• 0 11 f) IJcl.'lf. The lotttl c·np1tnl
Bel' o n • d c:-c·l·i bing the lnle"l d(•,·<•lopmcnl at Avon · ( 'umberland Basin ent.rancc fro m the rive •·. n <>ar the cx p<>ndilw·e of the c •l y Oil lht> cloc·k undl'tlttkul~
111oulh it ma.v •
b e of inlc re,.,l l o •·<'fe>r h•·iefh' •
t o tlw ( 'llftcm Sw.;pen..:;ion B1·idge, ttbout t.i mile>,.: abo,.,, tl" nt va1·iou.-; date" is sho\\ n hy tlw folio \\ ing figu•·<>,.,:
m outh, wns opt>ned in 1 7:l, und in 1 84 tho ( 'orporn · 111 1!! .. U :! l.~tll •. l'urdH\><<'IIIOOt·)Jitilcltoohllluc·k
lion acquired the d ock.-; al A,·onmoulh nnd Portislw ncl ('01111)1\11~.
-ul\ - , .
I!IHI llt'fnrc• u<•fj iJ I!" ltOII or,\\ 0111111111llo
&<oft •I fttt "hic·h h ad been built b~ JWi vnl <' rom p nni<'s a fc" yC'nrs \.' ""'··) ~ ··
ouHI l'o rt it<h l'a I l>o!'l.t~.
4 (1
t.----- . 38 73 Ct~~Jittf •I ,,.,,.,,.,~ ""-' p re,•iow•lr. The City D ot·k" h twe t\. \H~l eor nr<'t\ of I K111 .. \ht•r llt'tiiiiRiltOn or .\HmnHintla
38 1- ------ . 38·31 top••J •I ,., • nh o ul s:~ 1\('t'('S and ('OIItttin 11 'l~rh• I ;;.ooo lilll'll l l'c•C'l lllltl I'm t a.. hf'>ld l>m·kt~ .
36 of qmtytlf.!:f'. Vessels o f t~bout !)000 101n dettcl\\e , ~ht I !1111 1,;1,1;;; ti. 1!11 :I • •
I !I 17 t:~. l:Hl.:!:J:; lli<'lllllt llj.: Jlllll of liH• l''flt'lltl tllllt'
c·•tpac·ity ('t\11 navigat ~ t,h(l A von up lo Bl'i~lo l ttnd tit<> Huy"l Ed" nnl l)uc·k
34 011
----- · 33 50 Htglt Wlltr fi/IJIIIftl,IJI lflt11t9 tidrt
<'JilC'l' lh<'~o d ockl'i. The P orti.-ht>tHI Doc·k of l2 tH· •·<>s t !I I I .' l1u·luclnaJ.: tloc• wholl' ur t ha •
32 - o n llw w est s icle o f Llw A von Ntl t·ttn c·c, ttlLhough of
••
lll'lj.:llll\1 l''f)t' IHiiturO llli lf11•
30 -
----- · · 29 53 Mrtm ,.,,, ,.,,, ,,,,..,, mino 1· impol't a nee, receives some j.(rain , timb e r nnd
111 1i .. l.U, ~HI !1,;;!I:; ••
11 "y u I l·:cl" o rei DtH· k.
28 -
-----+28 ·00 !touiJUtl ••/ttOflf*flf'd etc-r la tl "' dod 111
oJI imp o rts. The o ld Avon moul h D ock .~ee tthovo Ill :! I • • t:7 .:171,!1!1:1 ..
26 -
hn~ n. wate1· a •·ea. of l!) a c·r<'s nncl 4 800ft.. of q Ut\) n~ •. 10:!7 t:8,:! RS.<Ifill . . rna·lud m" 11\0II\ ..·1 u... '''P''"" I
Tho cl<'pl h of wate r o n t h<' :-Ill of t h o entnuwc• lur k tun• 011 ti1C ('n-<l t• a·n 11 1111 ,.,It'll·
• ,.If)I\
24 ttl llll.~h water of n eap tufe,., ,... 27ft. o n I~·. but us t lwr<•
22 1" •t c·onununicating pns,.;n~t> b t•t" <'<'11 the o ld duck nud Tlw lll' t I'CveHuc of t lw Pm t Aut ho nt'• iJIC·n •n,.,t•c l
the n e wc1· R oyal Edward lJo<·k. tho sizo of V<';..scls f rolll £23.285 in l H 4 l u £ 124 ,/a\J in the •\Clll' h eforc
20 -
I8 -
-----· . 18 90 .,.,. ,.,,,. .,.,.., ,....,...
I6 -

I4 -
I2
SITE FOR
I ()

6 r----- 1- 7 58 flul~tt~Mr tJ•'""'• /

I

"
?
•

I •I () 0.
() 000 Ottl r11,.bttlft ,f In 111t D·•lt~m (0 f 1}
•
2 ----- - ? 13 Mrnlf ,,,.,.... otrr "'"11'•
4
1------ - 5 00 Onrlt bultu"'
11 - ROYAL
b - EOWARO OOCK

I0 1------ - 10 00
----- - 10 79 '""''
11 ,., ,,.,,.,.,~ locJt

lltttlt /, •' tt.lflfl lP''""'

I2 - 1------ - 12 25 c••,, (Mt... OIL BASIN
I
"6 -- ------ - 16 00 'T

_
I Owlrr lflltt/ ••flo/1, 11111 •I tlfltn<ttr '-'
1/CALC FOil 'UN
I8 - (frf 'at' • f I .
'DD .
400 ....._ ~(10
__..___......_~
l OO IOIHJflfl

------20 00 ltd t~/ OttdfJrd C~tt'""'' C'""''"' Gcotlon throu,;h Tranell Shed• u " y
\.!
'., r ... ·• ••
F IG . 2 EASTERN ARM EXTE N S I ON OF THE R OYA L EOWA R O D OCK
FIG . 1 T A BL E OF L EVEL S

h•,.,t 111 ~ ol llu' B n ,..lol d o(·k,.. uutlt•a·t ak111~ aud 1h "lllt'h cu11 w , t•the fo r llat••· 1:-. 11111 ltuutcd b \· t he• dlllll' JI
p1 <'"<'ut po,.,at.iou. "101\.'> of 1h e n tran ce lo(;k. The lot·k S:t t h <' H o\'al
Tlw f'i.1·:-t harbour "o•·k of uny 1111po a·ttmcc cxccutccl l!:d\Hll'cl D otk is 87 5ft. b) lOOft., \\ 1th :J;Jft. 0\'<'1' thc.~ooill
11l l3n;..l o l \Hls the roablrucliOn of ''hat i~; now known at Jugh \Hl.ler neap lid<>;., sc•t• d iagnun, F ig. I . Tlw
th tlw l~ l oating H arbour, hy the impow1<Jing of a \Hller armt of the dock is 62 nc·re-. a nd t h e lt>ugth of
reac h of the tidal r ive r Avon, fl-bo u t 2~ miles in length, quay nge 8367ft. The total lnud area of the t \\O Avon·
and ovet· 80 acres in ext ent, a new chaam e l, which is m o uth docks is 852 nc•·cs. There a re four large
the t:reut \\'ar c.lJid (11 t;:.,;,;;. l!li in 1!1:!7 . 'l'h~ · l'l l •\ ul
B n,..t n l hns a l\\1\\,., hod to fttt·c a ntlt> · lii · HJ<l uf tlw
•
dU<·k undt> r'tlikmg frum the horouglt fuwl , aucl t tu ..
rnlc• innea;..ed f1·om £12 , :~(i() m 1 84 t o £12:!-!illll in
llw •\<'ttr b e fo re the \\ttr. ll ts n ow, and h th hN•Il fo1·
sovcml years, r echl<'e(l t o £60,000 p er 1\1111\llll. In
IS)27 £109,:317 was c·ontrlln ated t o the• ~ooi nk ing fund

•
 •

MAY 18, 1928 THE ENGINE~R 541

in redemptio n of cap it11 l and t h e amoun t. !;tan<.ling 24,140 g ro:ss tons, and the ss. " Andes" of 15, 620 p o wers to carry o ut a sch eme of ex tension, including
to the credit of this fund in 1927 was £1 ,802,000. g r oss Lons has b een dry-do('ked there. The bulk of the works in t.h o ea ·teen arm; but., owing to the high
Jt, may b e mentioned h e re that Bri tol is the on ly the t ra d e of t h e port is import t raffic, which in 1927 cost of construction, the execution of t.h e sch eme was
port of considerable magnitude in t h e United King - amounted to nearly 4, 000,000 tons, the exports in t h e po tponed. In 1923 tho Unemploy m ent Grants Com-
same y ear being 486,436 tons. The mittee o ffer ed som e financ ial assistance to the City
import of grain, which amounted t o Council, and that induced the Port Authori ty to
('i34,000 t on,; in 1907, incr ea eel t o proceed ·with the work at an earlier date than would
~0 n <?arly ~)03.000 tons in 1922, but in
1!)27 fell to 7 9,.3 L4 tons; this, however , ,,•,. ,.,/,
r t'pre:ented 10 · 5 ver cent. of the U nited
Fenders. .King d om impo rt . Oil impo t·t s r o.e
f rom 55, 328 t ons in 1907 t o 4 18.532
tons in l 927 , or 8 per cent. of tlto
0
l 1 nitcd Kingdom total. T he banana IIAIIC
1 rade represent. abou t 50 per cen t. o f
l h e t otal consumption of the kingdom.
and r each e d over 6~ million. bunch es in ,,.
5 piles. ~ 1926. The t ob acco landed in the p o rt
f j • SQ. o f Bris t ol i ~ about 26 per cent. of t..hc
~~ t otal quantit.y entering the count ry .
~AMt
l..-4-+--.. 4 ptles. rtt~:b.. 6 piles. Rnd the b onded warehouses at the City
16/?" SQ. 16f2 "SQ D ocks accommod a t,e 30.000 cask i=>. 'J'he
:tra in :-;torage at Avonmouth t o t,als
...-' - - - - -
------- -··
about 100,000 tons, and the r·e is accom-
-26 ·00 -?4·00 m od ation for over 20.000 tons at the FIG . 6 P LAN OF P ILES AN D W H ARF FRA M ES

V V City D ocks a nd ne a r ly 30,000 t ons At.

Po rtish ead. T h e combined storage is othcl'\vis<' lan.ve b een t.Jae case. The totui expenditure
cq uiva lent to about 6 mi lJ ions of bushe ls .on the scheme when <:ompleLed will h o a bouL
FI G . 3 SECTION OF QUAY WALL
£J.250.000.
Tu!!: E .\ ST E ilN AnM ExTENS!ON. T h e P o rt Authorit.y in J anuary, I !J24. accE'pted
dmn llac ndministrul io n of which is in the h ttuds o [ a \\' hen 1he H oyal Edwanl D ock was o pen ed in 1908 t h e tender of ~it· \ c\' m. Arro l and Co., f..t.cl. , of (:ln.:,g o w ,
•
muni<, ipalit~· . two a nns o n the north :; idc o£ the entrance lock and fo r the constr11ct ion of the main wor lo;, whida '' er o
'J'he 'J'rade. of th e J>ort. -The n e t register t <)IUHtgc ol" main basin lnul bE'en planned as ~t pint of the orig ina l bC'gw1 in M a rch of that yettr , buL som e pre l iminn.ry

1-
I ---- -
..
18·6 - - - - - - 26~3}S ~------ +-*-1-- - -
I
14:2}?' ! - - - - --,

1- -
,1
L__ ~~tt~~~ " '. ~ ;..,_-., .. ..
,_ ,~

1-c~~=~~=~~ '·' ,,.

··~· ~,: . ': :, -;

I 7·>4>
• •-•JoSE CT IO N H. H, ,,o; SECT ION 2. 2 .
SECT ION M . M , SEC T ION t t. OETAIL Of OECtt BEoiiM S
s- ... ,. Se.

FIG . 4 REINFOR C EMENT AND DETA I L S OF TRANSVER S E FRAME

~hipping entering the po rt has s ltow11 u sl,end y i~t c rea,-;<', :-;cdH~me. T h e~e
arms o r brttnch d ocks would have exct\Ntl t ion lutd a lrcn< Iy h<)et . <'HITied out b y d<'pnrt -
as will be seen ft-om the following figure~:- added ttbo ut 30 acres t o the o riginal water tu·en. o[ m en tal labo ur.
the d ock._, but Lheir c·on~tn~etion was left over LU1t.il Th·~ princ ipa l wot·ki' i n clwle<J in the ea.-.t orn ~trill
• Ton" .
Y !'11 r.
lll84 .. . ,.
• n. of ' C-<SC I>< .
, ., J
~
J .2 ~ u.2:1u inrrease o f t.rnde sh o uld wanant the a ddit ional expen - sch em e--see Fig. , 2- fl.re the conskuctio n of r e i11 -
IS!l~ .. ll. 9.}\) . . . . 1.(il)2,ll7:l dittare invoh re d. Th<' nite of t h e western a rm wa;:; fo rcrd con c rete wh 11rve~ on the <>ast ahcl we:-:t ~~ idC's ,
1!11) ~ I n.O.;:I . . . . :l.l :Ji). l :l2 pa1·tia lly C\overed by water, a nd its s ides were formed oach about !700ft. loug : the excavation of the ann
l!l J ~ . . . . S.i l !l . . 2,.122.90(1
of natural s lopci\. the shallow arPa thu,~ fo1'med b eing J OOft. wide to a d epth of 30ft. belo w impounded water
I !11 ~ . . . . .685 . . 2.49 J ,82!1
19:11 . . • I'>.....
•) '18 • • . . 2,1).18. 1 !1 utilis Pd M a t.imber pond. A:- '' e h ave a lready m en - level : two re inforced concrete t reble-floor t.ransit.
l!l:! ~ .. -I •'>"
- .t I :~.:l:lli.9f)!) t ioned , this a rett w ns s ubseque nt!,\' <l<'t>p en ed nnd ~hc>tl~; a t.rans it. s ilo-gramu y o f I 2,000 t..Oir.S <·ayh'lCity;
I !I:! i .;, ~l)~ 2,8()0.2iH utili:;ed a:o: ~'pet role um basin. The r €'-infor('ed con c rete g ra in ga lle ries n nd tt s ilo-gra nary of 20,000 t on -; . All
l'\inl'o I!JU4 tlw t onnugc Clll l'ri11g tile ('ily D ocks lw~ wharf, obollt 5.)0ft. lon •g. whi c·lt wns made o n the t h e-.o wo1 ks w<:1·e CfUTied o u t by Mc,.;"r~. A n ·o l oxc·f>pt-
ing n p o r t.io n o f the exf'avat io n , r eferred I o above,
and the d redging which was lot, t1-s a sevara!e contract .
The grain-handling appliances and other m echanical
equipme nt are r eferred to ll\te r . The entra nce t o
the a r m remains 300ft. in width a:s pt·ovidcd fo r when
the R oyal J.;dwar d D ock was ron.struc t etl. Expori -
E'nce hn:; :;h o wtt that. this w idth lo~tve~ insufficient.
•·oom [o r large ve~se l s Lo tnUV\\ l o ttnd from their berths
when small c rt~ ft are ly i11g ~llong:';ide la rgo ,.;hips in
Uw warerway. C:otUSCCJliE'll tly tho width of the ann
iH-.ide t h e ellLranc·e ha" be<'n made 400ft. Yiewl:! o(
the eastern am\ ~ h owing the excavatio n , an<l the
re inforced <·on c rete wharves with t.h e tra.nsi t shetl on
the eastern sid e, are given in Figs. 7 ancl8 on page 54 6.
The ea~ t :side of the extension f o rm~ a pro loogatio1t
of tho ett ·Lel'll. quay wall of tho main basin , whi('h
j,. agnwity wa ll o f \'ery hetwy section, the foundatio ns
being ('arried down. on t h e twer age thr oughout tho
dock, to 40ft. below O.C. B. Datum see diagram, .Fig. 1
The 11e w wharf o n this side i!'i e quipped "' ilh t\\ o
transit shed s , tl transit gran a ry and the grain-con -
' eyor gallery. The "ha l'f on the· we::;tem ~ide o f the
ann is at presenl. to b e usod only fot· the berthing of
ves~els, buL when trade conditions warrant fw·lh<'r
equipme11t b eing provided i t is intended t o er ect. on
it single-floor t rans it sheds and to provide railwu'
FIG . 5 - V IEW UNDE RNEA TH RE IN F ORCE D C O N C RET E R O OF
!-iclings. The north end of the ann IS fo rmed by
pitched s lope, down to 2ft. below no1·mal lmpotmrled
a
dl:t'l'C'tts~tl. the bulk of t he inc rea,..,e<.l trt~de being <.lett lt. e»:.tOl'Jl side o£ the WC..,tei'Jl arll\, IS Of :>O IH6\\ Jaat Htnllltl.l'
'' atf't le~·el •. a nd ther~ is n ~mal l barge jet t y laOft .
Wtlh at Avonmo uth . The lnrgE'st !-hip whic·h hns construct ion to the whan·es which have J'ecently been
long PI'OJeC'tmg f rom at into the clo<·k.
~~&ter-ed the R oYRI Edwarcl D o('k is the :-<;-;. " Roll er· (·ompJoted in I he em;tPm ann.
dam " of t h.- Holland- .\mf'J'i <·~l Litv•, ().)Oft. long »nd Jn J!l l 8 thl' Port Author ity obtnint>d ]>l'lliiflnH'llhH~' Tit(' 11<'\\ '' orks ]>rE'sPnt ,.;t>vern.l fC'atur<'" of intPrest.

•
 •

542 TH E E N G I NE E R 1\lA y 1 ' 1U~8

--- --
nntl novelLy, not. only in 1·eganl to tho eon,.t.nt<· l ion piles, (\()Jl si:o~ting of Oil fl.Ve l'll~O of 220 t:ubio y nl'dl'! of
the trial bo•·ing clisclost'd, u.l foundnlion lovol, Htrat.a
o~ Lho what vcH .but. nlso in <'OnnN:Lion wit.h ~ho plnn - ~·o n c 1·e t<' , werCl <·ons t ruc·t<'d. The <·orHTo te wn;; p ou r·<•d
mng of tho gt'll.H\·hnndling plant. o f )><'at nnd running Knnd \\ hic·h c·ovor<'d nppl'Oxi
m three ;;tugcs: (a ) the pilo c·npH, tic;; and bottom matcly one-half o r the area of tho Hito to ho occ·upiecl
mrmber of front wnll ; (b) t)l(l muin frnmE>;;, <'OJl.-.is ting by th c:~ piCir. It was <·ons<'<tll<'ntly dcc·idocl to r·o- de>~i~n
REINFORCED CONCRETI<; \VHARVE •• o f columns, main beam..s nnd ft·ont and b uck wall;; ; that pattic·ular pi01· ancl to clrivo rCiinfot·('cd c·on<'roto
The whole of tho what'£ work is of reinforced <•on - nncl (c) the ~o~ec·o nd twy b eam;;, clcck a nd c·oping. piles OVOl' tho whole aron. so as to mako cet·tain of
~·~·oto ~onstructcd in Lhe clry hohind an o1wt.h dnm. In the c·onRtruc tion of I ho t·einforccd cotH·t·oto obtain in~ a. firm found at io n . That wot·k, of <'Olll'l'le,
.[ ho wtdth of .tho wh~cwf deck fr·om roping to t.ho bnc·k whtwve;; n minimum covor of J ~in . <·oncr<'t o WHH ltHcd involvod a c·on;;idorahlc dC'Iay and ndclit imutl <'xpendi
I uco of tho pdcd 14ntcture is 59ft. Tho main. tmns- throughout, inc·ltlding the pii<'H. Tho <:OUI'H<' nggr<'gn t e ttn·e. rn or·dol' to sa.vo I imo lllo pilC'R worn 1111\.ciO of
~OJ'HO frames nh<~ gt·oups of pile;; two RpfH~ <'d nt con<;isted of ain. ~t'aded har·d Ii most ono f I'Om q un,.ri<'s Ciment l•'on<lu und Forroc·rrlo. 'l'ho foundo.ti ons for
1.nt.orvals of l ~ft. ISm. centres se<~ Figs. 3 and 6. Tho !"t. \ \ ' i.ckwm· nnd Ch ippin~ :-iodbw·y, <.:lo uc·l'st or·t;hil'<'. the live mAin piers we i'O c·arTird do'' n to d <'pl hs of
lrames carrymg the main . uppot·t s of the :--hcd~> , The fino mntcrinl wt\s comp o;;ed of tho same ;;tone from I Mt. I o 20ft. belo w 1·iv<.'r ltw c•l.
gnmary, &c., are s upported o n twolve pile~ . tho nlt<•r·- crushed t o iin. and under, with the fine " fl out· ·• Tho bri<lgc as n. wholo hns bccn ci<'Higned to ('1\l'ry n
nato frames having only s ix piles under them. On ?xtracted, nnd ~l olme st\IHI fr·om the •'evet'll ostunry moving load of 50 t ons 011 four \\ lteol~ in a c·<·o1·dn;w<•
tho front faco of tho wharf is a :~o lid n•inforc<'d non - 111 equal [H'Op o rlro ns. Tho nOt'nHd mixtw·c, <1x<:cpt fot· with tho rcctuire ments of Ill(' Minis t "Y of Tm11:-.por·t
<'l'Oto fascia wttll ]ll'Ojeoting 3ft.. 6in. fr·om tho fn<'<' the pi Ios, \\'1\H :l : 2 : 1. A saf o comp 1·cssivo s t r<'HH of hut in a.dclil ion the l on~m;t :o~ptut :J61fl. (lin. lwi\\'(WII
li no of the pile;; and extending d own to a. lovol o f 700 lb. pOt' H<[lll\t'O inc h\\ IIHullo wod in the cnkuln.tions. the 1101'!11 nbulnH.' HI. and piN f) , whi<·h lHlH tt t•i;;o of
14ft. 2iu. below tho coping. This JII'OjoC'tion i ~ in - (To be continued.) ncul'ly 4!3fl. 6in. ha;; l><'on d<•KignC'cl to <·a rTy a ;;nf<•
t ended to redu<·o I ho ris k o f dt\mogo t o the pilcH. AI load of 110 les;; t htln 1000 tons. the' ot htw s pnns bring
I he back of the f nu ne~ is a C\ll' t 1\i n wall of r e inf Ol'<·ed ci<.'~ igrwcl for· JII'O(lOrtio nnt<•ly Hll\l\lle r loadH. oniPr rn
<·oncreto suppot·ling tho filling h <'hind to a he ight. t O keop th(' l'liY.C'H or tho fOUJidntiOIIH OH SIIIOJI liS
of lOft. The mttt oria l excavaiNI in the ar·m is n pos;; ibl<~ Ill<.' nr'<'hcd rihH '' or<' d <>sign<'d ns c·onl inucHrH
~n ndy. olny. known locally as bungum, which, aftor New Road Bridge over the Tweed. from pic1· A lo pi<'l' E. l•:nC'11 nn·h c·o~tlprisC'H four·
tlr·cdgmg, HLttlldH for s ome t.imo wit.h nn almost vortic·ttl roinfoi'C'O d <·ouc·I'Cite rihs ill'l'nngocl ttt I !)fl. c·rnlrn;;, 011c
fuco. The dcsign of the wor·k cont.emplate!i an ulti - A :-1 1-:w I'Clttd hl'iclge over· t h <l ' I\\ t·c•d hotwt't' ll Twc<.'d. nt Nwh Kiclc nnd two und<'r t IHI I'Ondway . Thc•y Hr<'
nutto natural ;;lope o[ 1 in 2 fot· tho ;;oil nndel' t ho m o uth Hnd Hc'r·wic·k. '' hi<· h hns ju;;t bc•cn c·ompl<,lrd, monolit hie· with the pie r·s tmcl o.IJIIImont ~. whic·i• l\1'<·
\\ har£. Tho lloavy I l'tlllliVOI'Se rl't\n\CS wore COIIHtl'liCt C'd wns fo rmnlly oporl<'d by t ho Princ·r o f \\'ales on \\'('dncs- of mass c·mH·t Ot<' with t1 c·c•r·tnin amount of •·cinforc·c
on the pile hcucl;;, "hic·h were s tripped down to cxposc dny las t. It iH c·o n ~ccluc nt ly t o b<• c·ulle<l the> Hoyal lnent , nncl fac•Nl witll t\ :-,IJ'Ong ('OIIC' I'CIC' llliXtlll'('. ' l' h1•
I h <' steel l'Cinfor·<·<.'ment to a hoight of :3ft. or mMCI. Tweed 1.31-id~o. The fine o ld mnsonr·y br·idgo whi<·h upsl.ream nnd clO\\ ust l'('lllll C'llcls of t ho ri' <'I' prcw,;
The frt\mes arc, in 0 ITec1t, solid dittphragm wrdls with haH c·a r·r·trd t h<' C: r·<•o.t X o rt h H ond ac·•·osH t ltc 1·i vcw tl t ( ' and J) 111'(1 shap('Cl to fot·111 <·uhH\I<'ri'i. T he riv<'r
thr·eo lightening holes irt Otl<·h - :-;oe Figs. 4 this p o int HiliC<' it \\aH b11ill ill thc• ;;eVNIIecnth <'OIItlll'\' piors WOI'O b11i lt ins ide c·o'fi'c•l·<lams, '' hir·h WNC' for'llltll
utHl 6, while a view showing a soc: l ion of tho whorf hacl bN·om<' ont.irc ly inndoctm\t e for mod e rn t.r·ulli.<· by moan;; or I Hin. by :3in. H .~. piling drivc"r by u
and 0110 of t.ho I'C inJ OL'CCd ('Ollnl'eto f l'H.IIH'S iH r·c<tllil'cmont H. It is too IH\I'I'CJW for o no thing, an d , i\k KiC'I'It•tn·'l'<'r'l'y stenn1 hflllllrl<'l'.
• given in } jg, 9, pu.ge 546. Tho fmrnes provid0 for a11othcr, il K gnHlicni H ar·c sC'Vl' I'C. being in plti('CH 'I'll<' high wut<'r IC'YI'I of s pring tide's t·tolll(',; ttl
t lw H<>ce;;~:a r·y tntn:-,vct·so si illn<'HH, nml thc clc•ep a ;; s t eep a;; I in 11. The n . again, its ttpprmwhc;; t~rc 7 · H:Jft. ahm<' Onlnant<' l>nhn11 . th<' lm\ \\HIC'r of
fuscia l\ttd <'lll'luin wall nt fr·onl and bnc·k tortuou;; und irl<'ouvcnicnt. In fact, alth o u~h it, iH n ~ pl'ing t id<•s ho in~ 7 · 17 ft. hc•lo'' Ord11tti1C'I' Dui 11111 .
niTord nmpl<' longitudim\1 brnc·ing. Th<' deck of t hc h t\llcls ornc s t r·uc·t Ill'(' HHd is pe>lis('s;;cd of muc·h htHt o ric·nl 'rh<' full rang<' of t icl<' i~ t ll<'r<'fm <' j ""t J.>rt. 'J'hc• IC'v<·l
whu.rf con,.;i;;ts of u. roinfon·ed -c·otH'I'<'I<' :-: tub, 5in. t hic·k , irtlorest. it \\'tiH d N·idod by tht} I hr<'e u.uthol'il ics c·ofl· of thc s pringing of I hc nrc·h<•H on tho r·i, c·1· p1Ns i"
which, U<'hincl the coping, iH ovcrlttid with 12in. of dr·y <·orned I ho ;'\£ini;;t r·y of 'l'nws por·t, t ho Nol'thumbor·- 0·!3 abovo O.D .. or 0 · 67ft. nho'<' 1 1.\\' .0.~. 'J' . 111
c·ornp;t<·tAd filling c:ovorod with 5in. t hic·k plain COIH·rot.o lnrul Cot111ty ( 'OtiJI<·il. and t.ho ( 'orvo•·at.ioH o f Bol'\vi(')< I he following t ttblo aro sc' t out t l1r lll'iw·ipnl dirno•t ·
;;la.bH. H N1vy cust. iJ'()n bollanl;; built into 1ho •·c•in - t.hat the ti1110 hnd arrived whon n now hridgo;;ho ulcl ~iOII H tilld SJillliH Of th~ 1111li11 1\rc•IJ riiJH:
fot·ct>cl <:oncr<'to c·oping and fa.s cit\ wnll a nd anchor·<'d bo built. Tho <tuestions lhcn a r·o~o: \\' h01·o Rhou ld
/ 'orlirulnrx 11] I rrlt Rif,,.,
I he reto arc pr·ov iclcd along the wharf front at in- the ne w br·idgc he built ? :-iho uld the old l)l'iclgo he
t orval;; of 7:3ft. Thoro are no fix<'d fe ndN'H, but f•·om clc molishocl oncl the new ono built on its s ito '! cu·
Ctt<·h hollard is hung by n. \virc I'OJ>e tt s lightly r·otmdccl ;;hould t ho o ld bt·iclgo bo left, and t lw new on<' built
t imb<'r billet r<'ttching t o the wnt.C'r l<'v('.l. An UIIUHunl s omewhor·e nonr· it'! Tt wu;; eventually detorminC'cl C'rown. ('rown.
feature of the wl11wf work iR tho N>nt.ing of t,hc whole of after vario us altomative schemes had boon C'onsidel'<'cl , I
I he piles and ~d I t llo J'einJorced OOtl(•J't'l o ~~~ por;;tr·u(·.tu•·o, to adopt. tho lat.ter (·ow·so. A prodominal ing fnC'to1· Jo:'t 'l1·ibw. ·I :.!' 1• 4 ' 1)' 2' I ' (}'I)' l2· w· / :;' (I• 2' 1o• R' o·
1111 (11' 1 rihK :1' (;' U' o· "' u· r,•11• t' o· s· n·
0
,J' ()* :J' li*
' nc lucling U1<.' li)>J>cr· :>urfacc o£ the d ec·k, with two loading to this doci:;ioll npt\l't from tl•<' nntlll'al
thick coat~ of rond tar. T hi:i has ht>c>,r\ d o ne with clesiro to pt'<.'HCt've an anc ient and inte resting hiHLOI'ic-al ~p1111 2!1.3' o· H i~CI I() · I 07' Spun 361 ' u· H •~t> I;, · I 1.;
tho o bject of <n->ul'ing, as far· as p ossi bl<>, th<> impe r - re lic was the fa<·t that the appwac·hes to t ho o ld
('ru\\ n.
.
('rQ\\11.
meability· of tho coJwt·ete. The mixttu·e of conc·•·ot o bridge wore ns Juts bee n Htticl vc1'Y nal'l'ow nncl
II:;Nl for t.h(l pii<'H am! t·einforced work generally ttn<l windi11g, with sovet·al difTic·ult corners, whic·h would
th<> nmple covet·, whic h we refe r t.o lftter, ;;hould r·e;; ult have had tu he H tr·ai~htened out ami widened lmcl the
Jo:xlt•t 'l rthH 2' If)' fl' ()' 2' 1o· n· w :J' 2·
fntcm'l rth~l I'()* 0' 0* o~ · o· o· u· r,· u·
-
_, o· ..,, ·>"'
in u. tlu I'll blo an cl i mpormeab lo .mator·inl , but the c·oat- firs t cotii'He been ado p ted. ·r11<' 11ow bridge Htal'ls f•·om '
ing of tho surface is an additional pr<>caution. a point. ahou L J 00 yat·cl;; to I ho wes twal'd of t ho The t.h ruHL ft·om the arc·h •·ibH iH tl'anslllillrd to
Pile~.~ and Pile lhiiJinr;.- 'l.'h e r e inforced c:onr·t·cl e so ut horn a hut rncnt of lho o ld hri(lge and it (' I'OSH<'H the maHHc·onc·t'C'to pier fmn1dat ions by rnca11s of hcA.\'Y
pile~ are l5in . and 16~ln . !'\quar'<' ; th<'y range in lrngth thr ri ver fi'Cltn K \\' . t o N.E .• h<'ing not. <l'tito po1·allol I'Oinfo1·c·cd <·onc·r·oto dis tribution ))('ams, And I hr •·<·ill-
f1·om 54ft. to 62ft. , nntl the hottvics t wcighecl ubout with tho old hr·idge, pointing, o ~ it d o <.'s , s lightly mol'<' forcing hai'H o f t h<' ribH wcwo c·nrTied a considomhlo
8 t on.... They wcwe des ign<.'d for Iift iIll( at o no p oi 11 t t tl thc no r·th than do~s tho lattrll'. di:;tnnc·o into the piNs. 'J'ho t•ihs o f tho ~ •nallC'"t
or HUS )>eJ\J~io n . The lotal hllrnbor of pilrs driven . B oth the ol d flnd the new ;; tnwlw·t'~> n r·c ;;ho'' 11 in 167ft. s ptl ll tti'O s oli <I t hroughoul. but iu t lw tln·oc•
i ne tuding tho;;o !'lupport.ing the tntns i L :;hods unci the ac·c·ompanyi ng en.gm vi ng. 'J'ho photograph f 1'01\\ remaining ~ JltliiH. in ord C'I' lo l'<'<hH·o thc• cl rad,,ci~ht
granaries, is 4682. The concreLo mixture for the whir·h tho htll or Wt\H J'Oprod uc·(ld wus t.uken fl'olll lho of tl•o Ktruc·ttll'(' on tho fourulntionH. thl' ribs WOI'CI
pi IeH was 2 ~ : J ~ : I , anti a mini mum cover of J 1i11. n o rt.hom CH' Bo•·wick Hide of t,ho ri vor . A~ will bn H<'O rt , mttdo hollow fo•· n bo11t on<~ - I hird uf th<·i r sp1111 f•·o•n
of c:oncreto ovcw tho s t <'el I'Ci 11 fo rcemen t was provided the new Htl'll<'l lii'O is or pleasing drs ign. It haH ll I ()(t\ 1 oaC'll Kprin!£ing, but. thry lli'O Holid ovrr the <·t·c>wrl.
fo r. The pi l<>s wcr·o <·a.st on timh<.'l' bed<; with s ide longt h of 141 Oft. , whi<· h i:-~ maclo up as fo llowH : From t ho a rc h ribR tho main longitudinal bC'ttlrtR nrn
s hutter:; of ste<.' l sheets . B ed s wore ]>r·ovided for :J:JO •' tart in~ ft•()IYI t ho south s iclr th" r'O iH an nppr·otH·h c·aiTiecl by rolumns ond spnncli·el walk At tho
piiP~. a nd tho nr·pa oPcu pied b~· th<'m \\US ahout 7:30ft. viaduc·t 204ft. long. whic·h is fo llowed by four a.l'<·hed c ro wn t h<' n•·c·h •·ihs c-a•TY th<' c·r·ns;; heam!i and dc•c·kin~.
by 60ft. ;{o pilo "a:-~ lifted from it:-< hod unt..il it wn:-~ spans 167ft., 248ft., 2 Mt.. and :36 trt . Gin. in I CIH~t h . the wholo be ing monQI it h ic·. 'L'ho cli mcn;;ions ur tl1r
three weeks old. Tho C'oncroto '' ns pour<>c.l by mNm~ re;;poc t ivcly, on cl finally b y a J\Cll'lhe1·n a pproac·h <·olumm; am var·ied to s uit t lw loads whic·h lh<'y will
of a short J n;;Joy I owcr on a caniago whi('h a lso cn.l'l'i<'d viaduc·L 144ft. 6in. in lengt h . l t, llns a total width havo t o c·a•Ty, and , ovc•· thtl pi e t·:o~. t,ho ('(>luniiiH ar·c
a. .Rn.nsome mixot• and the hoi~t.i1 1 g wirwh, I ho wholo between pnr·apol Hof 46ft. , t h<'ro boing a C'Ontral Cttl'ritlgn- tiod by ION\1\H of l'aking Sli'UI H HO llS I 0 for·m .
trave lling on a 16ft. gaugo track nnd heing e lcctr·icnlly way 30ft. wiclo with t.wo 8ft. foot.way:-~ on eac·h side. a t•·iangula1· :-;y~iiOm of c·olulllns and st rut ;; wllic:h
driven. J t wa;; dN·idc d to build tho hrid~o in roinfo t·<·<'cl Lramunit, I ho wind pro~SUI'<' dil'cc·t t o tho main pier:-..
Tho piles woro clr·ive n before a n y cxc·avation \H\H <·onc·•·ct<', an d the d esign wos e ntrusted l o J,. <: . The oul;;ido longitudinal hc•am;; aro 4Rin. ci<.'~JI by
dono on the tu·eas oc·c upied by tho wharve..:; and ol ho•· Molll·h<'l unci Pt\rtner·s. Ltd ., o f \\'estmins t or; <:olo n <'l lOin. wid<', '' hilo the insidn h<'ams mea ....\ll'o 3(;iu
HtJ'\ICiut·es. Fout· 65ft.. stool piling frames with cli'O}> ('. H . B1·e~s~y. ('hief En~inocw t o t ho H oads Dt>part- by lOill. ~pnc·ecl at about 4ft. 6in . cC'nlt'~i'i hotw<'<'n
hnnune n; weighing 3~ tons wore Otllployed for· dr·iving m ont of tlw l\l inis lr·y of Trans pol't , nnd l\Ir·. .). A. Bcan, them n•·o 20in. b y 7in. HN·on clul'y beam:-;, ab<tvo wltic:h
the pi lt's- seo Fig. J 0, page 546. Tltn e lec·t.ri<; piling ~ul'voyo r t.o tho Northwnborloncl Count.y ('ounril, c·ome~; the d o('l<in~ Sin. thic·k, fonned wit.h tho I'Ntuired
winches wet'<' of the f l'iction c lul e h t.y pc ""it h ropo being a ppoi nl ocl c·on!iull ing ongi nrel'll. cambor of the roadway. A hove t.he docking <·omes
1111Hio fa-;t to t ho hnlllll'\Cl'. gach ''as drive n h y un Becaus o t ho tH>r·Lhom bank of t ho l'i vor is t·on;;idor- the s tnofa('ill~ material. whic·h, for tho WC'aring s u r face
HO hon;e-pow<ll' Jlloto•· and they we ro made by .] . H. u.bly highe r· than tho so uth bank, it was necoHHat·y lo of tho cart'ia~cway. is ( 'u rpa,•o 2in. t hic·k. Duels
\\'i l;;cm and ( 'o., L t cl •• Birkenheud. Etlch frame wu;; c·oJu;t r·u('l the bridge with a gmdient of 1 in 5 1, and for tho public· ;;en·ices Me fomlecluncl(.'\r the footways
mount<'d on ''heels o n n. s t ool undercarriage whic h that fact nec·('HHarily hacl itH influenc·e on the d esign . and ar·e c·ov<'r<'<l with c·oncTot e flag;;toncs. Pt·ovision
\H\H U.ITttnged for b o th longitudinal u1Hl cross lr·avcl. Th oro al'e t.wo ri vor piers l o tho nor·th , then nnother has, of <·ou t'He. been madc fo r· clntining tho roadway.
' l'wo of the fnun<'H were k ept continuous ly d r·i, ing pie•· on the ;;o ut.,h bank o f I he rivet·, and norl h and footpaths and duC'Ii:l. Ov<'t' I he contro of <'S.c·h piE'r
whttrf piles whilo t.ho othN· two d1·ove the piles undo1· soul.h ahutmont pie:·s. 'l'hC'st' 111ay be convoniettLly a butt exptUlHion joint has hc<'n formed in the beam.<~
tho s hed s and gramwies. Each pu.it• of viling franlOH dcsignatncl a s pier·s A, B, (.', D. and E. going fro m ancl de<"l<ing. und it is rontinucd b y moans of a rohated
wns followed by a 10 -ton Morgan ;;team derrick <'t'an e s outh to no1·th. Parti culal's of these pie t·s. including joint ·u p through the parapets.
mounted on bogies, whi<'h pitched the piles and hauled the s t1·ata on whic h they at·o fo und<>ci , arc givon in The appt·oach viadu{'ls c·onsiHt o f longitudinal
the frame carriage a long. All piles were driven d 0 \\'11 the following t nhle : - beams, (·t·oss beams and do:: lcin~ of a imilar C'haracter
into the mady underlying the :>andy c lay. The to those in lho arch spans. They are supported on
l'articufars uf l 'icrtJ.
Hpccified set of ten blows per &itl. p enetration wit.h _ reinforced conc1·ete columns, "hi<'h transmi t the
3~-ton monkey and 3ft. 6in. clr·op waH obtained wit.h - load to I he t>olid ground t lll'ough lho Ui>ual type of
l'ie .. A, Pif\e· J~ .
out diffic ulty, and iu Rome oases piles c·ould not. bo ttbllt· Pier H. 1'1('1' <.:. L'iN· D. N. nbul·
foundation s labR. The cons tntc l ion of thf1He v iaducts
clriven quit.e to t.he intende d lovol. \\' he n a ll fo111' "'·
Ill (Ill t. nwnt. did not involve fcatu•·os of par·tic·ular· intores t or
fnunes were wod<ing Himultan.eous ly they dl'ovc•, 011 - .... . Ill .
-
J•' t. Ill . Ft. m . l>'t. ill. J.'l , !tl,
d i flicu 11 •y.
un tweruge. ubout o no hundr<'cl pilei:! p e r week. \\' it h tlw oxc·ept ioH of I ho material;; used for I he
\\' nil t. :!H I) :J i (j :17 () 1:! 0 11 0
Wharf Ucmstrllctifm Urn eralfy. All tho s huttcring Length .• .• .• •. lil'i 0 !)8 () 11:! (J t~:l 11 11:! 11 c·ons lru('( io n o f tho Jlii<'H uncle l' pier D, Purtlaml
.
wwd in the <·ons lnlC·Lion of 1ho n•inforeed conc •·cte J leigl1t . . • • •) ()
--
)
·~ 0 :!8 11
'' hun·e;;, with tile e~ct>pl ion uf t lw IJetun botLom );, wn;; Fo und~·d "" . . (! f' U..\ l'l ~tllHiy (: f't\\(•1 R c>in · !';" llll' ,1(
:!~ 11 as u r c•m(•n 1 wns u~;ed t 11 I'O u~ho u t 1hr . t ntC'IIII'O. Tho
iwa.ilable Ht11lcl!'l wer<' leHt cd mul n mixtur<' of I\\O
gnnel fOI'CClt Ill!' k
pari s coarl'lo tu one lino s and \\'Hs ado pi ed t\nd uaeci
Jllttdo of 12-guugo HLc el pluleH '' itl1 uugle s liffe ne •·;;. COI\l'l'e l t•
The t;teel deck :>ltulters we1·e !:i uppo rt ed on 6iu. b y 3in. p1le:. throughout. The aggn•gatt>R cmplo)ed we t•e as
rolled s t eel JOil'lt s wh1ch spanned the inten·al between -- ·- ---- "----
fo ll ow~ :-
t.ho frames. Tho COllCI'eto miXN' was placed behind Tria l bonng~ hnd po mt cd l o the fad thal tl w uncle r - :;0 r cr t·Cn l. \\'lotlltitQII(', jm. to ln•.
tlto "harf und ruovcd o n u::. t ho work progt·c:.HNL 'l'h<.' 1 ~ ing ~t•·u ta <·on:.i::.t cd of r·otk nncl gra n·l. antl fo r tlw :.!:i pl't I'CIII. Rl'rt>ml'r•l<~ll gru,·cl. im . tu ~"'·
<·onc·r·e to ''a, huncllcd by a 5- I on t.l<'ttm t l'tWelling mo::.t •ua 1'l I ho~c t·<tJHli t ions '' <'L'<' genct·al h· fo uncl t o :!.; pt•• t'l'll l. S•·rcml'nolml $:rO\'!'I, to ~~~~. l tu .
•
c·r·uuc• '' ith (j!')ft. jib lnwdling o n 7ft. 6in. gn ug1' tnwk t•x is t. J u till' c·u>-c of pie I'D '' hi<·h r·t•c·t i\'cs t hc t lll'lts t 'l'ltc>:-.<' propcll'ti o ns \\'<.>re Hl'l'i\'C'd nt afl <'l' t\ numhor of
laid b<'hind t lw '' lml'f. Jn tl no rnwl week'~> work fo ur· fro m 1h <' t '' o h\l·gc•r· s puns 110\\ <'\'C'r , I he <'XC't\\'ttl ion l<'f- ls lrnd hP<•n mtHIC'. bo th for· gl't\cling ttnd :-~lrC'nQI h
complete bnys of the "hnrf s up c ,.~ Lruol urc ubove tl w '' hid1 '' t\s <'t1L'I'it•<l o ul only t1 f<.'w fooL l o lho '' CHI uf be fo l't: I ho t'Pinfo l'<·ed <·onc·t·c!c '' urk was llC'gun. l'L'us h·
 •

1\lAY 18, 1928 THE ENGINEER 543

OLD AND ROAD OYER THE AT RERvVICK

ing tC'-.t~ '''<'J'<' c·atTiNl out on c·uht>s o f .}0 Jlt'l' ('ent. each Marine PurpOl><';..," introdut•t>d by Prof<>ssor C ..J. H a wkes. • tation, East Greenwich : B.- The Ge ne ral Elect rir
o f \\hins tone and grav<'l. Tn th t> L ibrtu~· of tlw In-,trtutio n, 10.:30 to 11.45 a. m .. Company's Lamp W o rks . Hammers mith : C.-The P ost
The p a t·ApC'Is a t·e fot·m('d of sandst one masonry. ·• t"tilisation of 'olid nnd Liquid J~uc ls," intr·oduc·t?d by Office Tub<• Railway at Paddington, and the Tandem and
the stone fot· whic·h wa:-~ obtained ft·om the Bird's Dr. C. H . Land<'r. n nd "Coke Ovon. T o wn a nd Produc·t>r· H o lhol'll T e le phone l~xt' hanges; D.- The Pumping
Uaq," introduc·t'd by .M r. Jtobcrt Ray: 11.45 a.m. to tations of the MNropolitan Water Board at Kempton
Nest Quany at \\'alkl' r·. N ewcastle -upon-T y nE'. I ts 1 p.m.," \\'ntc• rl N;~ Gnsholcl<'r·s," introduc·ed by :M r. Frank P ark and Walton: E.- The Overhaul \ iVorks of the L ondon
PO)ouring t onl's vf'r·y "ell with thal of the J·e inforced Pr<'ntir<'. Underground RAilway>~ at Acton; and F.- T he D eptford
(·Onc•rete. At th<> fnstitution of l\lC'chaniral En~iner r-s, 10.30 to 'Vest Power Station, unde r ronstrurtion for the London
Tho building of the bridge n ecessitated the ron.· 11.45 a. m .. " The Prop<'r t..ies of Materinls for Gse at Hig h Power Company.
!'\tl'udion of ~tpp r·oac· h t·oads o n both s ides of the rive r, Tompel'O.tm<'~. wit.h sprt·iul rofe rNwo to Boile rs fo1· Supe r. Wedne~tday, Jun r 6th.-O.-The Works of W. H . Allo11
and the forrnati on of lher-:<' mtuls involve d the d emo- heat Nl StC'urn," introduc·rcl by Mr. R. G. C. 13atson: and Co.. Bed ford, and tho Engineering Labor·atories.
lition of 1\ <·<'r·tain amount of building>'; which, how- 11 A·> a.m. to 1 p .m., " The Pr·e~ent Trend in Boiler (.;ambridg<> University : H.- The 'Norks of Morris Motors
Prar tic·!'," int rotluc·e<l by 1\lr·. ' "· H . Patr hli'll. ( L926), Ltd .• at Cowlcy. Oxfot·d, a nd Oxfot·d UniverRity:
t>ver·. W<'l'(' of f\ p oot· and very inferior kind. The At th e• • ur·wyor·11' l n11titution. 10.30 to I 1.45 a.m., J.- Tho P or·t o f London ; K.-The L ocomotive " 'or kR of
wid lh or the appronc·lw>~ is 60ft. bet we en fence. , the " El<>C't ric· Tran >~'mi llsion of Power as applied to Largo the L ondon, J\ticlland and , '<·ot.tish Railway at Crewe ;
actual carriageway being :30ft. wide the same width Areas," introduced by 1\fr. Arc·hibald P age: LIA:) a.m. and L .- Tho Eas t ffeda Wor·ks of Hadfie ld. Ltd .. at
ns that on the bt·i d~e. 1 to 1 p.m .. " Donw.stic· L ighting ar~?. Heating and its Sheffield.
The c-ontradors fo r· the wor·k were Holloway l nAuenc·c on Lond l•oc·tor of. uppl~·. mtroduc-ed b y llfr. Thursday Afternoon, June ith.- )f.- The Nat ionnl
Brother:-~ (London), Ltd ., of Bridge \\'harf. G r osvenor- A. F. B<' r·r~ · Physic·u l Labomtory, Bushy PMk. T eddington : N.-
J•oad, .'.\\'. l , and the I'<'Sidt>nt <'llgint>el' \\'8"- :\h. P. T. '1'/wrxdO.'f . ./1111(' 7th. Tn the Great Hall or the Institu- Th<' Wo rks of D. Nnpie r and Son, Ltd .. Ac·ton : 0 . -
J)11\'IH', , \ -;-;oc·. •''( . 1n.., t . ('. }''" lion, 10 to 1 1.:10 a.m .. "The Dimen.<~ions of C Harbour Th<' Fru11er and Chalmel'8 Enginee ring \\. orks, at Erith :
• nnd Dock Approadtes," introduc·ed by ir yril R. . P .- Tiw rec·onstnwtion work of Piccadillv Cirr U''I ::itation,
Kirkpn tric·k. nnd " Hnrhour 13r<'akwaters," introdll(·ed London Unclt>r~round Railways; Q.- The works of tho
by )lr. H . H .<.:. llfrtc·he ll ; I l.:JO a.m. to I p.m .. " Mod(•rn Wa ncL'!wor·th. \\'imbl t>don and Epsom Gas Company. at
R oad and Bridge ConHtruction," introduced by 1\h. 1<'. C. Wand~worth : R . -Thc Researc·h Laboratori<>s of the
The Institution of Civil Engineers. Cook, D. ·.o., )J.(.;.. and .. Tht' Pro blem of Road Tr·affic C:enornl EIC'ct ric Company. at " 7 e mbley : and S. -
from the Engineer·ing Poin t or Yie w,'' introduc·Nl by RN·en t road r<'con.;;t n!C't ion work on the Enst , icl<' o f
~1r. H. R . Hcpworth. L ondon.
ROY.\J. (' I L\Wr~:H ('E~TEXXRY. I n tlw 1'1watr<' of tho I nstitution. I 0 to 11.30 a. m.,
'I'H~: ln~<t rtution of Civil En~im'<•r·s has prepared the " Lah•st T y pc11 of Sll•nrn and Internal Combustion L oro.
followin~ uclditionnl JlUl'tH'ulur·s of the programme fot· the m otives," introdu(·f'fl hy , ir Honrv Fowler, K .B . E.,
Engint:'rr·ing Confc•rt•nc·l whic·h is to bP held from June ond ~Jr. H. N. <.:rPsll',Y ;' J 1. 30 n.m.' to l p.m., "Light VOSGES RAILWAYS .
:lrd to 7th nc•xt. in c·C'It'bmtion of the c·entenarv of its H i~h-sp<'NI J nt ornal Combustion Engines," introdnced
int·orporat ion by Ho~ a l Charter·. A genera l outli,.;e of the bv Mr. H. R . ltic·Mdo, and " Heavy Jntol'llo.l Combustion Lr~!'IS favomcd than thCI Pyre nees and the Alps, whero
progr·aromt• wos givt•n in o ur issue o r l\1ur·c·h :Wth las t . lt l•ingines." int roduc·rd by l\1r . <.:eoffroy P o rte r·. i mpor·tnnt r·ni lwny u ndot•lttkings are boing cornpl<'lted, t ho
will bt' n•ml'mbt•t·NI t hut I he· Presid en t, the Council. rn tlw Lrlmnv of tlw Tn!ititution, 10 to 11. 30 a.m., Vosgc•M nr·o s till waiting for the putting in hand of t llC'
tl••h•gatt>s nnd nwmlw rs will t\l l Pnd a Rervice in V\'cst- .. Tho <.: t' nornl rfn,nd of 1\lodor·n D evelopme nt. in Steam three schcltnCl:l which two to c·onncct up the Frenc·h railway
minRtN· A hlwy on Hunduy. ,J tuw :Jrd. On Mo nday morning Tur·bin<' PnH'tic•t•," int r·ocluc·ed by Mr·. H. L . Guy: 11 .30 sy>~ t om wit.h Alsac·o-Lorraine by shorter· routes through th(l
tlw PrcsiclHnl \\ill dl'li vc·r t ill uddre~<'l, and the d elegati';;; a.rn. to I p.m .... l'ros1wc· tiv!' D t>vt>loprnl'nt in the Ucnera· mountairt rungCI. Tmmccliat<.'ly aft or 1he Armistice it waq
will hP ri'N•h NI by th c• pr·t>sidt•nt nncl c·otrn<·il. in tlw tion o f Elcwt r·ic·ity nnd Its TnfluPrwe on the D esign of p ropose,d to t·onstnH't. without delay thre<' lines whic·h
Grt•at llnll of tlw l n-;titHtion. Jn tlw oftt•rnoon the thir·ty. SIRtion Plan t ," intr·oduc·c·d b\ Dr·. R. L . P earc·c. would rnvolvo tho turmelling of the Yosges, but as tl w
fourth .ram<''~ Forrt·st L t'l'tl tr't' ,, 111 bl~ dclivPred bv Hir At tlw lrl.-;trtution of )lc•dHtnic·ul En~i nee rs, 10 to 1 1.30 r<>s tort'd provinces art- nln'acly Rt• r vPd by the raihva~'S from
.fonwq Alfr<'cl E'"ng, K .('. B .. F.H.H .. ~J. Ins t. C.E.' On a.m., ·• Tidnl l'owc·r· nnd 'l'urhinc•s suitabl<' fo r its Utilisa. Nunc·y to Stras burg and from Belfort to :\IulhotL~e. it waJ't
1 h<> Ttwscln) I'H'IIIIlJ.( tlwrt• ''ill lw a ConvrNn.zionl' at the tion," introduc·c·cl by P rofl'>l"Or A. H . Gibson, D.'<· .. deCim<'d advisable', 111 view or the u ru>atis fac·tory financ·ia l
lm.trtution, und on the• Thtn ·sdu~ u BtuHjU(•t \\ill be lwlcl and .. Pro~r<''~" 111 H y d ro-c•ll•c·t rrc· J nstallations. inc·luding Rit uation, to lt't the t~C'Iwmes t·cmain in abevanN• for thCI
ut tlw C'onnnu~ht Hoo111s. J ntukc·"· L rats. Tunnc'ls, Dams, Head-ra<·<'S, Pipr Lines tim CI boinp;, and work wus c·ontinued on t he line from
Tlw folio,, mg -;uhJPI'ls ho\ l' lwt•n c·ho,.,en for dbrm>sion: and T nrl-rtu·c•s," rnt rochwl'd hv ~Ir ..J. :\l r L ellan. D.S.O., • arnt-Dii- to. aalt's, '' hl<'h was regarded as being of a more'
'l'w~drm, .June 5th. In tlw Cr!'ul Hall of tlw Institution. ~L C.; 11.:10 n.rn. to 12. 15 p.t~l., "Problems Involved in urg<>nt and less costly c-lrunwte r. The le ngth of th(l linCI
lll.:lo to 11 A5 n.rr1 .. " H t•c·t•n t })p, rlopmr nts in Conc:retr :\linn1~ ut <:n·at Dl'plhs," rntroduc·t>d b y )lr. .fumes rs 15! milt•>~ . From ~aint-Dr~ it follows the Meurthe, "hi!'h
unci ('1' 1111'111 for Eng rrwc•rin~ Htnu turt";, " mtrocht<·t>d b) Whih•how•t• ; 12. 1:; to I p.m., "'l'ht:' :\letallurgy of Com- it c ross<>s at • 'ainte-~Jargueritc, and the n continuing up
~lr. F. E. \\'t•nl\\orth .Hhu•lcls: 11.45 to 1 p.rn., •· D eYelop· pl<'-.: L l'rlll-i'.inc-Copp<>r Or•t>s," introdU<·ed by )lr. • amuel th(\ valley of La l 'uvo r·i»es b~· easy &rradients until it
!llPnb 111 tiH' u~t· of :\lul<•rtals rn Ruilwn:-.• Engineering,'' Field . traven;es the Yosgrs by a heli(·oidal tunne l 1600 m. long.
llltroduc·Pd b) :\lt·. ( '. ,J. HrO\\ n, and " R ailway Design •.\t tl w Hurvt'\ ors' J n11t itution, 10 to 11.30 a.m., " Th<' A lurg<' number o( brrdg<>'l, viaducts and short tunnels
and ~~~!"'"nnn<•t os ufft•c·lt>cl by tlw Appll(·ation of Elec- Frlt mtron unci T 'rt'almrnt or \\'ate r for Domestic PurpORC'S, .. havo. haci to oo. c·ortlltructed. The line will be completely
trl(·tl), rnt rochwt•cl I>\• ;\i(•,...,r.... A. H . Cooper anrl C:eorg<' introdurt•d by Srr· .\lexunder H ouston, K.B.E., C.\ '.0 ., term mated durrng th<' present year. \\nile railway com-
r:n~on. · and :\lr. H . J( Strl~to<'. ancl "Floods, with s pec ial referenco munic·ation with the restored provinces is being improved,
In tlw Tlwatr<• of tire Jns trtution, l O.:lfJ to 11A5 a.m., to \\'a"lte W Nr Copacity." introduced by :\lr. W .•J. E. there appears little hope of anything be ing done to meet
" Steel for l:>hipbuilclln'!, " introdured by Sir William J . Binnie and Dr·. H . L apworth; L1.30 a.m. to L p.m .. the needs of Alsa<'O in the way of electrifying the system.
~E'!~Y· ~.C.B.; 11.45 a.rn. to I p.m., " The Generation and " Th<> Advantng<'s o f Diffc ront Types of ewage Tank<J," Tt was expe!'ted tho.t some of the energy to be provided
Utrhsat~on of Hi~h ·prt•s,.,trr•t• Suporh<'aled Steam for Marine introduc('d by l\fr. ,V. Clifford, and " Sewerage, with by the power stations on the proposed lateral canal would
Propul;;ton. " introdur!'<l by t ho Rip;ht H on. L o rd \'\'eir, Rpec·ial r!'lat ion to Run -ofT, " intr·od uced by 1\lr. J. B . L . l\IE't>k . bo available for the purpose, but, for reasons of nationa l
l'.C., and 1\l r. Jlnrolcl 1•:. Ynrrow, and " Progress in Tlw foliO\\ ing visit'! to works havo been arranged:- d e fe nce, it is understood that the re will he no elN·tri6.cation
lhP Adoption of tlw l ntt'r·nnl C"omh1r<~tion Engine for 1'ur.wlrry AjtNIIoon, ./u11r 5th.- . -The Fuel R esearch or railwuyi! in the £ront.ier provinre.
 •

544 THE ENGINEER ~lAY l R, 1928

BE AR DMO T~R " T N FLR X TBLR " A 1 T

J J - 1\ J I~ rr A T J 1\1 0 N 0 P L A N ~

'

Hydraulic Brakes for Aeroplanes.

SEVERAL attempts have b een made in tho past to d evise
and fit a satisfactory system of brakes on at'roplanes. In
some cases, as, fot· example, in the Hill " Pterodact;\tl,"
or tailless aeroplane, it has be<.'n sought to obtain an
ae~odynamical braking action by a manipulation of the
flymg organs. In others an attempt has b een made to
apply a mechanical braking force by restricting the freedom
of the landing wheels on their axles after the mannet· in
which the wheels o£ a motor car a re braked. At present
the success of these m ethods may be judged from the fact
that the vas~ majority of aeroplanes are not fitted with
brakes. They are pulled up after alighting partly by the
increased head resistance presentud whon the tail is allowed
to sink down to bring the machine int.o the alighting atti-
tude and partly by the plc.ughing effPct of the tail s kid
over the ground.
With a machine of relatively small size the braking
force generated in these two ways is generally s ufficient
to ensm·e the machine pulling np within a reasonable
distanco after the wheels touch the ground, particularly
if the landing is, as it should be, made against the wind.
A~ t.he Rizt" of th<' machine is inc·reased. howi'VC'I", t hP in -
The Lockheecl bmke system , as our read ers ar<' doubt -
I
The aec·ompanying diagram illustratE'S t h<' principii' or
lessly alroady aware, 1·eplaces tho Ol'dina ry mec·hanical t he Loc·kheecl aMoplan<' braking systE" m. 'l'he1·e are thrN'
braking syst em of a motor car with its numerous rods master <-ylinders. A. H. . inslea1 of ono a-; in the motot·
and links by a simple arrangement of copper piping. throu~h c·ar equipment. The <";\' linder A works in c·onjunction
which hydraulic pressure is transmitted to cylinders. the. wit.h the tai l s kid. Th<' <'OnnN·tions between the s kid and
pis tons o£ which are connected by levers to the ends of the piston inc·ludt' a c·am arrangement whic·h limits t.lw
the straps s urrounding t.ho brake drums. T he h ydraulic m ovomt' nt of the pi1~ton to lin . whate-ve1· the movement
pressure r eq\1ired to tighten the s traps on the drums is of t.he s kid may be. The <";\'linder B is fittc;od in t he pilot.'s
created by t he pressure of the driver·'s foot on a p edal whic·h coc·kpit. Its p :ston is operated throu~h a hand levu
forces in the pis ton of a master cylinder. When the preR- and tog~les. whic·h give a le\•erage of 40 to 1 and a. move-
SUt"e of the foot is 1·eleased the pis ton of the m aster cylinder ment o( J ~in. to the pis ton. T he pilot.'s levf\r is fitted
t•eturns to the inoperative position under the a ction of a with a. r·a.tc·het so that it may be fixed in any pos ition on
s pring. Simultaneously the brake straps are slackened the quadrant. The pressure created by the movement
by pull-off springs associated with the straps. I n actual of the pilot's level' is shown on a gauge. T he c·ylinder ('
motor car practice shoes lying within a drum are generally is designed to limit the pre sure which can be applied to
used instead of straps lying outside a drum. T he hyd1·aulic a maximum whic·h is s hort of that which will cau!1e the
fiuid employed is a mixture of neutralised castor oil and tirtls t o skid on the ground. T o this end the piston is
denatured alcohol treated with chemical reagents, which opposed by a spring behinfl it. the s trength of whic·h is
counteract the a ction of the fluid on the m etal and rubber adjusted to s u it the desired maximum pre sure.
parts o£ the system. Means are prov ided for compensating When the machine is in flight and about to land the
t he effect of temperatme changes. Should the tem- 1 pilot applies pre sure to the system by moving his lever
peratUJ"e rise some of the fiuid is automatically by-passed to the required extent. This pressure will take up the
into a s upply tank. and sholtld it fall som e fluid is drawn sla.c·k of the s traps round the brake drums, but will not.
f1·om the tank. As a result of tho volume of fluid in the actually apply the braking force. That force will become
system, excluding the supply tank, remains c·onstant at effective only when the ta.il s kid touc hin~ the ground forces
a ll temperatm<.'s. Movement of the c·hassi" relat ivE>l_y to in the piston of cylinder_ A. The extPnt to whieh tlw

,.,
~
0 •
or8Jce lnopor<Jtw~
rl
11
• -
I '
I •
,,
11 0

Pressure I •
I
, //'
, //
c L1m1tJng I'
M.uter II
I
Cylinder
"'"sl<r Cy /111tler Operate d
By Pt!ot
I

PJS(on Show n 1n
Oporot1ve .POSition
Flexible Hose Couplings - - - -- ,,( /

.I
DIAGRAM OF LOCKHEED HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYS TEM FITTED TO "' INFLE X IBLE " MONOPLANE

C'roased momentum necessarily involves a g1·eatcr applica-
t.ion of braking force t o pull the machine up in a giv('ln
rlistance, and hence in very large machines an efficient
braking system becomes practically essentiaL An aero-
plane in the a ir is as grac·eful as a s waJiow, but once she
touch es ground s he becom es a very ugl y duckling indeed,
a nd anything that will reduce the length of nm required
for pulling up and the subsequent taxying over the acro-
<lrome to reach the alighting point. is to bf'l commc>ndE"d
from several points of view.
The huge all-metal monoplane, known M the
" Inflex ible," which Wm. Beardmore and Co., Ltd., have
bui lt for the Air Ministry for experimental purposes, and
which successfull y passed its offic ial trials a t Martles ham
Heath at the beginning of March , is fitted with a braking
Rystem of great interest. T his maehine, of \'\' hic·h we
reproduce a. general view herewith, weighs when fully
lad en about 16 tons. It has a. wing s pread of approxi-
mately 155ft. and an overall length of abou t 76ft.. It
is driven by three Rolls-Royce " Condor " engines, eac·h
rated at 650 borse-powtw. The landing wheels arc 7ft. 6in.
in diameter.
The braking system is of the L ookheed hy draulic type,
and is similar to that fitted to many designs of motor car.
w ·e are informed that preliminary tests have s hown that
Lhe use of the brakes reduces the landing clistance required
by a. large a eroplane, such as the " Inflexible," by 30 p er
cent., and that further tests are expected, when t he full
pressure is applied, to show a reduction of 45 to 50 per cent.
the wheels iR accommodated b y the inser t ion o£ flexible
lengths of hose in the run of <·opper piping. This h ose
is fo1•m ecl or fabri c and ru bbm·. It is s ubjected to a
hydraulic pressur·e of 1200 lb. , and while it is so subj ect~>d
fl> closely wound coil s pring, ~ in. in outside diametC'r, is
ins!:lrtecl into its bore. \!\Then the pressure i<; rei<'R'iE>cl,
the hose c·ont1·atts on tho spring. B y t his prON'ss the
internal volume or tho hose is m ad e to remain c·onstant
under a ll pressures from zoro up to 1200 lb .. a prossurl"
beyond a nything o•·dinarily reached in t.h e operation of
t-he brak<'s.
It will be readily unders tood that the braking of an
aeroplane prosents features not found in t.h e braking of a
motor c·ar. When the mac·hino is in the ai r the application
of the brakes has no effect on its motion. \Vhen it is
t•unning on the ground aftet· alighting or jus t b efore taking
off the application of tho brakes in too h a rd a degree may
cause the machine to tip over on to its nose with serious,
possibly fatal consequences to the pilot and his com -
panions. In the Lockheocl system, as applied to the
" Inflexible," this grave possibility is avoided by arrang ing
the details in s uch a way that while the forc·e applied to
the brake dr·ums is under the control of the pilot , its appli-
cation is automatically effected by the movem ent of t he
tail s kid when it touches the gr·ound. I£ after alighting the
machine tends to throw its nose do\vn as a. result of the
brakes being a pplied too hars hly, the tail s kid will liit
off the gr ound and, as a conse qnenr~, the brakes will be
released.
pilot takes up t.he slack of the s t1·aps will determine the
magnitude of l h(' braking forc·e applied by t.he tail skid
c·ylinder.
As an alternative method of working. the pilot, may
land with his brake lever in the inoperative posit.ion. 'l'ho
tail s kid cvlindor, when the s kid touches the ground. take!'
up the s lt"ic·k. and the actual braking fore·(' is applied hy
t he pilot. from his hand lever.
When the machine is takin~ off the pilot's lever is set
into the inoperative position. So long as the tail skid
i on t he ground the p iston of cylinder A will bo pressed
inwt\rds. t o an extent whic·h c·annot, however, exceed
1in. ThiR displacement wit.h the pis t on o{ cylinder B
in the full out p osition is s ufficient only to take up the
s lack of the straps. The brakes t hert'fore remain unappliecl
and the wheels arc free to revolve.
The considerable m ovement of t he fuselage of an aero-
plane relativt'ly to the landing wheels when the ~ac~ine
is alighting or taking off has been one of the ch1e£ d~ffi­
cult.ies in the design of a satisfac·tory system of moc·haruc~l
brakes for aeroplanes. In the L ockhecd system thts
difficulty is overcom e in the same manner as in tht' case
of a motor car , namely . by fitting flexible hose couplings
at app1·opriate p oints in the hydraulic piping.
The European re presentative for the Lockheed system
is the Antomotivo Produr ts Company, 3, Bern~>rs-street,
L ondon , W . I .
 MAY l s, ]!)2R
Railway Matters.
'1'111-: rww Kt<•unwr, till' " \\' ort hin~." for· lh<• N<>wha,·en.
Dieppe s<·n · iN> wos lu\IIWhNl by William D enny and
Brothers, Ltd ., of Dumbarton, on :May :lrd. • h e will be the
fil'8t oiJ.burning veK;;<•I in that Rt"n •i<·t;>. will ha,·e a speed of
24 knots nnd have n<·rornmodatron for 1500 passengers.
The servi<·c is joint!;-.• owned by the Southern Railway
Compnn:v nnd th(l Frrn<·h Xtl\t<' Railwa:.•s.
\\'£ are info1·mrd that tlw lnRtit ut ion of Locomotive
En gineen~ (L ondon) propo~ws to visit Cologne, Cassel and
Berlin to inspert som<' of thr pt·in<·ipal wol'lts relating to
r(lilwavs in thOll<' C'iti<'l'l. also pla<·es of inter est in the
virinit'y. Jt. is inl<mcl<'<l to leave L ondon on Saturday,
.Tune Oth, at 8.30 p.m., from Liverpool-l'ltreet Station. and
to rot.urn to L ondon on l';nnday, •
J un o 17th .
SPEAKINO at. t,h(l Huilway llon cvole nt I nstitution dinner
on May 2nd Colonel Witrricl Ashley said, as to the proposed
inquiry into transpo1·t, that ther·o wore many aspects of the
quest ion- pot itic·al and industrial, th e relations between
masters and men, ancl betwC'cn pri\'ate entt"rprise and
.'tale and muniripal c nterpri>lo-ind<'cd the whole of our
interna l life might ('Ome und <'r the I'Pvi<'w of the Commis-
sion. H <' inteml<'d to draw the t<'rrns of referencE' in such
a wide way that no r eason a blc n~1wC'1, o f the quest ion s hould
be eliminated fr om discus~ion.
I N our last two Annual Artirles on Railways m e ntion
h as been mado of th<' Longbrid~e and Barnt Green wide n -
ing, on the Birmingham and ClourE'ster sertion of the
London, ~Iidland and 'rottish Railway. which includes
the opening out of the Cofton Turu1el, ·H O y ards long and
80ft. deep. The latter wor k has made s u rh progress that
it was intended to d Pstroy one of th e last remaining
secti onR on , unda,v la>~l. l\lt>l\ were engag('d on Friday in
laying s leepers on I h~ t rt\('k to protect the rails whon
the roof fell being damagNI. when, without warning, the
sertion C'ollapsed. Xc•veral workmen were caught and
four or them killed.
CANAPlAN railways mnde m•w high records in 1927 in
gr of!fl revenue~:~ whic·h w~1·c th e largcflt ever oarn ed , in tons
of goods c:arr·icct and in t•<:wenu o t on-mi les. The officia l
Government statist.it·s of 11team railways with annual
oprmting revE~nue~ of 500,000 dollars and ovE'r, issu ed by
the D ominion Bureau of StatisticA. give the pay roll as
target· than in JH26 by 14 ,062,444 dollars and exceeded only
by the 1!)20 pay roll. Although gross operating r evenues
were greater t hnn in I !l:l6 b~r 5.414,075 dollars, 01· 1· 1 per
rent .. tho operating t'xprmw~ innea~ed by 1 . 144,!)00
dollars, Ot' 4 · 7 per c·cnt., wh ic·h reduced the net oper ating
revenues by J 2. 720.825 dollars. T o tal railway operating
rewnues C'amt> C'lo>~c t o half a. billion dollars at 4 93.574.321
dollarq. c·omptW<'d with 4 ', 160.246 dollars in l 926.
Operating expem~('S in<·r<'a.-;;ed. h owever. fro m 3 4,615.064
dollars in 1926 to 402.759.964 dollars in 1927. Operating
inc·oml•. after makin~ allowanr<' for railway tax accruals.
hire or equipment, &<· .. amountPd to 0.5:35.605 dollars in
1927, compnred with 93. 17!),:39 1 dollars in 1926. The
mileage of road opera.ted Kh ows a ~ain or :350 miles at
:39,427. eompnred with :l!l.077 milt-s in 192(l. The new
rec·ord in tonna~e Ntrried wa.-;; 121.616,686 tofu>, c·ompa1·('d
with 110.494. 165 t o ns in Hl26. l n rPvenue ton-miles,
whic·h also rreatrd a nt'w hi~h l'cc·ord. the total wa.c;
3.J..H00,20:l,87B, c·ompar·NI wit.h 34 ,04!1,36(), 09 in 1926.
THli: Ministry of Tr·an11port Oflic-<' r 's r·<'port. on a d erail -
mt'nt on a l':i<·ott i>~h I'll il wny, c·auk<'<l by a b r·oken carriage
nxlo, ha :-~ rcN~ivNI >~0111<' pr·ornincnc·e in th e daily l~ress.
)t. is fitting th or·efOI'O I hat we s hould point out that surh
fa ilures arll cxt1·Nncly J'uro. The faih11·c:-~ of axles have b een
the. subjt>rt of special rcpo1'ts by tht' railway companies.
wh1c:h a1·e p 1·ovidcrl with forms us<'d only fo1· that purpose.
Durmg last yt>at· only two :nwh c·asPs wcr·e reported. and
dllring t he five yt>al'l! t'ndt>d D l.'<·<'mbCI' :Hat. 19:27. there
wa.~. on all the Brit ish milwtw>~, t"\ total of twentv-six
failures Of (•arriall:O wh<'<'IS 01' an aV{'rag<' Of. say. ffve a
year. Thcro a 1·o 72.000 c·onc•hing v<'hidcs, the large
major ity of whic·h htW(' four axleS~, but som(' have six
and some three. "hiliit many brake vans, horse boxes. &c ..
have onl y two. Taking tht• av<'rag<' At three means that
t ht're has be<'n one fail u1 t' a \' l'OI' to <'V<'rv -10.000 axles.
AnothPr tt•st 0>1 to the frc<'don\ from tha t dass of accident
is that sinC'<' tlw vl'a r I !11 7 tll<'n' has b<'<'n no oc·casion to
hold a Govrrnml:nt inquir·y into an ac·c·idt>nt caused by
th<' fa1lur·e of n c·ai' I'Ulg<• oxl<'. and not s in<·e April 25th,
190:2, hos lhPrt' b<'t'll a fatnJ t1·ain ac·<'idcnt from that
<·ausr. Tlw prcviou"' >lll('h fntol rl<'raihnent was on July
1-Ith , lH~H, 110 that during fort'' vcar·11 there has been only
on.<' <·asc in whic·h paMsengN'l! loRt' tht>i 1· lives bec·ause of th'e
fa1lurc of a c·arriag<• axle. \Vc• would add t hut on the
present O<·c·a;;ion t hrr<' WO"' n<'it lwr lo;;;s or life nor 10erioull
• dioxide and nitrogen from a simple analysis of the mixtW'e .
lWrsonal injur.v.
DllRJNC: th e l'<'lllal·kably xcvcrc l!n ow;;torm at Christmas
tho normal rout o of th e H arwic·h bot\1 tr·ain of the London
and North- l~aRI C'rn Hnilwa.y fr·om ,'hofTiold wa:s b locked by
snowdl'ift~. As a ronRrq;1onr·o that tr·ain. on December
:!6th, had to bo diver·t!'cl l'iu Ncwmork<'t and Bury St.
t;dmund t~. It, howt>vl'lr, c·o nw to g1·it'f in a snowbloC.. k at
Saxham. When tlw tmin <·am<' t o a s tttnd the gua1·d first
W<'nt t~ th~1 :-~ignn1 -box t o report what had happened a.nd
lo ~CCNv<' mstruc·t ions and t lwn proC'ccdcd to protect his
tram . l\rcanwhilr a light engin<' had anived at H igham,
the next station in tlw r<•ar, and a~ blot'!;: c·ommunication
h.ad faile~ owing to t lw t<•lu~raph wirt>s bt>ing down. the
hght eng1m• waR iilOJlJH'd and it s driver warm•d. That
'':'an pro<·<'NINl "it h c·o ut ion. but ;eE'ing the home
:sJgr1al at 'nxf1am "off " - he<·aul!c it. too, wns snow-
b~und-ht> ~ept on running and c·ollidcd with the s tanding
express. wluc·h h<• was unnbl<• to sN•. Y<•r~· little damage
was don1•, bl~t unfo1·t uno t<•ly t ht• d riv<'r of a following
passengE'r tram , thoup;h wnrnNI, did not travel with the
sa":'e raution as th t> clriv<'r of th<• Jiaht engine and so his
tra m ~an ·rnto the doubl<• ob~;tr\IC•tion. ,... The c·irc·umstan<·es
'
were mquired iJllo hv LiNrt.-Colon<'l Mount whose r eport
ll h . •
t~ereon as. recentl y beNl isRu<>d. Thcr<•in the guard of
•e firs~ tram was blamed for not at once going 1o protect
111 ~ .t~am and the driver of the following passenger train
c·n tJctsed fo~ n ot trave lli ng with greater care. The fire-
man of the ltght (lngino showC'd ~r<'at d ot e1-mination under
very trying circumst onrt'l! nnd fo1· that Colonel Mount
congratulated him.
THE ENGINEER
Notes and Memoranda.
h ' iK c·luim<'d thul t lw r o pc•wny whic·h is to bo <·onsli'Uctcd
from the AmiamthuR mino to the main line of railway to
L ouren<·o l\Tarqucz. will h <• one of the most ambitious
schemet-~ of thCI kind in South Afri<:n. It will be seven m iles
long, hM·e to r ross som(l high mountains, and is to c·ost
£30,000.
\ V H AT is ronRidN·ccllo boa rec·ord r u n on a paper -making
marhinc was made last month on No. 1 m a chine in the
T hunder Bay paper mi ll plant, Port Arthur, Onta.rio.
T his marhino started at !) o 'rlork on a Monday morn1ng,
and until I 1.40 on t.h(l Wednesday night it did not stop,
nor h ad a break orcurred in tho pap er.
ON tho occasion of the opening o f the new recreation
grounds of Geo. Saltc1· and Co., L td., vVest Bromwi <'h,
whic·h took p lare on Satur day, May 5th , there were present
as many as forty -two Clmployees who have b een with the
firrp for· over fifty yea1'A. Tho aggr egate ser vice of t h ese
m e mbers amounts to 2252 years, whic h represents an
average of 5:Ji years for each individual.
TI N com pounds aro u sed in the purification of water in
somo of tho rontinen tal towns, using the Linde and H ess
process. The wat e1· to be purified is filtered through
materials impr<'gnated with tin oxide, which is claimed
to fun(' tion as an ('x tr<lmely energetic oxygen carrier and
to effert the rapid oxidation of the organic impurit ies
th r o ug h th e ag<'n<·y o r the dissolved oxygen present in
the water.
FR0M lndtl.~lrial Gasrs we learn o f what seems to be a
novel use of dissolved acetylene. It is in the heating
of the bulbs o f Diesel type inte rnal-rombustion en gines
on s tarting. ln the t·aso m entioned ac·etylene is used for
other purposes, and it is piped to th e e ngines, and the
n ecessary blowpipes arc permanently installed. It is
said that each blowpipe re quires 3 c·ubic feet o f acetylene
p<'r hour, and get s a ryli nder re ady for s t a rting w ithin
twe lve minutes.
THE generating p lant in the L okawoi Station o f the
Fren C'h T r·amway Compa.ny in ~hanghai is all driven
by Sulzor two-c·ydo Diesel e ngineA, comprising two of
1500 B .H .P .. t.wo of 5750 B .H .P ., a nd ono of 5250 B.H.P.
.Jus t recently a furth e r :12150 B.H.J>. Snlzer Diesel en g ine
has been Ol'(lored, and will be installed in the !lame powt>r
s tation. Whon thii! n (lw e ngine is r unning the normal
capacity of tho cnti r·e plant will be 23.250 B .R .P., with
an overload capacity of about 26,000 B .H .P.
A NOTE in Enginerr11 and Engineering, of Philade lphia.
dcscribos a flexible fo 1·m of bolt evolved bv •
the American
Cable Company. The stalk of these bolts is formed by n
length o f wire eablc, of whic·h fivE' strands a re preformed
into h e lic·cs. so that the c·abl<' <·an be <·ut off into any c·on-
venicn t l<'ngths without f('ar of fraying. Appropriate
le ngths of thi>l c·ablc ar·o <·ut off and fittings a re " pro-
rcssed " o n t o thr <'ncls to form heads and threaded e nds for
the nuts. Th(l proc·es11in~ appears to be a matte r of
squeezing tho fittings into t he interstices of the cable.
IT is vE>ry drsirahl <', Rays I h e Engineer urveyor- in -Ch ief
to the B oard of Trado, in ronncc·tion with the explosion
of a blow-down tank in an E Rsex boiler plant--and we
fully e ndorl'le his die·! urn- that blow-down tanks should
not bEl c·loscd tauks, but where it is not practicable to
provide opl'll tonkil or ;mmpR the> dosPd tanks should be
o( suffic·i ont c·apt:wit·y and hnve pipo connections so
al'l'angcd th!\t the tnnkil a 1·o not comple tely filled when in
use: that iA. the outlet. pipe Hhou ld be of ample a rea, mot·e
of the c·hara<'t<ll' of a woir· and c·onncc·ted with t h e tank
well below th<' l<'vel of tho top. In any c·ase it is essentia l
that tho out lot pip<'s s hould
. be kept free from obstruction.
THE Birmingham T omo and R oa Distric:t Drainage
Board- which hilA. at·<·ording tot he ( 'hrm ical 'Prar/e J ournal,
one of tht> larges t 11cwago disposal works in the countt·y-
installcd last yeur a plant for· making prac·tiral u se, for
powor purposes, of the gas which is given off by the s lud(te
fr om the sewage. The experience gained s hows that this
plant will produce yearly half 8 mill ion tmits or elec·tr icit y.
As its presen t power rPquirements are likely to be in-
c t·eased within the n ext three years from I ,290.000 units
per an n um to 2,500,000 units, the Board has dec·ided to
install a new 400 h orse-power en~ine with the n eeessa1·y
c•ollcctors of tho sewa~e gos and an alternator a t a c·ost of
£ 18,000. This plant will, it is stated. produce annually
one million un it11 of Cllect ririt y.
DATA obtained in a 11tudy of the propagation of flame
in c·omplex mixtures. c·onduc·t<'d by the American Burea u
of .Mines, haV<' mad<1 it possible to predic·t the inflamma-
bil ity of any mixture or hydr·ogen, c·arbon monoxide, and
methan<1 with varying pr·opor·tions of oxygen, car·bon
ThC' results are of considerabl e valuo in connection wit h
mine fi 1·rs,'and in many indust ri al operations where inflam-
mable mixtures may be prt>sent. Tho inflammable limits
of t.he c·omplex mixturo are c·alc·ulatod from th e data
obtained for tho individual gasrs. Comparison between
calr ulatNl and obser v<'d values h as bpen mad e on a series
of syn thetic· gas mixtures, indudin,g typic·a l b last-furnace
gas, automobile-cxhau>~t gaK, gases from detonation of
explosives in <·oal min<'s, gases after ('Oal-mine explos ions,
and mine-fire gases. Calc·ulated and observed values for
inflammabl<' limits r hcc·k within l per cent.
TH],: fin:;t 220,000 volt step-down transformer s tation
in Canada is n ow being built by tht> H ydro-Electric· Power
Commission of Ontario at L easido, a s uburb or •r oronto.
'!'his is the r('(·(•iving end for power being transmitted over
200 miles from th<' Gatin<'au powet· proj<'<'t at I>augan
Falls, on tho Gatin<'tHI R iver, north of Ottawa, in the
l>rovincc of Qu<>bec·. The transmission line h as been undtw
constnl('tion sint·o last autumn. The new transmission
station when c·ompll'ted wi ll be one of thE' largest single
stations on the rontinont. The sit E' covers 12 acres, and
the battery of I ransformers will be of t he largest practic·able
size. The buildings wi ll be of brick and concrete with
structur al steel framewot·k. The manufacture o f tho
electr ic·al equipme nt is well under way at factories in
l?eterboro, Toronto, Hamilton and St. Cathar ines, and
the s tru c·tUI'al steel is being fabricated at Toronto and
Walkervillo. The progress srhedule requires the first
portion of the station to b(' rt"ody to rcre ive power by
Octo h<'l' Ist, I !)2t<.
• 545
Miscellanea.
A NJTROCI J·:N fixation fat'lory is to b e put up in <'Onner-
tion with the D ut<:h l ate Mines at L imburg.
\\' ORK is about to b o 11tarted o n on e o f t h e firs t mining
oper at ions in the Province of New Bru nswic k , where some
c·opp er depos its have been prospE'rted at Goshen. in AJbe r t
County.
THB AllSlralian Government h as ordered thirty-four
Moth a e r oplanes for t h e Air Force. Twenty are t o b e con-
stru cted in Groat Britain, and the r emainde r , excep t for
their e n gi n es, are t.o b e bu ilt in the Comm,onwealth.
D u RrNa the t.hreo m onths ended F e bruary, 1928, 60,128
m otor vehicles w e r e r egi11ter ed for the first t ime in tltis
country . inc luding 33,633 ca rs taxed on horse-powe r ,
16, 139 motor cycles, 7925 mo t or goods vehic les, an d 1461
motor-hackneys.
A co~tPANY has b een formed in Winnipeg for prosp ecting
for minerals in Northern Canada from the a ir. It h as
o rde r ed five la rgo aeroplanes capable of carry ing six
passengers over a maximum radi us of 2000 miles and threo
smaller machines for 500-mile c ruises.
A SERV ICE of aerop lanes has b een organised by tho
Canadian Pac ific Expr ess Com pan y for expedi ting the
d e livery of overseas mails b y tak ing them off the incoming
steamer s at Rimouski, near the mouth of the St. Lawrem ·e.
a nd flying to Qucber, M ontreal, Ottawa a nd Tor ont o.
THE Board of Trin it v H ouse h as d ecided to invite six
members of the s hipp in g indus try, to be drawn from vari ous
classes of shippin g a nd shipp ing l'entres, to join in con -
fe re n ce with r epresentatives of the Board of Trinity H ouse,
unde r the r hairmans hip of the D e puty-Master of Trinity
H ouse, to consider ligh thou.'le questions a dministered by
the ~:orporation.
THE now p ower s tation at Imatra, Finland, is now
app roaching completion, and it is expected that it 'vill b e
possible t o supply e lectri c e n ergy from t h e n e w installation
t his year. The capita l a lready in vested in the s tation is
said to bo 370 million F. marks. I t is a lso e>..rpeoted t hat
steps will s h or t ly be taken t ow a r ds pre paring a sch eme for
t h e electrifi cation o f the rai lways or a t least s ome of t hem.
A ccoRDI NO to Mr. M. Kissel, Chief Electr ical E ngineer
of the Public W o1·ks D epar tmt>n t, New Z e ala nd, the r at io
of consume1·s to populatio n in t h e s uppl y ar eas has
in c r eased fr·om 10·8 per cent. in 1920 to 20· 1 per cent. in
1!)27. whil"' the consumption p er capita h as inr r eased
from 14 ~ to :1 10 units per a nnum . That rate of consum p -
tion plac·es NC'w Zt>aland s ixth on th(' srale of e le<'h ·ified
cotmtries.
D un rNO last year the bascules of the Tower B ridge
across th<' Thomes w e re ra ised for the p assage of ,-essels
o n 5372 O<·rasio n s, the average daily n u mber being fo m -
tcen. L and traffic· was susp ended o n these occasions for·
per·iods ranging from t wo to twenty minutes. The cost or
maintaining the Tower Bridge and its approaches fo t· the
v<>ar was .£25.6 12, nnd was met out o f t h e funds of tho
Dridgc House Estates Committee or the Corporation.
THE s<·hemo for providing San Francisco's new wate1·
gupply n ecessitates th e ronstruction o f an aqueduc t I 56
mileS~ long, which will run under th<1 Bay o f an F rancisco.
unde r two ranges of mountai ns, and will c ross miles o f
open p lain. To car·r·y the aquedu<·t through t h e mountainA
it w ill bo n ec·essnry t o build 28 miles of concrete t unne l. ,
So far only 2 1 miles o f this pipe line h ave b een laid, a n d
it will take a n o t h ot· five years befor e t he whole sch em e is
completed.
IT has beon proposed t o ext end harbow· facilities M
New chwa n g, to afford a n o u tle t for freight transported
ovl'r the now Ch inese lines in Manchuria. A plan is being
d1·awn up to build wharves to ber th vf"ssels of var ious
sizes and to consI ruc·t a. n ew town for railway freigh t dealers.
I t is also p lanned to open an exchan ge, banks, a nd trading
establis hments near the Nor th S ide Station. The sum
of £50,000 has bee n appropriated for the immediate im -
provement of the port. A n ew bund is t o be bu ilt a long th e
s h ore front about two-thirds of a mile in len gt h . A ll
construction work is to bo unrlentaken by the Peking-
Mukden R ailway.
A ME SAG E from a n tiago s tates that considerable
p r ogress has been made with the works in connection
w ith the concession gr anttd by the Government to the
ociedad Carbon ifera d o Brazil , a Chilean coal-owning
company with valuable mines at l\farfil, in the Province
of Yaldivia. The con cessio n , which is for fifty years, calls
for the e rec t ion of an additional steam -gener ating station
and of several high-tension lines, sub-stations and othE~r
nnits at Marfil. Tho c·ompany, whic h can now prod u ce
2000 H .P. above the requirements of t h e mine, has further
r·aised its c·apital to 3 ,200,000 p esos, which has been s ub-
scribed wholly by local interests.
A ccoRDJNO to a statement issu ed by the National F ed era-
tion of Iron and Steel Manufactu rers, the number of
furnaC'CS in b last at t he e n d of April was 149, a net d ecr ease
of ono s intc the beginnin g of the month, t hree furnaccR
having gone into blast and four having cea sed op e r a tions.
T he produ<:tion of pig iron ir\ April amounted to 555,000
tone, compared with 592,600 tons in March a nd 680,000
tons in April, 1927. Tho production in c luded 186.200
tons of hematite, 184,000 tons of basic, 142,700 tons of
foundry, and 22,600 tons o f forge pig iron. The produc-
tion of s t t><'l ingots and castings in April amounted t o
644. 100 tons. compared w ith 7!):3,300 tons in Marc h and
850. 100 ton s in April, 1927.
A an initial step to the proposed expansion or the
work of the National Rest>ar c h Council of Can ada, Dr.
H e nry ~la1·shall Tor y, P resident of the nivorsitv of
Alberta, has resigned that position and ac<·epted· the
appointm<>nt of President of the National R esear ch Cou nc il.
The new laboratories to bt' ere<'ted in Ottawa this season
aL a cost o f 750,000 dollars, w ill combine the funct.ions of
the Bureau o f Standard s of Washington and the Mellon
Institute at P ittsburgh. When they h ave been established
it will be possible for the Councfl to car r y on national
standard isation and research service similar to that under-
taken in othor important industri a l countries. The pro-
gramm<' c·ontemp l~tes t h e expondih1rE1 o£ 3,000,000 dollars,
spr ead ovrr fl. J>N'IOd of t en y(lars.
 •

_-\. Y 0 X ~I 0 "C T H D 0 C l{ S, EASTERN _-\. R ~I EXTEN S IOX e,.,

.lot--...
(F or ducription 1u page .):J9)

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8
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FIG . 7 - SHED .. V " AND PART OF EAST WHARF FIG . 8 - GENERAL V IEW OF EASTERN ARM FROM NORTH END z
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FIG . 9 - SECTION OF WHARF AND REINFORCE D CONCRETE FRAME FIG . 1 G-P ILE DRIVING IN PROG RESS
 •

MAY 18, 1928 TH E ENG I N EER 547

15 ,452 tons. As each of these comparatively small

~bt ~ngittttt Contents. vessel cou ld train eight 12in. hig h-velocity guns on
the beam , had its v itals protected by Sin . to l Oin .
Annual Subscription Rates 'X II £ ENOt NEER , )[ny H!th, 1921!.
.\ • f! \"f!N·OAV .JOliiS IL .. ..
1',\0E
. . . . . . . . r,:J:l nrmom, a nd could steam at HJ-.3 knot., the d cgr·ce
Uocludlull poltal chaJ"IIet), 'l'IIF. gRI TH STO'\ J;W.\IIf! PIPE WORKS. (lllu~.) . . . . . . . . 53·1 of ' k ill ~?x h ibited in their des ign is self-ev ident.
Subscr ipLions wiU be a ccepte d h y Lhe Publisher di rec L or InoN Aso l'ITEPJ. J NsTJTUTR. No. 11 . . . . . . . • . . r.:n
through ~ news~gent nL the rate!! and in t h u 1'\trrenc ies s tated TJJl! AVOSl!OI'Til DOC' K l•:XTEI\l!ION. No. 1. (lllllM.)• . . . . r,:lO Of this trio the" Alfonso X III .. , a nd the " J aimc T."
~F.W ]lOAD BRIOOK OI~R TilE TII'RIW . (lllns.).. .. .. .. () 12
below: 1' 11~ l NSTITCTIOS 0 11 C'l\'lL l£SOINEF.Rt!- JtOY.\L C'IIARTf:R a re now performing useful service, but the n a me-
CF.NTE~.\RV •• •. •• •• •• •. .• •. • . r•.a3
BRmSH ISLES . . . . £3 6 0 HYDRAI' I.fC BRAKP.S I'O it \RROPT..I NP.R. (lllu q, ) ,, ,, . • ,, (, H ship o f the c lass, " E spana," was unfortunately
CANADA .. . . . . . . £3 3 0 T hick Pnper edition. lt .\JI,W.I \' lliTTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . !i46 wrecked off tit<' coast of Morocco some five years
.1:2 18 6 'T'hi n P nper edition. XOTF.S AND ) IF.IIOR \NU.\ .. .. .. . . . . !i 15 •
ABROAD . . . . . . £3 7 6 'fhic k Pnper edition. )1Jt.(' EIA ..INEA .. , . , . . , ,, .. .. (, 15 ago.
(except C"nn nda) £3 3 0 T hin P a pe r edition. LF.AJ)JNO .\RTJ(' I.I'"-
'fhl' ~pani~h Xn1·v . . . . . . . . . . .. ;, , ; In F e brua ry, 191.3, the original programme was
AFRICA . . . . Cen t ral News Agency. A ll Brnnches 'Elrrt ricnl Brrnkdow n ~ in 192i . . • • • . • • . . . . •• (,4A
• £3 7s. 6d. CAP& 1 '0\\'N: 'Vm. Dnwson nnd Sons, Ltd., l.ITERATt'RE .. .. .. .. .. . 541! ampli fied in t he light of what was then happt>ning
t .£3 3s. Od. 29-31, Long.street (Box 489) :!O,OOO·KW J\R0\1 N ROVI'III TltRIIO·ORN I·:RATOR .~T llOT'!'t!RliA 11.
in the N orth , 'ea and e l' ewhere. The Govern -
JOBANNESBURO: C. Juta and Co. ~0. lJ. (JihiR.).. .. .. .. .. .. .. li49
SIXTY YR.!.RS AOO .. .. .. .. .. .. a!i I ment obtained authority to build four crui ers, six
ARGENTINA .• BUENOS AIR ES : Mitcholl'R B ook Store, 576, .\ GEARED RT.!A 11 11 IH (',\lt, (T1ln11.) . . .. r;r.t
• .£3 7s. 6d. Cnngall o J,F.T'l't!RS TO Tll E l~ OI'I'OR - d estroyers, a nd twenty-e ig ht submarine ·, to
J,oromoth•e n ci'<'IOplltt'llt .. .. .. r. • I
t £3 3s. Od. ('o•t• for )l nnnftwtun·rs . . . . . . . , ..
••
....
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•. I improve the naval ba es at F errol , Cad iz , and
AUSTRA LIA .. Cordon and Cotch (Au s t ralasia), Ltd. All The U~e 01 \\'irr Ro1w itt strul'htrnl Frnnwwork .. . . . . .,,,• ..•
•
Cartagena, and to create new d e po~ for the fleet
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t £3 3s. Od. MeLBOURl'-'1!: : R obert son and l\lullens, Sir Georfl(• Du ~kltom
Clcmrnt Do~ ord .. ..
. •• . ..
. . . . ..
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..........,..I' in the B a learic I slands and the lower Ria of
Elizabeth.street )
Galicia, a ll of which undertak ings were to be com -
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BELGIUM .. BRUXELLES : W . H . SmiLh and Son, 78-80, Thc :\Jidlond11 ond stnlfor<l~ltir(' ..
l .anrashitt' . . . . . . . .
..
.. .. .. .. ..
. . ;,;,c; pleted withi n s ix years. Difficulties of s upply made
• Fr. 690 R ue du Marc h6·nu x.H e r bes
t Fr. 650 Shcffi<>ltl . . . . .. .. ..
. .. . . .r.r.
r.:1oo
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CANADA •. • • Amoricnn News Company, Ltd. All Branc hes Scotlnnd . . . . ~ . .. .. .. .. .. .. !\50
• $15· 25 1\toNTnEAL: C ordon nnd Gotch, Ltd., 334, \\'nlcs and A\l)olnlng (;ountic~.. . . . . specified have been completed , together with some
t $1 4 . 2» Notro Dame.street, , V. (; IT.\LOOl' ES .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. additional units-. I n con equence o f this v igorous
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C'l'RREST P RICES POll :\lP.TAI.S ANn F l' l! l.~ • , •. and sustained policy of d evelopment the , 'pan is h
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TORONTO: Cordon n nd f: ot c h, Ltd . , 45, BRITJStl P" TEST SPF.I'I PI(\ \ TJOS:i. (I llu• ,) , . . • Navy ha now a ttained a position of re la ti ve·
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l'E\'LO N . • , . ('or.OMBO : ' "Vijayartna nnd <:o. C'ONTR If'~ . . . , . . . . .. . .
..
• Rs. 44 · r. tions. Its p rinc ipal vessels, if lim ited in number,
t R s. 41 · u a.t'C mostly of an up·to-datc a nd powerfu l type. ]t.
1' 11 0· 1'\0~: SI' I'I' I,PI11!N'r S'I'ONf;W.\Ilf. l'll'R \\' ()~ OF I)OT L'I'O'I
CHINA • • • . HONO KONO: Kelly and Wa1Rh, L t d . \'If> ('o., LTD .. ,\ T EIUTII. has crui er that compare very favourably with
• 137 SHANOHAT: Kelly nnd Wahd1, Ltd. anything we po sess below the •· C'ounty " class,
t $34 · 6
EGYPT • . CAmo : E xpress B ook and Stationery Start',
torpedo craft of gr eat speed a nd formida ble a rma-
• £37s. 6d. (Pt. 330) !l, (;hnre h ) fnghmbi NOTICES TO READE RS. ment, and n, fl otilla of first-c la s submarines. But
t £3 3s. Od. (Pt. 308) the proce. s o f rxpa nsion is not yet complete . A
FINLAND .• R e i.SlNOli'ORS : Alu~domiRim Bokhancl<>ln, • 0 • If anv Subscriber allroad should receive Tne ENGINEER in at~
ne w progra mme of construction which had been
• M. 660 A lllxnnde rilgatan, 7 imperfect or mutiltltt4 ~ndition lie will obliqe bv giviti{J 1)rompt
t M. 605 it~ftmnation of the fact to the Puhlialur, tuith U1e name of the Agent under consideration for two yea rs was approved
tllrOU{}h wllom the paper is obtaitltd. Such ittconvenience, if lti.]J~ud,
FRANCE.. • . P AR IS : Boyvenu nncl ('hl\vi llet, Rue d!' I•~ can be remedied bv obtaining tM paper dirtctfrom thi1 office. last week at a Cabinet meeting attended by the
• Fr. 418 B~nque, 22 • • • All ktUrl intended for imertion in To E ENGINEER or contaillitlll King. Tt involves an cxp<.'nditure of a bout
t Fr. 390 PARIS : B <>rger L cvl'mul t, 229, Bid. St. quutiom 1hould lie accompanied bv the tunne and addrtAB of tilt u nt~r.
Cermnin tU>t nuatarilv for publication, but cu a proof of good faith . NtJ 1wlice £20,000,000, the greater part o f "hich w ill he dis-
PARIS: Brentano's, 37, Av. do l' Opern wllate11cr can lie taken of anonymotU communicatiotlf. bursed within the country itself. a t he o ffi c ial
P ARIS: Dunod, 9 2, Rue llonnparte • • • No undertaking can be gicen to return dratoitH11 or tnDIIIIRI'TiJI/1 :
corrupondtntt are tllertfore requ.uted to keep copitt. a nnouncement sta tes th at '' the ships will a ll he
G ER~IANY .. B ERt.l N : H. H <>rmnnnR, Frit>clrichstrM:~o 2 18, built in. 'pain , thus helping to improve the national
• R. mks. 70 ·00 s.w. 48
t R. mks. 6fi · 00 'VESTEUN GERMANY : Ji'l'it.z R ohfus, Bl ume n. industry a nd make it capa ble of undertaking morP
thnlstrnsse I 0, Cologne importa nt enterprises.·· 'l'he ve. sels proje<'tNI
LE IPl.lO : }(, W . Hierseml\lln, Konigstrasso 2 9
HOLLAN D
• Fl. 41 ·00
t Fl. 38·00
. . R O'M'EROAM : H ect o r's lloekhnnde l, Noord -
blaak 59
R oTTERDAM : T echn. B ot>khandel, " Plan (' ,"
THE ENGINEER. inc lude t hree cruiser of the •· Washington " class.
each of 10 ,000 tons, s ix large flotilla leaders. and
twelve submarines , a nd a number of minelaying and
Celderschestraat 4 auxiliary cra ft . F urthermore , it i st ated , t hough
INDIA •• • • B OMBAY : Thacker and Co., Ltd. not yet confirmed , that two battle hips are to be'
• Rs. 45 CALOOTTA: T hacker, • pinl< nnd Co.
t Rs. 42 la id d own . They will be reduced vers ions of t he
ITALY .. • • MtLAN: Ulrico H oepli MAY 18, 1928. British " Nelsons, '' displacing about 25,000 tons,
• Lire 300 ROME : 1\laglioni a nd St rini , 307, Corso with an armament of s ix or eight 16in . g uns.
t Lire 280 RoME: Fratelli Tl-eves, Corso Umbert o 1,
174 The Spa n ish N avy. Vessels of thi formidable type would unquestion-
ROME : Fratelli Bocca a bly add to the power and pre tige of the 'pani h
JAPAN . . • . Maru l.on Co., all Branc hes I N 1908, te n years a fter the cli a trou war with Navy, and in spite of the high eo t their construc-
• £3 78. 6d. the United Rtates , a strong Hpani h Government
t £3 3s. Ocl. tion would appear t o be a sound stroke of policy .
.JAMAICA. . . . KINOSTON: Edu caLionnl S upply Co.
applied itself with energy to t he task of rehabilitat- Tt seems doubtful whether t he existing facilities
• £3 7e. 6d. ing t he na tiona l naval forces, which at that time at F enol dockya rd wou ld s uffice for the building
t .1:3 3s. Od. had sunk into a state of virtua l impotence. A of s uc h large . hips. If they should be laid down ,
XEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND: Wrutcombe and T ombs, Ltd. sy~tematic programme of const r uction exte nding their design will probably be profoundly influenced
• £3 7s. 6d. Cordon nnd Gotcb, Ltd. All Branches
1 .1:3 3s. Od. NA PJ:F.R: J. Wilson Crnig nnd Co. ovE-r a period of ma ny years wa drafted by Admiral by British practice , as in the ea. e of the fine
RUSSIA • • . . L ENINGRAD: Mezhdun~rodnaya Kniga, P ros· F errandiz, 1\Iinister of Marine in the Mam·a Cabinet, Rpanish cruisers und de troyers which h ave recently
• £3 7s. 6d. pect V olod arsky , 63 A a nd a fter prolonged debate was adopted as it passed into service. The offi cia l conn11unique on
t £3 3s. Od. Moscow : ·• Litisdnt, " J< ousnetsky J\Ioqt , 6-16
stood . Tt provided , inter alia , for nine capital tho new naval programme e mphas ises the necesRit.y
STRAITS SETTL'GMENTS-SrNOAPORF. : 1\:elly and WalRh ,
• $29 · 25 L td. ships, which were to be built and renewed b y series o f • pain holding a t sea " a rank wh ich befits her
t $27 ·26 of three in a span of time not exceed ing twenty- geographical s ituatio n a nd economic strength ."
SWEDEN.. , . STocxnou1: AfB \Ve nnergrens Journnt . five year , as well as for the ea rly construction of It is added that she i'S in no ense inspired b y a n
• Kr. 01·00 expedition, Stockholm 1
t Kr. 57 ·00 STOOKBOLM: A/B C. E . Fritzes J(ungl.,
three d e troyers, twent y-five torpedo boat. , and Imperia list policy, but , he "cannot neglect to p ro-
Rofbokhande l, Fredsgatnn, 2 some g unhoats. No time was lost in giving effect vide for her de fence, anrl must be a ble to fig u re
,' \VITZERLAND B ERNE: Joh. WiUiarn Do O root, Lau peMtr. 6 to this important piece o f legislation. The first among the naval forces of the world as a fact or
• Fr. 85 · 20 Z unt<'H: Rosa Leibowil'?., 4, Ankerstr. three capit a l ships were a ll begun between 1909 and worthy of being t aken into account." E ven a t
t Fr. 79 ·50 •
UN ITED STATES 19 12, as were the smaller craft, and the whole pro- its present strength the , 'pa nish Navy is far from
OF AMERICA I nternaLionnl ~('WS ('o. A 11 Branches g ra mme would have been executed with a p ro mpti - being a neglig ible quantity . Besides the two mall
• $16 · 40 tude foreign to , 'pan ish tradition had not the Great but powerful 12in . gun battle hips and irrespectivr
t $15 · 25
• Thick Paper. t TJ.itl Paper. W a r inter vened . From 1914 onward building o f fi ve old cruisers that mig ht be of u e for sub -
Thue r<Uu are liable to alteralion if ucha11ge jlucluatiotll require it. operations were seriously retarded by the difficulty s id iary duties, it contains five cruisers of mod ern
• •; llhEADINO CASE ,to ll.old tlco eo-piu of THB ENGINEER, cloth lidtt and of obtaining material and equipment, heavy con- construction , ten modern flotilla leaders a nd
cot er backl, can 110w be 8upplud at 48. 9d. each, 51. 3d. poatfru.
tracts for which had bee n placed in this country. d estroyers , and s ixteen subma ri nes. The JJersonnel
, ' hortly a fter the passing of the program me th<:' numbers approxi mate ly 12,000 o ffi cers and men ,
" THE METALLURGIST." principal d ockyard at F erro l was taken over by t he maj or ity of whom are dra wn from the coastal
Th lg Supplement, which deals with thr rlrnrt> or Meta llurgy, both La. ocied ad E spanola de Construccion N aval, in d istrict . No d ifficulty is experienced in obta ini ng
frerrou ~ and non-ferrout , Is p ublis her! free wit h the la~t. hsuc or which three Briti ' h fu·ms-. 'ir W . G . Armstrong,
u1: 1 •SO IN"EER In each calendAr month. the 4000 recruits who are req uired each y<.>ar to
Whitworth and Co., J o hn Brown and ('o ., and maintain the est a blishment a t strength , since from
ADVERTISEMENTS.
T~!,charce for Clauitied Advertiaemenh is 1 /- per line np to one lnoh
Vickers-ha d a fi nancial int<.'rest , their heing the the eafaring population alone the annual q uota
- auwmnm oharge 4/- ; thoae occupying one inch or more at the rate only fore ign capital invested in the com pa ny. of men who become liable for military serv ice is
of 12/- per inch. Orden must be accompanied by a remittance. The
~~tta .Aor Di?,layed Advertiaements wiU be forwarded on application. In addition to fin ancia l a id the British firms in at least 1!5,000. Althoug h • 'pan is h industry is, at
llliO ~4 A vertbemenh cannot be inserted unless delivered before q uestion supplied a ll the drawings a nd t echnical
o c1 oct on Tho.nday afternoon ( the day before publication).
TW present, hy no means capable of supplying a ll the
Lttj!r• rtlaliti{J to the Adctrtiatment and tht l'ublithing J)epartm~nt of tllr data required for the new ba ttleships, cruisers, and ma teria l rcqui. ite for the construction of a first-
aper are to be addrtlltd. to the P ublillllfr, fill other lttltr8 are tu bt d e troyers . U nder the ir superv is ion the dockyard class navy , it is making d efinite strides in that
atlllrtlltd to the EdUor of THE E NGINEER.
a t Ferrol was reorgan ised a nd equipped for modern direction . The output from the steel foundrieq a t
THE ENGINEER DIRECTORY. con truction . At one time no less than 300 Briti h R e inosa is increa ing year b y year , and a con ide r -
Thi~Directory, which Is published annually In the Interests of od ver· officials and e ng ineers were employed at this able p art of it has been a lready e mbodied in the
ttloo"tolothTil£P ENOIN EER, may be obtained [ree of charge on appllrn·
e ub1lsher. establishment, out of a tota l ;;;taff of 3000. As a new warship . Both at Reinosa a nd at Carraca
Poat&l Addreu, 33, Norfolk-atreet, Strand, W.C. 2. result the vessels built under t he programme were (Cadiz) there are weJl.equipped shops for the m anu-
Telec. Addreu. "Engineer Rewapaper, Eatrand, London." up to t he highest standards in design and workman- factur e of guns up to a calibre of 6in ., and it is
Telephone Nos. Central 2266, 2267. hip . The th ree battleships were constructed to a hoped in future to turn out s till heavier weapons.
By arrangement with R euter's Enginrtring Service, G;~t uniform p la n , the features of which were powE-rful These arsenals t ogether ha,·e provided the entirr
e nginttr COnt4in8 the latest tleW8 from all parts of t/it nrmament, reasonably good protection . and fair armament of the late. t cruisers. I t is not surprising
world which is I ikely to be of iuterest to engineers. sp<'ed , on tlw n· tm'\l'kably mocl<'st <lisplarenwn t of t o learn that the nd option of tht' new }WOgt·nmnH· •
 548 TH E ENG I NEER 1\TAY 1S, ) 928

ha eau eel rejoicing alike in t he dockyard district.
o f F errol. Cadiz, and Cartagena, and in t he ind us-
t rial di tricts throughout the count ry, all of which
" i 11 benefit to 11- gr ea tc1· o r 1<-sser degtN'. Ma rk<:-d
attention is hE'ing pa id to aviation Ill'; a n a u xiliM·y
a r m of t he naval . e r vicc. T he .. D rdalo" , a con-
vert.ed merchant . teamer of 10, 00 ton . ha been
in comm is, ion for ome t ime a an a ircraft carriE'r,
a nd proved exceed ingly u. efnl d u ring t he rccE'nt
a,mph ibian operatio ns against t he R ifi. tribe-s. A
la rge nM·a l aerodrom E' ha. heen la id out a t Barc·c-
lo na. whe re office-r and men a re trained for. erv ice
in aer oplane- · and d irigible::.. I t i t ht> de. ire of the
nava l au thoritie t o crc•ate by degrees a chain of
<tircra ft bases a lo ng t he Atlantic· anrl Me<iiterrancan
c·oa ts.
I t is hu t natura l t hat thi - ·te-ad y growt h of t he
na.val p ower of 1 ' pain , having regard to her gro-
gra phica l posit ion , Rhould be excit ing intere. t in
P a ri. and Rome. E ven in t h is coun t ry we. ho uld
d o well to take note of it, not a a p ot<.>ntia l menace.
b ut as a factor w hich is bo und t o exer t a perceptible
in flue nce on the balance of power in European
waters. France, keepi ng a v ig ilan t eye on her vita l
communicatio ns w it h Nor t hern Africa, exh ibit
p ertu rba tion at t he developme nt of Rpani h
Htrength in w ift cruLc;er., torpedo craft, and ub-
ma rine a nd ee in the B!llea r ic I land a n ideal
ha e fro m w hich a n enemy could trike at t he
t ra ffi c ro utes on t he in tegr ity of which the fate of
F r ance mig h t dep end in a fu t ure wa r . Ita lia n
politic ian , on t he ir part, perceive in the expandi ng
Hpa nish Navy a valua ble coun t er weig ht to F rench
naval power , and fro m t ime to t ime t hrow o ut hint
as t o the de. irability of a marit ime entente between
Italy a nd 1 'p a in. W e are not concer ned wit h these
p olit ical s pecula tion except in so fa r a t hey
fur n i. h a nE>w object le on on thr val ue of ea
po wer . Tht- 1 'pani h Government ha been rebuked
in . o me q ua r ters for p end ing so m uch money on
it. n aval forces, b ut it is a. su redly not a coincidence
tha t the ,•oice of 1 ' pa in is no w heat·d wit h increa ing
respect in the councils of Eur ope. T he B rit i h
]Jeople , bound a t hey a rc t o pa in by t he t ie. of
long-endu r ing friend. hip , watc h w ith . y mpathy
and a dmiration her s ta lwa r t e ffor ts t o regain a
meas ure of naval stre ngth consist e nt not only wi t h
her dig n ity and t ra ditions , bu t with he r actual
re. pon ibilitie . It is a plea a nt re fl ect ion th at
B ritish c ie nre a nd b u ine e n terp r ise should have
heen gr a ntt>d so la rgt> n . ha re in the work of rrron -
s t r nr t ion .
Electrical B reakdowns In 1927.
I N the April issue of Vulcan, the well-k nown vour 'to see wh at t hey can d o to imp rove t hese
part of t he direct -current mot o r is . of course. t he
a r mature, which accounted for 4-3 })er cent. of the Literature.
tota l n um ber of hreakdowns of t his c·lnss of
mach inrry and gavC' 1·isC' t o HO ·O pr r (·cn t . of t he 'l'lte ll'orl:ing of l'n:>~lra t ified M in(•rut J>rpositN. Uy
tota l cost o f repai rs. C.:EORCE J . Y ol l:. M.L\f. K. A 'lsoc·iat l' l~ d i l or or
T he d e:sir~hil i ty of making thr squirrel-cage motor the Enginec 1·in~ and )f ining .Journal Prl'""· E rnc>lt
stator w ind ing more robu t was re ferred to by :\Ir. B enn, Ltd .. L ondon .
W. E. R oger in t hr cour e of t he discu sion on )fr. 1'HJc; volume is one of tht- . !'ric~ of mining hook~ pub-
H o eason 's paper. to which we have recently a lluded. l ished by B en11 . L td., u n de t' t lw <>d ito r~h i p of
" What." he said ," iHthe virtue of an indestructible E mer itus P rofC:-l>lOr H enrv Loui~. J\f. A .. lL r .• tlncl.
rot o r when it has to work in conjunction wit h a a.-: tlw title ind ic·ttfe,, d eal~ with on<' of th<' iu\]'O r tnnt
de t r uctih le stato r . W e still d <'p end on double bnmc·hes of mming t h e work 11 1~ of unstn1tifiecl
cot ton-covered wire , p lus lratheroid and empire minNnl de1>o->its. I t is. without doubt. t\11 t>X<"clleut
tl'E'flti ~P of whic·h mining t-ngit~('(•rs "ill mnk<' lllll<"h
cloth , but poss ibly stator weakn<.> s may be par - lL"e. A ronsid erahl e p roportion of the hoo k deals
tially elimi nated when the recent F rench p rocess of with descriptio n~ taken from other workH, but the
bakelite impregnation i.<; fnrt her developed , a it is a u thor ha ' in no wn~· allowed hi:; p el'$Onal prE>fe•·t-nr<'
clai mr cl t ha t a motor submerg<'d in water has been for an~· one ptu·ti<·ular method to b ias his jud gment.
r un at ~" temperatm e of 300 d rg. for a lengthy aather he has e>mpha,;i. ecl the importan N' of tht>
period. '' During t he sa me di cu. ion Mr. T . Carter exp<'rienc-t- gained b~· oth e rs, in any "pec·i,\1 sp here
re ma rked t ha t t he rotor ha d beco me vastly stronger or b ranrh of work.
th an t he s ta tor. and if cond it ion gave r ise t o over- Chapter l. covt.•·s types of O r<' D E'posits ond <:<>nt>r a l
heating it wa · t he stator tha,t ' tdfered , and he Con.. icl<'rat ion~. I n connect ion with work ing oro
at gt'~'at depth t h e nu t hor i~ of t he opinion t hat pmb-
sometimes wondered if t he inde t r uct ible r otor ably the chief limitat ion upon <l<>pth of mini1tt! i>l the
wa actua lly a n ad ,•ant age . Condition. giving ri e val~ 1 e" of t h e orf' as compa a'ed with t h e cost of itH
t o undue heating occurred when one of t he -pha es extmction, and in t he latter t he actual mini ng play>l
of the three-phase . upply was open-circuited and an i mpot'tfm t p tut..
whe n t he motor went on r unning for some time with ThP ) {echanirs of R ork ) l asses d eal t with in {:h a ]' ter
only two line con nected to the st a t or . F or merly If. and t he ClassificAtion ancl (: en eral Footure>; of
t he ro to r j oints gave out. but they we re now too M inin~ ){ethocb~ ill Chapt er lL J. . tu e to b e <"omm endecl .
trong, and t he stator windi ng fa iled. R eplying I t is tommon knowl<:> d ge t h a t mea»uremt>nt of rod <
to these points, Mr. H oseason said that fro m t he presstu·e>s i,:; seldom done in mining practice. a ncl
we ngr('(' with the Author that vnl u able infonnntion
wa r period on ward fa ilures of squirrel-cage ro tor migh t be gained if it were c·an icd o u t. l n t h is
bad p ractically d i appeared , but there ha d heen no chapter the J'em a.rk., o n supportH and methocl-i of
corresponding increa. e in the fa ilure of tators. wo•·kin r-: n re vt-n ·:-lound, a n d t he sket ch es und d iagrnm..:;
•
P o. ibly the u e of m agnetic trip. in st a rter , are excellent..
inst ead of fu ses, ha d influenced the p osit ion. ('lu\,p t er 1 V. is d<'voted to tho Mining of Nart·ow
I nc iden ta lly , Mr. H o ea on gave in hi paper fi g ures and Tntermedintc :-iized ' Vei n:~, and des<· r ilx-s th<'
t a ken fro m t he T ech nical R eport of t hl' Briti b o rdinary methods of work ing. whi lst r efert'nc-es to
Eng ine, Boiler and Electr ical I n urance 'om pany vnrious' Jllodifi<>at ions w hich have b P.en adopted to
m e<:>t t h e requirements of sp e<·ial ea.:;e- t\l't' valuable
for 1922, showing th at at t ha t ti me 63 per cen t . of
add ition:~.
t he breakdown o n machines were o n a rmatures, A <"Ompal ison is made in Chnp t e r V. " M ining
co mmuta t ors, lip rings and brush gear , and these of \\' idc Or·e-bod i<>~1 of t he Y ein T~ pe "-of t h o d ifferent
fig ures were con idered to ind icate t hat the q uirrel- proc·e>sscs of min in g with resp ec·t to t h <' d ip of t11<'
cage motor had a " probability o f breakd own •· of ore-body and t he physical n att11·e of t h e Wtlllo; ''" cl o rl'
a bo ut 4.3 per cen t . of t ha t of e lectr ica l machine mal'>~. 'l'h e important adva n ta~es t h at have been
in genera l. Given proper prot ective gear , squi rr e l- det·ivcd by t h e applica.t ion of p art iculat· met h ods ~re
cage motor s s ho uld p rove very relia ble, notwith- cat·efull y n oted. 1n t.he Mini ng ~f L a rge Oa·~: bo rltes .
tand ing that the tator is not indest ruct ible. Chapter \~J. , the meth ods are sktlfully <:lt'l"safit-d and
apt I~' ill us t rated . w h ils t t he t~llt hor'~ rea."on ing . on
F igures covering t he co t of maintain ing a ll type t h e p recautions to b e taken m sh rm.ka~e s t op mg.
of a ltc r nating-curr<:'n t mot ors cannot give .a t r ue may be studit>d to advantage . .The do~tb l lllj! o£ o~ t ­
ind ication of t he behaviou r of squ irrel-cage motor., put by substit ut ion o f mt-c-118ll1Cal fm: han d l?admg
some of whi ch , according to Mr . J. 1 • P eel( , have is d erided p r oof of the value of mech a.mcal n,p plull1<"e>l.
been in succe sful operation fo r t hirty years. That T he ~111nmarisnt.ion of various method s and the. O\tnd
t he sta t or windings o f t he e motor. a re now the advic·c t·eaardina c·osts and sch emes of mining which
weake. t pa rt the fi g ure p ublished in r' ulcan arc inCOI"J~Oratt-d in t his c·h tlpt er render it h ighly in -
c lea rl y show. and manu facturers should no w end ea- i n~l ruc- t i\'t>.
M ining T ools ltnd U u dcr~ro u n d ' t r u<·l u a·t-~ a re
1

quart er ly jo urnal of the V u lean B o iler and Genera l windi ngs, even if t hey r u n t he r isk of producing described in Chapt er VII., nnd t h~ ac<>o u.n t o~ tl~r
t\lt t hor 's O\n\ <>xperit>nc-es c·onC'ern mg drsll h tt.:; J>l
I n ura nce Co mpany, an inte re ti ng a na ly is i. mach ines that will never req uire rene wi ng .
vtt luable. 1'he :;tlmdardisnt ion o f t imb er ~izes a nd
ma d e of breakdowns of e lectrica l p la n t duri ng A fact bro ug h t to lig h t by thi analysis of elec- pie<'eH fo t' a given method of mi n in~ .is t~c·ommend~<l.
1927. \Vhile t he re were ma n y more fa ult on t rical breakdo wn during 1927 is that the re wa a n thus enablin g t h e Ad vantageous uttltsat 10n. of ~pect a l
d irect-c urrent a r matures than the1·e were on increase in the p ercentage n umber of cla ims on the mnchint>r y and fn<'i litatin g mnss productaon m the
•
sq uir rel-cage rotors, the tot a l cost of r epa ir t o Vu lcan B oiler a nd Gener a l Insurance Co mpa ny as timhf'lr.fr aming shop~. .
d irect and a lte rna t ing-currE-nt mo to rs wa div ided com pared wit h the p receding year . Alt houg h t he T he roncl u ding rhapt e t offer m uch souncl a.dvacf'.
in t he p ropor t ion of 5 1 · 2 and 4 · per cen t . reason for th is is at p re ent mo re o r le a mattE-r of a n d t h rou a h out tho volume problems t h nt are en-
re pect i\•e ly. ' lip-ring machine . and in f~ct. com - conjecture , it i t ho ugh t that in a ll probab ility t he countered in t>xploiting t hP various deposi t:.; are .effi-
m utato r m achine , natura lly a l o come wtthm the incrense in the n umber of b reakdowns was very c-it-ntlv h andl<'cl And cliffic\s ltie~ c learly explfune<l
bv the aid of ra refull v selC'et r d ('xamp l ~>s s llp pl<>m<'ntC'd
cat egor y of alter nating-current m otor . Alth oug h la rge ly t he afterma th of the gener al t rike a nd of
b~· C'xN•IIen t d iagrm~s.
wound 1ip-ring r ot ors a ccounted for ma ny mo re t he coal s toppage, accent mtted . by a bno.n nal •
break d own s t han q u ir rel-cage rotors, our con te m - weatlwr conditions. When e lect n ca l mach mer y
p or ary a ppa rently con iders t ha t the re lia bi lity is a llo wed to st a nd idle, even when it i u nd er rov~r DOOK. R EC~ IV ED .
of t he squirrel-cage mo t or ha been e xaggerated . t he wind inas a nd othe r p ar ts mny gathe r a cer tam •
'l 'ht• ./ourno/ of th e h1.q1 it ttl ion of Enyinl'l"'·' (l ndia ).
I nc ide nta lly , a lte r na ting commu tator motor , which a mo unt ot'moistu re, and if a machine is p ut t o Ca.l<· ut ta : T h<' I n~t it ut ion of l•: n~inrcws (Tndin), Po~t B ox
<tre no t , of cour~e , e mp loyed t o any app rec ia ble work in t hi condit ion t he insula t ion is liab le t o 669, India.
e x tent in t his cou ntry. a re not refe rred t o a t a ll. fa il. Many u ers of e lectric power, h? wcver , d.o Rifmrnschlupf und R eibuny.,:altl ron Oom111i 1~nd Led.e~­
T he a rg umen t a <id uced to u pport . the vie w tha t not ap pear t o rea li c t ha t t rou ble of th1s natu re 1 treibrirmrn. l)ipJ..l ng. H an~ i\owsk~· . Bcrh n. Hl2 1.
a lterna t ing-current mot or are les~ ha bl.e to break - liable t o a r i e and that if machine h aYe become H. Oldcnbourg.
d o wn t ha n direct-c urrent mo tors IS beheved t o be damp as the 1~esult of weeks or mo nths of id leness C:ours de I\ ft!('(miq 11 r. llv P nul L6vy. P tniR: (:nut.hir r·
la rge ly b a. ed on a compa rison between the. con- t hey s ho uld be dried out before t hey a re set t o work . V i lia rs et Cie. Q11 n i d <'s · C:n1nrls-Augnst inR il5, FranN•.
struction of t he q uir rel-cage roto1· a nd the direct - The weat he r a ffected the re t urns, not a lone by its t> ri<·C fiO f rants nPI. '
, 'team CoudrnHiii(J Plant. Uy .J. E vnns. Lo~~on : .'it·
current a rma ture , which during t he period rev ie wed exce ive humidity , b ut a l o in m a n y distl'ict s b y l snac· P it man un ci 'ons . L tcl .. Pnrker-strl'l'l , h mg.:;wn~ •
account ed fo r .'57 p er cent . of the repa ir eo t of th is di a~trou flood wh ich led to machine being . ub- \\' .('. :L P ric·l' 7s. ()d. n('t.
ty v e of machiner y, a:; a ga inst 11 · 6 p er cent. for merged ; a p parently Rome of th~m were restarted 'f'ht• En(Jinreriny J nde.l·, I !)27. rp,v Yot·k : 'l'hCI Am eri<'o n
the s imple rot or wi t h ba rs and <'nd rmgs. One of witho ut being first th oroug hly dned o ut. ~any so- 'oc·i<'t v of :\,TN· h an ic·al L~nginc<'rt-~. :W. \\' C'St :l9t h .st l'l'<'l •
t he t a ble accompanying the a rt icle s ho w., how- ca.lled electrica l contractor s w ho a re called m upon N .Y ., \ •. ~.A. Pt•it·P S·fiO cl oll81't~.
e,·er . tha t 6 p er <·<'nt . of t he breakdowns o n t hese orca io ns d o not know t he ir job , a nd con - l 'rr:ridmis Brrcclmflrr Fwl(/ionentaf~/11. P art 1.:
sq uirre l-cage mot ors were due t o st ator , and t ha t side r tha t t he be-st t hing to d o is t o p lace fires in Bt.VH{'/.~tiiC'. K uyrl. ll n<l Elli pi ;.~eh~ F uMI IOIIC'Il. , •• n .1..
t hese break d o wns accounte d fo r 0 per cent. of t he the vic in ity of the mot ors, w hich deri:e little bene- Bl' rl in a nd t h<' LTn iversity or B <'•·lm.
cost of rep a irs t o these motors. R otors, s ha ft s , fit the rdro m . 'l'hc inco mpetent e lcctn cal contractor 'f /ip .. Eleclririon" Annual '!'abies of Elcctririty Undt?·
1

takiny.~. 1!)2 . L ondon : E 1·nt.'sl > ~ en n. L t.cl .• Bou vtWI<'

star ters, bearing and miscella neous fa ults accounted s till seems to be re ponsible for a good deal of H ow><'. 15-1-. Flc<'t ·st rC'<'t. E.C'. -1- . I r ace 10$. M t.
r e pectively for 11 · 5 , 2 · 5, 11 · 5, 4 · 5, a nd 2 per cent. trouble, wh ich q ualified e lectr ical engineer could Die Br~ttiwmuny du Bau.vto.J!rlampfung Xc1(h d~nt l't>r·
o f the breakdown s t o . q uirrel-cage machines. A easily avoid , and it i ' o mc what re markab le th~t d rr/um(JSO u.~.~t11 u•m(JI'Cr · j a 11ren. J·'·" •aid P <'rt z · Praee 3 ·50
s imila r t a hle re la ting to . lip-ri ng mot o r sho w that in t hese clay , when so ma n y ca pable m <:'n are a\•!u l- marks. F rich. \'i~weg und , ohn A.G., Bra unR<·hweug.
t he st a t or a ccounted for 28 p er cen t. of the tot a l a b1c, he should con t inue t o surv ivr. Trait e pratique dr Navigation A erienne: B~ A .·B. Du~al
n um ber of breakd o wns, r otor :H, brush gear 12, and L . H ebrard. P a ris (V J C) : ,Gauthler;~'lln.rs et C1a.
sha fts :3, . tarter 16, bearings and miscellaneou 55 Qu ai des Grnnds August.ins. l• ranee. 1 rtrc :lOf. n et.
tro ubles 6 p er cent . ThE- tables ind icate tha t w hil t ~ nnali dei Lat•ori Pubblic:i (gia Giornale dt l O~nio Oit'i~t).
the t a t or i t he wea ke ~ t par t of the qu ir re l-cage T H E parliamentary Bill authorising the const ru('tion of
Ministero de i Laeori Pubblici, ('OIVtiglio upenore. 192, ·
o. . e ra1·o- \' [ . nn om"· ' . Provveditornto Gt-nernh·
motor, the r otor most fre quently romes t o g rief in a tidal powcr plant in P assnmaq.uoddy Ba~·. i\l' W 13ru n.
- s· N 2 F bb
wick, ho<~ bl'cn pn!=!Rcd by the Log'lslat ut'C. J ello Sto.&o LibrCI•·it\.
t,hf' cas<' of the s lip-r ing m ac hine. 'rbe WNlkest
 5~f)
MA y l S, ] !l2R THE ENGINEER

Turbo-Generator at Rotterdam.
l'-o. 11. (Conclusion). •
Tm·; rotor of the high ·pt·e,..,:mre cylinder consists of
two singlc·~ta~e impulse'' heeb "it.h a mean diameter
of 1000 mm.. folio" ed by ten row~ of reaction blading
with a mean diamclc>l' of H:?:l mm. All the binding
FI G . 1 2 METHOD OF FI X ING REACTIO N BLAD IN G
in t his c~·lindet· is of Htainle~" ~teel. The reaction _tage.
of the rotot· a l'e cal'l'ied on a (ll·um of iemen..:;.)fartin
steel keyed to tho :';haft. The blading of the inter-
mediate·pres~me cylind<'l' is al"o of s tainless teel. Tho
rotor is a "tcel drum c,imilat· in tle"ign and material to
FIG . 1 3 L .P . REACTION BLADIN G IN LOWER
OF CY LIND ER
that of th<' high·pl'ess\ll'c> ('~ lind<'l'. H carries twelve
rmming J'O\\s of blades '' ith a mean diameter of
1000 mm. Tho lm\ ·p•·e:...,ure rotot· comprise ten
"heel,;, NH'h ca•·ryi11g: a ~ingle row of :.tainless · tee!
I'Nit't ion blatling. The> fixed hlading in this c-ylinder
•
blades in the fit~t two cylindc•·s i~ 6 mm. and) 32~mm.
re pecth·ely, while tho longe. t blades in the IO\\ ·
pre~sm·e cylinder ha\ e a h eight of 370 uu.1. The
wheel in this C) lmde1· t\11<1 in the high·pre,,un'
C) linder a rc mot~ntetlln a . . imple but t>ffec·tive Jmtnn<'r
devised by l\Jess1-s. Bro" n . 13ovcri ancl C'o. A.-; is well
known. ,,·heels mounted dircc·tly on the shaft tend to
become loose at. high :-peed" O\\ ing to the st retching
of the material un<lc•· cent ri fu gal force a nd aided
by temperatltl'e c·onditlon...:;. Some form of ela tic
mounting is thus n eces~ary. and this in ~Iesst·s.
B rown, Boveri':-; pmdice takes the form of a pair of
U·s haped sloc>l 1·ings "ith the axis of the U parallel
to the axi...:; of the ring. a" in a hydraulic packing
leather. The wheels a•·e bol'e<l slightly larger at the
s haft and ai'O cou nter· borod from each ide. Into
t.heso counl er ·b ot·cs the rings a 1·o fo1·ced, with their
open sides outwo,nk 'r ho wheel is thu held concen·
t l'i<:ally and squa1·ely wit.h t.h o s haft with the exact
• com;t.l'uction of tho a lt ernator and the arrangement o f
FIG . 16- GUIDE BLADE S HOWIN G DRAINAGE GROOVE
degree of tightno~Ss r<'qnired and" ithout any fear of
want of balance. Rotation of the wheel is provided
again t by threo feathN· keys at equal di tance · round
the bore. and the axial location i· proYided for b y a
slight s te-p in tho diamete1· of the s haft at each wheel
seating.
The reaction blading of both dnuns and wheel i::;
fixed by distance pieces "hic-h engage with serrat ions
turned in tho :.ides of the g•·ooves. Each blade is
hold positively and firml y by its adjacent distance
pieces, theit· frictional g1·ip not b eing depended on in
any way. The way this is effected will be clear from
HALF
Fig. 12. The blades aro cut from stt·ip of the required
sect.ion, and each is then upset at its root end b y means
uf a sp ecial dio. This is d one cold. The opera tion
leaves a definite T ·~haped flange bot.h on the inside
and t.he outside of tho blade, and the distance pieces
fitting over these flanges h old the blades against all
pos ' ibility of rising in the grooves. The blades are
n ot weakened by any notches and. b eing held evenly
The shroud ing is of thin sheet brass, still furtl~er
thinn<'d to a knife edge at t.he sid es. Those knife
ed~e" lll'OJCCt ::-l ightly f•·om the faces of the ~lade rO\\S
And nm nearly m contnct "rth the root" of .the next
I'O\\ o f binding on l.'tH'h .... ull•. ~hould the)· accidentally
touc·h tlwm "h<'n rmutul•" no harrn \\ ould r<':,ult. an1l
eo • b
in uny c·a"e a n•a.. . onublc clearance tan be lelt ec·au-.c
the dcn..... ih of th<' steam is "0 small at thi~ part of tht'
turbine th'at tlw quantity which tonld e<;cape b~· int<'l'·
. ta~c leakage ..., \'t>r·~ smnll indeed. Fig 1:~ al~o slHJ\\ s
lh<' pas. . agc "a~ l<•ft fm· "at<'r to e . . ca.pe from tIll'
blncling of th<' lo\\ · pr<'sstll't> cylinder. Tlw fommtion of
walor is due>. of cour·se, to the adiabatic expansion. of
Lhe steam and ca nnot t her·0fore he pren'nted. Tho
injUJ· i 0 \1 "~ ctTect of its p ..esenc:e. both on the c!Ticiency
of th<' turbin<' uml on the matc •·ial of the blading,
has long bC'en rocogtlisecl. and s pecial lig ht. has bc>cn
thrown on the s ubject by U10 able resea rc-hes or Dr.
V on FrcudcnrCiich, t hoc· h ief of the- researc· h d epa1·tmcn I
at the works of Brown. B ovcri and Co. ' l~ he running
blades t0nd to throw the water. as formed. against
the walls of the turbine. :\Iuch of it will run down tho
walls to the b ottom of the c-asing, and to le t it escape
without entering the steam flow again Me s rs . Brown,
Boveri provide the pa.,...,age~. s:hown in .Fig. 1 :~. through
the roots of the fixed blading in the lower half of tho
ca...:;ing. The fixed blades in this ea o have roots of
the form shown in :Fig. 16, which illustrates the two
side groove-. by" hich the root is held and the tram~.
verse groove. clo,:;ed b y the next blade root, to form a
passage for the water.
The alternator has a maximum continuous capacity
of 25,000 kVA. or 20.000 kW. at a p ower factor of 80
per cent. It is wound for 5000 to 5500 Yol ts and a
<'UL'l'ent of 2900 to 2630 amperes per phac:;e. It is a
50·cycle machine, the revolutions, as already stated.
being 3000 per minute. The rotor is flexibly c-oupled
to that of t.he low·pre S lii'O cylinder of the turhine
at ono ond, and at the other to the shaft of the venti-
lating fan, which in t.urn d1·iv cs the exciter at the
extreme oml of tho whole machine. The exciter hll'·
nishes 370 arnp(•ros at 2:30 vo lts to the rotor. Thc-
t.he fan and exciter" ere illustrated in the nppl<'ment
in last wc>C'k's is..,n<'. Photogr·aphs of t.he s tatot·
during as<:embly are reproduc-ed in Figs. 14 and Hi.
The stator frame i" of non·magnetic cast iron. 'l'o
faci litate ca.c,ting and to keep the dimensions to s uit ·
able limits the main bocly •
of it w·as constructed in two
part<: bolted tog<'tlwr "ith a vertical joint running
round it.~ c-entro. Further. t.o reduc-e the dimension»
"ith a vi<.•w to tran.sportation. the feet by which it is
s upported at the sides were made tl.etachable, M will
be seen hv •
the illustration". The interior of the
frarno is cli,·iclecl into a number of chambers. some
acting a..:; inlet ducts fo•· the ft·esh ait· pa..,sing to the
laminated core. and altc-mate ones serving to take tho
air coming from t lw c·m·<~ and conduct it to the end
windings. A pait· of inlet <·hamL<>rs and a section
throu~h an l.'x it chamber c-an be seen in the
ond views of th<' nltN·rttltor given in out· :-iuppl<'·
ment lnst wcok. To the in..:;ido of the frame are
screwed longiLudinal dovetailed strips of non -
magnetic mat.ot·ial which ROrve to catTy the lamina.
tions. T ho latter a t·e mado from high·permeabilit.y
iron and in.-.ulatccl from oach othet· by paper. Distan ce)
pi<>ces of anglE' i•·on u•·e welded to certain of the
laminations and ~>e•·ve to separa te the core into a
number· of sect ions b et" c-en which the cooling ai r can
pass. I n order to m.a.intain the walls of the conducto r
slotc; flat and unbroken throughout t.he entire length
or the <·ore the d1"tance pieces are- arran~ed to coin cid e

F'IG . 14 20 . 0 0 0 kW ALTERNATO R STATO R BEFORE WINDIN G FIG . 1 5 20 . 000 kW ALTERNATOR STATOR AFTER WINDING

~s of bra... ~. Th<' nwnn <llnm<>f<'l' of the- runniug blade-; bdore ancl bC'hincl, a :-yrnmet
•
t·ic-a.l dt..:;tribution of tht' "1t.h t ht• tooth pl'ofilt• t\t their itm<•r en<l..... The core is
1
~ 1 ~50 llllll . Sin<:o th(• In\\ ·pt'l'ssun• turbine really st ress duo to the1r c>c>ntnfugal force i-s obtained. pr<'s,..,Nl toJ(t>tlwr· ll'\Jnlly b~ end plates of ca.st iron, to
~on..,l.l;t'$ of t'~o fivo.,tago ~-oec ti ons in paralle-l, it wi ll There a•·o n o dmplu·agm.:; between the ·wheel~ in whJCit stoel fingtws an• ,,oJcled tu provide a support for
6
seen. that thNt~ aro altogether twont y·s<'\ en rC'action the lO\\ ·pressure cylinder, hut leakage is minimised each tooth. These fingt·~ are cleat·h visible in
sta~es m the whole tut·bin ('. The mean height of the b y a patent<>d form of s hrouding over the tips of both Fig. 14. They extend radially be\ ond the core and
• No. J. appoored 'rny IIth. running and fix4:'d bladl.'->. This i"' shown in Fig. 13. are wolded at thoir out er 1:md'( t o 'tho rramo. Bolt"!,
 550 THE EN G INEER l\IAY 18, 1928
which. do not pa-1s tlwough the laminations, hold the a?sen ce of special air slots or deep grooves for cooling
core ~1ghtly togethe r by means of tha ca..<st iron plateR down ra<lia lly t~r~ugh tho core to the a ir gap, and
m entioned. g1ves the rotor a greater car1ying capa city, and also back through S1m1lar pa$;sagcs to the inside of t he
prevents the weakening of the sect ion mec·hanic:ally. s tator ft'tlmE>. ancl some reac·lws the inside of the frame
'!'he s tato t' s lots are c·on s iderably deepet· tha n is A fe w small s lots a re p1·ovidcd in the tutwound
uece. sary to can y the wirHlings. The latte r lie in through ports between the laminations which clo not
portion of the rotor fot· facilitating the pa-.:sage lead to tlw uit· gap. The nature of tho passage~
the ~ott~m of the s lot s, whic·h are narrO\\ ed for a
cet·tam. clist~nce fro m . their mouths. This anange. between the lamination..,
~nent, 1t '"'.ll l_le realu.;ed, p e rmits the stator wind- will be tmderst ood by refer-
m g. to be distrtbuted over a larger c i1·cumferon ce, E'H{'e to the c t·oss section
wh1le t h e reactance of the magnetic circuit is increased given in the sam e d rawing.
a~d t.he teeth a1:e more effectively cooled. The stat o t· A section through the
"mdmg comprtses two multi -strand bar s in each hlowl:'r is given in Fig. 20,
t.lot, a large copper cap be ing riveted and soldered
---- .950 · 2940---- -~ and a photograph of the
ove1· the end of each bar. The bars are s uffic ie ntly • rotor in the lower half of the
f'tl~ing is reproduced in Fig.
2 1. The roto r is 900 mm.
<liamct e t·, giving a t ip
speed of about 463ft. per
~econd . Its bo. s iR in
halves, between which
are J'ivet ed the three steel
plate!! forming the centr·al
<lisc of the fan. The ho~-;
FIG . 17 TWI S Tf;D STATOR CONDUCTOR is mounted on a fcat he t·,
its pos it ion on the s ha ft
h~ing maintained by two
iHs ulate<l one f1·om nnother, and a re twisted as shown
iu F ig. 17 t o avoid the eddy c·urTents which wo uld nuts, ndPquate Jli'Ovi:-.ion
ut Iter·,, ise c irc ulat e in t Item. Thf? consti'Uction is of hPi ng mnde to sce\ll'e the
great s implic ity, while p ossessing all the mechanical nuts in pm<ition. A loc·lc-
tmd e lectrical feat ut·es which at·e desirable. The end illg pil:'c·o of m e tal. 20 mr11.
\1 idc-, i" inserted in 1lw
<·onnections a 1·e mounted in fo ur· laye1·s in a manne•·
pe t·m itting gootl ventilation. The :;ymmetry of the f'll<l or the key way of
t.ho boss, t~n<l the projN·I .
thr ee phases is absolutely asSLII'Cd. The end c·on -
i ng e-nd is b en t clown 1o
u ections are directly s upportecl by a large number of FIG . 20 SECTION THROU G H BLOWER FOR COOLING ALTERNATOR
cngagt< with a notc·h in
bolts fittetl. for that purpose, and the ft·ee lengths of
the nut \\hen the lattt·r is
the conduc tor bars are a l o amply pr·otected agains t of the c·ooling air·. The slip •·ings. which nr·e tightened up. The fa n blades a rE' narr·ow, having a
1\IIY tenden cy to movement unclet· the stJ·esses whi<·h made of s t eel, a 1·e mounted on the r otor s haft t·adia l depth of o nly l 00 mm. Tht>y are s uppo t·t etl
a sudde n s hort. <·i rc•uit. would throw upon them. I t beyond the betu·ing, the <"onuec·tions from them to by a guidt> 1·ing on each s ide of th<' central disc, this
•nay be mentioned that detail~cl s ho r·t ci rcuit t c>it$ the windings being taken thr·ough the hollow sh aft. r~ng also sotv ing to clil'ec·t thP ai1· Row propel'ly. Air
t'lghtness, both a r·ound tho ey<'s of the fan and whE'I'e
I l1e s haft passt's t.hi'Oug h the c·a:-ing. is secured by
U-. hap~?d 1·ings, in the posit ions indicated in Fig. 20.
The s haft is loc·ated axia ll~· by two thr·u s t l'ings in
one
. of t lw bca!·ing:,;, as \1 ill lw s"t>n in the dr·aw-
ltlg.
The ex<·it<'t' fot· the a lt cma1or is illustrated in
Fig. 22 on the opposi I e pagP. Jt is a se If ·<·ont ninocl
mac hine, with it s own hea1·ings aml i>~ Aexibly c·oupl('CI
to the end of the blowe1· s haft. It gene1·ates 370
amperes at 2:30 volts, having an e lectrieal output
therefore of 85 · l kilowatts. The field i:s of tht' s ix -
pole type, with intetvoles. The> Mmat ure is p t·ovidccl
with t ran!!verse holes through the laminat ions and
end plates, so arranged as to c·ool n o t only the at·ma.-
t ure itself, but a lso t o blow air tluough the corn-
mutator connections. Heavy s teel insulat ed •·ings,
s hrunk ovet· t he ends of tl1e commutator bars, hold
t he lat t e t· again st the centrifugal fo rce due to the high
speed of r·ot a t ion. T he bearings are of t he ord ina1·y
r ing-oi led t ype, and set-ve also to locate t he ~haft
axially by m eans of s houlde rs on t he latter.

T ESTS OF MA CHI NE BY PROFESSOR Dn •~sn ~:N .

An inclcpon<lent te~t or the unit wa.<J Ca iTicd out

in chiel1a,ven p ower station on Augu.<Jt 27th IMt by
P rofessor D. Dresden, of The Hague, the r esults of
FIG . 18 ROTOR DURIN G CONSTRU CT ION FIG . tJ R OTOR FINI S HED
which a ro tabulated belo w. F or· the sake or com-
pletene ;;, we g ive first in Table I . certain particulars
wero a c tually carTiN1 out in the w orJ,s of the makers, Cooling air fo t· the a ll e m a t o•· is supplied by a of the turbine in British units, which will enable it~
and the results s howecl t h e m ethod o f construc tion t o blower coupled to the rotor shaft as already m ention ed. p erforman ce to be bettet· apprail:!ecl. The machine,
be s atisfa e to1·y in overy way . The winding was The capac· ity of tlois blower is :lO c ubic m e tres per it will be r emembered, was designed for a n economical
further sub jected t o a pressur·e t est of 25,000 volts second. 'l'he a ir· is forced round a c·loscd ci rcu it.. load of 16,000 kW. and a maximum continuous loa<l
hefore ship ment, a lthough the working pres. ure would passing first tl11·ough the c·oole t· and thence to the of 20,000 kW, thl:' speed he ing :3000 revolutions lH'I'
n ot exceed 5500 volts. The test p r·essur·e of 25,000
volts was , in fac·t , that whic h would generally be
sp ec·ified for mach ines wol'l<ing a t 11 ,000 v olts .
The r otor, with its s haft, is made ft·om a s ingle fo r·g-
ing. To verify the soundness and quality of t he m etal,
it is b ored through from end to end, with a hole about
:lin. diameter. T he s lo t s for the winding are milled
from the solid. The winding is of C'o ppe r s t1·ip laid
in the s lo t s layer· on laye r, w ith mic·anite as ins ulat -
ing materia l ancl dis tance pieC"es of prl:'pared asb0stos.
After be ing plac·ed in the s lots the w inding was JH·essed
together by means of set -scr·ews held in •·ings whic·h
were s lipped over the r·otor. Wh ile !wing p •·essed
in th is marmet· the c·omplete winding was h«>atccl
e lectric·ally and the sc·rews " foll owed tip " ft·om time
t o time. T ha t is the gene ral prac·t H·e o f :\f<>:-sr·s. I
Hrown , Boveri aud ( 'o., a s regar·ds ro t ors of this
type, and expe1·ie nc·e s hows that. windings so treat ed
do no t move e ithe•· in sl:'t·vice 01· in over·speed te:-.ts,
so that the roto rs run at a ll times ex<·l:'pt io ually <iuie t ly.
T he appearance o f the r otor dw·ing t.he operation o f
p 1·essing the windings is shown in Fig. l 8, \\'h ile
F ig. 1!) s hows the roto t· in its fini s hed stat e. A dampC't'
winding is provided as a pr·ot edion against \Ill ·
des ired phenomena, s u ch as might O('C'\ 11' with Wl ·
symmetrical loads, o r as a result of a s u<ltlen s ho t't
c il'cuit. At the s ame time, it fot' I1\S a m echanical
protec tion for the main winding when the end <·aps
FIG . 2 1 ROTOR OF B LOWE R cl IN LOWER HALF O F CASIN G
are r emoved. The latter hold the h oncls of the coils,
the part of the wi nding embedded in the r otor being
s ecu red by dove-tailed metal keys. T he end caps two end s hie lds of the a lte t·nat or. The cold ni t· is minute. The d e<>igned stop valve pre su t·e wa
are of a s pec ial grade of non-m agnetic . teel, of dis tr·ibuted unifo rmly ove1· the end windings, and 170 lb. p e r· inch (gauge), the ~ IE'am having a total
s uffic iently good quality to permit of c irc·umferential hav ing p a. sed th1·ough them it ent e t s the :-.tator t empe ratme of Ci62 d eg. Fah.
speeds as h igh as 145 m. per· second being employed. frame by a number of chamhNs. t" o of whi<·h a r e The blaclo cleara n ces g iven mus t. of CO\Lrse, bo
Huch l:Speeds have indeed been used n o w for some years. sePn in the H11pplE'mcn I 1·eff? ITN I to above. l •'t·om consid ered in the light of the "hole cle~ ign , a.-; t he
T h e r otor is c oolecl princ ipa lly at ifl:S s urfnc·l:'. T he t hes<' it entE'I's the slat or C'O I'<' ; some of it pas~Ps individual l'ol Il l'~'~ m·o sh ML n ncl riS!itl , a n 1l t hP I wo
 MAY 18, 1928 'l'HE ENGINEER • 551

flexibly couple d turbine Rlraft. h ave Ct\ch an adequate the fact l hat the ho l "alc r·, hav ing a greater specific of o ne'1:1 ordintu·y vol'ntion. I n fo rme r d ays ow· ancestors
double t.hrus t hlo<'k. volumo than <"O icl "at.c.w. (illccl the tank to O\ 'C I'· h<'fo•·c ~o inp; O;l I on~ jolU'ncys took the precaution of
The steam anivecl at t h <' t mbinc b y l " o pi p eg, a.q flow in g b cror<' tippin~ oc·<·u•Tccl. The quantity o f nmkinp; th<'i r wilh;. \\'h <'n railways brought. a vas t extcn·
Hion in t ho fac·i lit i<'s for lo ng.distance trave lling, when a
has a lread y been m<'ntionccl, both pipes coming from wat (' r' "hith ov('rO o wccl wa~ <·aught s p earately ancl jow-ncy from London t o Edinburgh ceased to be an event,
a common re<·civcr in the boiler-house fed by se,•eral accountecl for. The t o t al correction for the errors the excitement of whic·h remaine d with the travelle r for
th<' rest of his life, the habit of making one's will be fore
T \IH. t . T. "'<'tt ing forth o n a d istant visit fe ll into dis use. Sixty years
ngo. how<'V<'r. milway tmvolling was nothing like us s afe
u,.; i t hn"' sin c·c be<·om<', a nd, particularly in the United
l m pu l><o P•~l'l. H . I'. •·c·>~dinn tw•·l. J. J'. I'I'"I'I ICHI )JI\I't , L.l'. r<'ll<"liou 1""'1. Kttttcs- whcrc, to quote from o ur issue of May 15th, 1 ~68,
• • • • .. • • .. 111 12 -
•) (j l't\ilwu,y travelling hucl bcc·omo " an excessively dangerous
• Hpcrics of <>xri l e mon t.. " -the J>I'a<·tice of i n."'u ring one's I if <•
• • .. .. 38. ·~ :11 · () to 4 I · 5 GJ ·4to62·0 fo t· a milway jou•·nc•y ha d g rown to be a c·ornmon bus iness
----
Bh1d0 longt h11 in int'II<'H . . . . 1 · J (l t o 1 · CH t\nd 2 . 8:j to 4 . 1 4 · IJ to 8 · 4 2 · 48 to 11 · l
necessity. Jn a ddiLio11 to d eveloping this system of obtain-
ing c·ompon.sation for o,ny mis hap that might oc·Ct\1', Atop~:~
1 · :J4 to 1 · 61 we re being take n to minimise the effects of a n ac·c•ido11t,
Bxit nnglo of hlt1dc~. d <•g•·cotl .. • • • • • • 18 to 19 19 to 20 19, 19, l!J. 22, 28 t\1Ht s hould onll Lake place. An invention with this objcc·t in
·>o
... J ''-''
.;,#-I ·>2
- 0 ·>6
- ·1sJ I
v iow was bricdly d osc·ribl'd in the il!SUO we have refe rTcd to.
• H was tho produc·t. of a Philad e lphia rnan, and l'ons is tod
Axiul cll'lll'o lllt'El o£ hhld<'><, int'lo\'1'1 • • 0 · I 18 () · 2 I to 0 · 2:i o · 21) to 0 · 28:1_ 1 _ o· 2G to o.;;2 of a milway c·a•· in tho form of an it·on c·ylindc r, "strongly
Radio ! clrormwo of blt~rlt'H, incht·:< ..
- 0·02:lu to o ·ut () ·0:! to 0 ·O.'i
- ribbe-d and girded to prevent <Tushing and thickly
1 0 · 2 to 0 · 4 paddC'd insicltl to save those within who, in case of an up·
setting do'' n an N nbankme nt, would be merel y rolled
over one a no tlwr without loss of life." It is curious to
b oilers. As tho indivi<luul b oilers <lc l ivcrcd steam at. m c nt ionod wn...; llC'\'Cr over J • Z;Jor cE>nt. o f the ,, ate r I note that whil~ in ~mcrica s tep s l!uch ~s t~ese. were be ing
differe nt t e mpt-r·atmes, thc r~ " as a po. sibili ty o f the mea....• ut.cd. 1 . ) . ·. · ·
In ~· · I • e~d<'n s o pmton. the re "a"
, tnkC'n, pcoplt- 111 t hts c·ountrv we ro a g tta tmg m favou r of
the ndoption of light<:'r rolling s tock than that then in
s upe rheat being cl ifferent o n the two sides of the p~obably a n a<ld•t10nnl s m a ll loss, <lu~ t o the upward (·ommon use. We rofe rr<'cl t o otu· own viows on this s ubjec·t
turbine" he n both s top valves we're in u"'e. The mean a•r CIII'I'<'J~t ov~ r ~h <' hot Lank'> C'arr y m g away ' vaLer in this paragraph a few. week· a go. In the issu~ quoted
tempe ratme of the w h o l<> of th<' Rt cam u;;;ed by the from t h e m le t JOt 111 fine dro plet...;. n bovc, we find a note on •t fro JO the pen of James Nas myth,
turbine was thcrefor<' <lec lucctl frorn m c n-;w ·em onts of The values t ake n fot· t lto oflic·icnc\' o f the altornaLor tho veteran inventor of the steam haJn.me•·· Nasmy th
• was entire ly in hwour of a r<'duction in the weight oi
t·n~i nes and c· arrin~<'s r<'lat iv<'ly t o the wei~ht of pas e ngcri
at·(·ommodntcd. H (' fl'lt ('Onvim ·ed. he said , that thoro wu~
u vn,.;t di~propot·t ion bctwcC'n the passenger load and the
weight of tho l•ngim•s and c·nrriages used for its trnns·
porlttt ion, n nd tha t tlw " c>normous excess " might. bo
rC'chu·C'd to nn Clxtc nt whidt would secure a most ac·l'eptublc
<'conomy it\ workinl): nnd maintcmanre <'xponses without.
affec ting tho sl\fc t y and <·omfort of tho pussongcrs.

A Geared Steam Rail Car.

_ _ _ _ _ 13$..:...0 _ _ _ _ _
0 c·arried ouL to the roqui rt-m c nt of :\Ir. H. X . Gresley.
FI G . 22 D ETAI L S
temperature and pn•ss llt'O in Lh o two u ozzle boxeR,
the qua n tiLy pas~=;i ng Llrro ug h each nozzle b ox being
proportional t.o the press ure ao; t h e nozzles were
similar in tho two hoxe~=;. The vac uum in the exhauAt
branches wa. cleducecl from the readingA of two
thermomete r A in-=;erted n ear the h o t·izo ntal joints .
DI' HJ l\c: the pu"'t .r<mt· ovc1· twcut:-• ~cutiuc>l·l'lunmc-11
>. tN\rn r n.i l c·tu·~o~ of tlw dmin -dri ve n t:-rpe have brcu in
operation on var ious part~o~ of the L ondon nnd Xorth -
Eao;t<'r·n Rnilwn~· C'ompsny's syste m. The results obtainocl
ho.vc been ~o>tu· h U'l to warrant the t·om pany o rde ring a
further lwcnt~· simila r <·ars, in whic·h impot·tant improve·
mcnts 111 lh<' d C'sign of both the <·ar body and the powet·
un it have brC'n r mbocl i<-d . 'l'hc c:oa1·hwork fo r the new
c·at·;; wa"! built at t he Xottingllam works of C:ammcll ,
L aird and C.:o .• Ltd ., and the e ngin e a nd boiler, with tlw
driving c·ontrols. Wl'I'C made by the . e ntinel \\·aggon
\\'orks, Ltd ., at ,'hrc ws bury, tho whole of the w ork be ing
[n the followin~ a.rti1·le we g ive an illustrated dcsc·rip -
® tion of th<' flrst N~r of the' new t ype t o be d e livorccl, whi1·h
undcnvcn t d e monst r·at ion t rinls between York and H arrQ.
gato 0 11 l•'rido.y lt\st , i\Tay J l t h. lly tho c·ou1·tcsy of tlw
OF EXC I TE R FO R 20. 000 kW ALTE R NATOR buildot'H, w<• arc a l~:~o able to g ivo some d e taile d pt~rtic:ulans
of a bcnc·h t.rit~l mado on one o£ the new s ix-c·vlindor•
h o r i-
unde •· Vt.\l'ion::. r-on cl it ion;;; wo ro cle ri vetl f !'Om t h o zo nt.a l cn ~in r~o~ with whi1·h thl' c·tws urc equippe-d, and som e
calcul ated lossos, a n<L aro IJolicved by D r. D r esd e n I'CISUits or 0. Lrial J'U l\ tno.do on May 7th f··o m York to
•
to b o exact. Tt will b e no t cc l that tho nnit howed an Whitby, t'CLlll'llillg by Starborough to York. The now
efficie nc·y r a t.io t\s high U"' 84 · :J p<'r con t., whe n deve lop· d esig n of c·tw wt• illus trato rC'pr·esents. we arc informe d ,
ing l G.700 kW, th is e ffic ic nt y being romputed fro m Lhr most rN·rnt Sl' ll ti nci ·C:ammoll p rat'l i1·c n ow br ing
the condi tion o£ tho s t eam at tho slop valve, and, appliNl to lh<' rnil c·nrli whi1·h arc be ing built for o thor

T,\JSI.~; I I.- 7'c,ts of 20,000·k 11' Brow••·BOt:tri .'iilrmn 'l'urbinr, f '11rrird Out by l'rr,]t<tliOr D. /Jrurlc11 at Schichm·ro , I lift«~ I. I!)·> -
• - I •

Tcbt nu m bcr .. .. .. .. .. .. I. -·
•)
:I. 4. ~
<), 6. 7. !), Ill. 11. 12. I 3. I I.
--
Time in secontlH • • . . • • • • • •
Condensed steam, lb. rwr hour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
( I ) Gauge pre~:~suro M ,.,lop ''uh•o, I h. pe r "'Ci· m .
• • ..
.. • •
2,oa:3
169,000
179
1.53()
I 06.50(1
179
1.:lo .'i
17:!,OOU
180
-
·> 'J·>o
-··
12:!,()00
J .9:)()
122 .uoo
I 71l
J.G91
1:30.500
170
2,1,(1!'1 I ,lW I 2.3111
87.000 86,000 8!l,:)U0 :?0 1.!;00
182 18 t Ii I 17 (j
-· -
•) ;;·> l 1,192
202,000
.1 76
2•362
J 66,000
2.099 1,69 l
210,000 J(j7,()110
Ji;j t7:J li9 178
'folal tempora l 111'0 live steam , cl<'g. Full . . . .. .. li6-l HH Uii 65:J ll81 u.:;o 1)44 1152 fl-17 (ji;j G70 66 1 670 672
G':'uge prc-.~uro at nozzle group l . , I h . per ~-oq. in. . . . . . . lil I i :1 179 150I t.l :J 1 ~!1 It 9 12() 122 ·5 176 171! 170 179 17ij
D1tto at noz:r.lo group I!. , I h. JH~r tltJ. in . .. .. .. .. 158 1Gfl·:i Ii I 08 91i . r, 10!) lifi I 176 156 ·5 178 ·5 160
(2) Ab~oluto prt>~sure 1ot I'X hl\u~t l'lll~mber m lh. pt'r .,q. 111 . .. 11 · 5:. 0 ·() 18 11 ·53 1 0 . l(j j () . !;27 0. ·>-
-·) 0 · 45 1 0 · 40-1 11 · 11:1 11 · 61 0 · 61 0 ·525 0 ·591; 0 ·66
Adiabatic hent drop ( I ) to (2) ut 13.1'h.U. pr r lb. •• • • 4 :J{j 435 1:n 4:J5 4:!7 427 436 1444 ~ 3.'j .&28 427 .J:!O 428 424
Lood in k \\' . .
l'os tf> .. .. . .
•. . . . . . . .. .. .. • • . . . . . . 16,778 16.790 I 11.885 I 1,952 I 2.0UO 12, 1.'i5 7 ,9:JU 7,989 8,0;j(j 1!1,090 20,038 15,873 20,0,j0 16,662
• • ..
Alternator ollirit>t\l'y, i>~r t·t>n t . · · • • .. . .
.. .. 0·8 1 0·8 t 0·78 0 ·7U I). 82 0· 8J 0 . 77 0 . 78 0·78 0 · 84 0 ·84 0 ·7U 0 ·8-! O·g
.. !)4. 8 9 I ·8 !l I · 7 93 ·5 9:3 . 7 9:J · 7 91 · :.1 Ot ..1 9t. ~ 05·4 95 · 4 94·5 95 ·4 9-l · S
Steam consumption, lb. Jl<'l' I< \\'h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. t !l ·94: I0 · 2 10 . :l I 0 · 15 10.73 10· 93 tO · 78 lt · t:'i 10 · I 10 · I 10 ·48 10· -!8 Hl · 12
~emperaturo <'on<lrn~alo in I'Xlru<'l1o11 pu111 p, dcg. Jl' t•h. •• .. 82· -1 8:! · I 81) . 11 77· !1 82 . ~ 81 . 7 77 · 9 74 · 3 7'1 81 · 7 8 l ·7 86 -
'I ompernturo cond{ln ~<t\lo MI t>r hcf\t!'l', d<'~. J'u h . . . • . . . . . 179 · 2 175 · 1 161 · U 198 ·5
Etllcioncy rMio •·ororl'<'d to hrl\l drop (1) to (2), por cent . . . . .
Heat eonRump tion in JJ.'J'h . U. per lt Wh . . . . . . . . . . . .
83 ·0
13, 150
83 · U
I 2, 970 I :!,-100
81 . ;j
I 3,450
82 . :l
1:3.:300 12,910
78·3 78 · 4
l •l,220 14 ,0 I 0 13,1) 10
- 83 · 2
1:!,100
8:! .;J
13,1 65 12,66(1 125,000
8-l · :l
13, I GO
Tl!erma! omcion<'y Ill (.he lOI'IIIinnlHwithout r(!cd h e~~oting, pe r ('Oilt. 26·02 2U · 31 %·37 25·6U 24 ·0 24 ·36 26·93 26·94 25· U5
D1tto wtt.h feed hetiLing, pol' <:()nl. . . • • . . . . .. . . -
Cooling water inlet, deg. l~ah . . . .. • • . . .. . . . . 64·0 6-t ·O
2 7 · :l!i
64 . 2 U4 · 4 64 ·4
26·43
64 ·4 64 · 4 64 ·4
25·20
U4 ·4. 6·l . '~ G4 ·4
21. 17
66·5
27 · 19
66·7
-
66· 8
Cooling walllr ontlot, dcg. l!'uh. . . .. . . .. • • .. 76· 1 76·1 75 ·2 73 ·2 77 · 2 77 73 · 9 70 · 7 73 ·4. 78 · 0 78·0 - 78·8 83·7

One ~hermometer wa..;; placed in each bl'anch and theit·
readings were ide ntical.
The turbine was de~;ignecl t o pa s out s team for
feed h eating, and tes t s were carried out under t hese
condition<>, as well as " it h n o s t eam b e ing passed
out. The conden<>ate wus me-a."'11red b y means of
two calibrated Wt\ter m el<>rs. of the ·• 'teirunuller
tipping type. " ·hen tho condensate was heated by
the pass-out steam, the method o£ meas ureme nt gaYe
l'lse t o c~rlain difficulties. In the firs t place, the mete r
tank bemg o p e n , a certam amoun t of eyaporation
took place from the hot w ater b eing measured.
Losses also t ook place durmg the emptying of the
ta,nk, as th.e water wetting the ~ides suddenly
6
' ~porated m s tead of flowing clown. to the bottom,
fs
0
tt ·would have d o n e if <'Old. A to rrectiun for these
• s es was deduced from the t e mperature drop of the
water. Another source of e rror w as introduced b y
therefore, including a ll Lhrottling losses. Tho fig ures homo r·ailwt~Y$
• a nd fo t• sevcml railway unde rtakings
at all load'> a r e d ecidedly good, esp ecially whe n overseas.
the high vacuum during the te~ts is tak e n into
account.. The Nc11• lJcHiyn of Car. - In Fig. 1 we s how a head view
of tho new rail c·o.r. 1t was taken o n the trial above
I'efcrred t o ncl\f tho Ho.vcns t•at· Tunnel. The princip a l
I fentul'e of tho now body tons truction it> t he use of frame-
work longit udin ah,, "luc·h ntn from end t o end of the ('1\l'.
SIXTY YEARS AGO. The l 'l\1' i1:1 1·U.t !'led on t" o t>tandanl bogies. The e ngine is
of 11o ne w biX·<·vlmde t· 1\mgle-adma "' .
horizontal t .v pt.> anrl
tt> arT~~onged trano\ er:sely undet· the body. The p ower "'
l'HE pra~ ttceo£ uu,un ng onesel£ before gomg on li nul- trant>mitted throug h a universally j ointed ca.rdan s haft
~vay journey would .seem to be almost a thing of the pas t. I to a gea.r-~ox arranged on the front axle of the bogie.
m th1s <'ountt·y. ' t:'ry rarely are we now as ked by the A good tdea of the ~enera.l ~; tructma.l d esign will be
booking derk ''he the1· we Wll!h to take an insurarwo tkke t o btamed ft·om J.<'ig. 2 , which s hows the car bodv p a.r tlv
c·o,·cring the jout·ne~·· That thl' p•·actice is dead o r almost fiuit~hotl. 1'ho u::.u11ol • 'ontinci-Camm e ll Jin-ht s t'eel l'Oti·
so n~ny be nsr· t·ib('U to the t:r~·ogni t_ion by the gene ral
puhllc· or th t• fnd tht\ t Oil·~ Ut'llt$h l'atlwa y the <' hanc-es of
s~nu· t ion h t\~ bcon •·c t t~illcd , t\ fc:m ture bt:'ing tha t both tho
::I I LIC's t\lltll·oo£ of thC' ('t\1' form Q,Jl int('lgral p tut of t.ho whole
~eeti ug with drulh Ot' disablement two ~ot greater , a r.1Cl, s tt·udurCl, nn~l ~·o ntril>utl' to its s tre ng th. The t.wo door!!
m fact, a t·c probably l c~o~s tha n they a re tn t h e execut10n a re of t.he s hdmg type working on "Critta.ll " 1·unners,
 •
r. - )
,),):..
• 'l'H E E NG I N E E R M.\Y l X, HJ2
onr g1\ 111~ t\cce,.,,., to the main hotly of tlw c-t\r nnd the othr1· •· 1'-ilnlllt•t\l<t · panell in~r. l'ilC't\11\ h<'l\t tn~ IS pronded. "1l h
to t\ lu~~llli(O rompartmrnt, whu ·h , .... 1mnwdiately bt>hmd t•Oic·u•n t.H•nllla.tion. and the <.'IC'c·lru ~~~~htmsr i:. rarrwd out The prml·lpal dnn<.'nswn .. of tlw q•hic· lc• are a .. folio\\., :
- Lcn~rl h 0\ C'r htafff'l ~ • h:!ft Xon.
Len$lh O\ l'r bod) •• •. ,; ft. lion
R oj:l o<.' centres .. •. l Oft. 7m.
I)n, 1112 hojZie wh<-<>1 hn,.,t• . • •• .• ift.
'rruolon~r ho~ti<.' wiH'c>l flu,;• .• •. lift . lion .
l>uuowl<'r of wht'C'Is nn t r~·w l .. :nm.
()q•rull wodlh of <'Ill' .. .. .. !lft.
J l t'o~:ht from rllil I<> rnnf ~h•·• · l .• .. I :!ft. I 1'"·
Jft'il:hl from rnol tn huflt•r c·c•Jtl~<· . :lft. 6111
<'<.'ntre-. of hutl('r-< •• •• :Ht on.
l)c~l$[nl'd !'{'~tting
c·npn 11,\' . . .. .ili P<'NIIh
T ur<• "ci~:ht of clri\ 1111( IXIJ:II ' .. • I Ion" I:! n• 1.
Turl• \\l'il(ht of t nllll'r h<>!.!ll• .. Ill ton-. ;;,... t
\\ ('l~hl nl rar in nmnm~: uult•l •. •. . :11 ton-.. I;; , ... 1
Dt••1gned >opcNI nt ;;on r.p.m . :1 nulcs Jli'r """'
'l'hr Oearinf} and 'fron"""'"'"ll s,,,,,,,,,- Thc gt'M·bo'
nnd torque brac· kct will b<> ~>~'l'll Ill till' t•ngra,·ing. l<' tg. r;,
t~t tho t·Nltro of tho front a"-lt• of th o driving bog1!'. 'l'lw
:-pu:· J,tCt\1' on tho
•
mt\in t\'\. ltl has t\ fn<·c· 11 itlt h of tiHI., 11 olh

I
r·

FIG . 5 SECTION THROUGH GEAR BO X

FIG . 1 THE NEW SENTINEL·CAMMELL GEARED STEA M RAIL CAR

f h t• IUI'\\ nrd dri\ in)! c·ompadnll'nl.

c·1~1· lWt' <'ight t' llrtainrd ,windO\\>!
•
Ou ctt<·h sid<' of th o
with l:lmnll fanl ight,.;
I'l ' ~hw;r,.; . .J .• 'tone and Co. ':-. 24-\ ult. :-.~:.tom. tlw d) tH\1110
boinj.( driven from the fot'\11\r<l tt"-lt' of th o trailing bogie.
fol't;\ ·lllll' lt•t•l h of ~111. tlinnwtnd p 1tc·h. 1t m!',ht•,., '' 1lh 1\
x1mil nr thirl.'' ·fOlll' toothNI ,\Jwrl on t\ s plined lay Nhl\h .
<·tWried in ro ller betui ngs. I o w h il'lt is a ttadwd u forty .
1'1u.) vac uum brakes a.re of tlw standard Cresham-Cravt>n ~>t'VN1 t oothed spir·al bevel. '' hi c· h. in lum. mcsht>H "ith 1\
typt>. l n Fig. 3 we show tho trailing and the d t·iYing bogi<>-.. forl\•-si.:o..
• tooth be>vel whc!'l on llw c·ardan driv<' ~<hnft.
lt mt\Y b<' noticed t hat tht• whri.'IS at·c of the "Newlay " T hi .. xhnft jo.; well supportt"d 111 t't'lll.'r bc~>.rings. Tlw g<.'t\1,.
patt<.'m "ith solid disC'!;, tlw dinmct <'t' on the tread bt>in~ l'lllt 111 oil and l\ si m plc indi('l\tm· t•od is fitted a!on ~-: "1th t\
•

FI G . 4 FRONT VIEW OF SIX · CYLINDER H OR IZONTAL ENGINE

:!7 Ill , 'I' ill' ;.!l'IICI'I\1 I'Oilsl r\H·I ion uf tlw bo:,rit•, rolluw~ fill n iJ.! ('1\)1 and >'lraim•t· . .\ r·c·t''" to tlw gl.'tlr-bn" 1, ).!1\t'n
FIG . 2 BODY CONST RU CTION a PPI'O\ I'd Ii Ill.'". and t lw n' I<'· bo"-l's aro rurn is lwd wit h b.' tHI im>p<.'l'tion door on lh<• fol'\\1\l'd fuc·c o f lh t• hu, ,
huninull'd ;.tccl sprin:;rs and r·uhbt•r 1\lt:o..ilit~r~· sp rin ~ whi1·h 'l'ht' l'l' is a torqut> s t uy bollt•d t n th l.' 1-(1'1\l'·box and llw linJ,.,
"hm' 1•tl dur·iu~ the hi:;rh<.'Ht r:< pN•d 111' th <> t rials f'as~· 1·idin g, ~~··o suspc·tHil'cl o n<' 1\ho\ ,, tlw ho:o... Tlw mot iort i;; 11'1111~>·
11fJn\t' tl1t'lll. ~l'tll in~-: t\l·c·o ttlltl udntion is III'O\ idnl fnl· Ill 1'\1'1'~' Wa)' <·ompan~h l l', '' '' n n• informl!'d. wit h mittNI from tile <.'n~i i H' to llw gl'tll'·hox. a;; already ~nid .
fift~ .,n, J HI,.,~>engl'l'b on 1'1'\ Nsihlt• "l'l\ts, dt•~:>igncd ll\ I h ut of h l'tl<\')' main li nt• .·tor·k. ,\ lil-!ht t,\ p<.' of th1·u•tgh u unh·crNall~ jninlt'd und splitwtl ,·Mduu :-.hoft.
•

FI G . 3 TRAILIN G AND DRI V ING BO G I ES OF THE NEW RAIL CAR

(';\lllllll'll, Latrd and Co .. L td. lft\nd strups nn fitted for buiT<.'r and dn\.w-gear· .~t'l' F1g. I ha ... bN•n fit ted to tlw lu:\ \ 1n~ t\ ll'ngth o£ about ift . bl;'tl\l'<.'ll the joint. t·c nlH''-·
tht• use of a furth~r twe nty pth»t·n~c·r,.,, Tlw Interior of the t·nr"' :.11 t ht\t light loads, :.udt t\~ a hor;;c box, can be hauled '' ith t\ cliarncler o( 2m . •\n\' rclati' <.'mot ion between ti ll'
ea•· ia; lint>cl with mahogany and the roof 1x nt>atly finished with wht>n drsircd. bogie axle and the engine · ts enttr<.'ly taken up by the
 •

l\l AY 1 ', lUiH THE ENG IN ~ER 553

universal jotnl:, t\ncl splmcs, and no motion h tnuusmttlccl 300 lb. pn•tistu't' has h<'cn indit·at<>d b~· a dotted line. fot· parts, hn» rl.'sulwd. wo lt.•ut·n. in o. Yery cool driving com -
to th o enguw itself. ono of the !'Ill -off posttions. Bt•low th e t·une two t~ ptt•tll purtuw nt b<'ing obtn111ed. The boiler is :so nu·angcd that
The Enyi11r n.wl /Juil r l '11it.~. - Th<' pow('r \lllit. a front indt<·ator dia~nun s for intC'rtnNlmtr and ('arty C\tt- off-. nrc the wholt' of tlw firC' -box \\tth the water tu bes cnn b o
viow o£ wlm·h i~o r('produ<·ccl in FtJ.!. -t. h~ a d<'l>igned output given. DurutJ( t\ two -hotu· tril\l \IIth the r n gine ruruung at lm\Nt•d o ut of th<' ho rk r for c lt•arung and repairs. .\ <·req~
of t\bout 130 B .FI .P. 1\t GOO r.p.m. Tho t•ylindero; ha"·e a. -tOO r .p.m., "lwn supplied with steam at n boiler pre "ur\' t o tho npparatus for droppmg the hin ged pin and h alf
uore of uin . with t\. :-;trokt• of iin. Poppet t~1)(' "' ah·e · a r (' of 2i.1lb. o r :HiO lb. at thr thr·ott le nth'<'. and a. total fiH·-~ra.tc is ,I.!Uinctl from the front of the car. O n th<' <·ar
\' lllployt•d. a.; ~ohow n 111 th<' rn~mo :,t•!'lton•.;, Ftg. H. In this ll.'mpemt un• of ().)!) cl<',l.!. Fn.h .. t hr C'nJ(tnt• dE'YE'Ioped 13() "o MC' drscr• b111g a 2~ 111. by :3 ~i n . by Sin. \\' c.> ir vertical
pMtil'ular d t".;ig t\ t hrrt• running po-.ttions. corre~ponclin!.( B. H .P ., t\nd tlw wntf•r <'On s umptHm \\Os I(; lb. per 13. H . P . ft.•C'd pump ts provided. lt wt ll b o l'<'<'ll to the left of tlw
t.> \•nrly. mtt•rmrdu\ll• t\tul Into 1·11t -oft, arc pro"·i1lcd for )l<'t' hour. horl t•r. ln futuro c·tlns it i:s propos<'d to u~o l win ram pumps
in citl11•r dtrCI'lton of rott\twn. u..-; wt•lln.-. a <·rntro.l po ition, •\t t ht' >illllH' hodt•t• pt't's>illl't' tl I ul'l ht•t· l" o- hour t riot \HI>; llrnc11 by the t'n~inc. whidt , wo und<>rstand, "ill e ff<'<'l 11.
f•t••·ta•n M\'- ing in t.;tc>tl.m .
'J'h<' e·m\1 bunk<•rs, "hic·h t\t'{' N>mpl<'tt·l~ t••w!os('( l in tho
bodY 11£ tht• tt\1''-• uro desigm•d to car·ry 30 C\\ t. o f fuel.
"hH·h ts ~o ufli t·•t•nt for about a 300-mtlo run . The r·oa.l ,,
filled through flap doorl:! in the roof. T here is a s ingle water
t nnk with n filltng tu·r·u.ngc m ent fo t· either :side of t h e Nlr.
lt is plnc·t.•d 1\.l. Hw lm<"k of th e c·R.b and h as a <·t\pac·ity of
about :l l f) gallons of Wti.!CI', wh ic h i!l s ufficient for t\ run of
CNLAAC£0 VI(V. ttbout 60 m ilt•><. I n futuro <·urs the c·a.pn<'ity of this l u.rtk
or v..c\. vt
\\ i Jl be i ll('l'Ct\Sl'd.
'flat• o ngrt\\ i ngH, l•'igs. 7 nnd ~. sho" the t.h ·i ,· ing c·onl ro ls in
•
'•
•
•
'
,,

I
[ N LAfl(l(0 VIEW
Or STVrft NO BOX
DETAIL or
SECT ION THAOVCH
OIL O>PPEII
...'
A CYLI NO(A
~~~~ -

R,l'll 100

LB$10 lnte•modlate Cut 011 l8$fo• Eal'ly Cut 011

2601 AovL po,. mrn • 400
8 H P at Rallwheol • 1311
150 Rev&. por min. • -400
8 .H P at Rallwhool• 08
200
Bolle• P,.. .. u,.. • 275 lbt~ 200
8olto,. P,...,u,.. • 275 lbt/CJ

100 100

~· ""•L --
I'
FIG . 9 S P EED · OUTPUT CURVES WITH CARDS

/,
~~ tho l o r'\\lll'd ttnd t't•tw t·ompu rtu w nts. 'l'hc <·ontrol c·olumns

1.:" ~"·-
e·nrr~· the tot NUn nd rn i~s•on o nd t lrt• t'<'Ver,..i ng le "·ers.
( n tlw forward Nm trol pillnr thc:' r<' is m ol.nted t h e throt lit'

•'
",.
.z \ ah c. "hll'h 1s OJWI'I\t"'d h:'' a single link from the throttlt•
f•ontrol h•' t•r. 'flw dc•srgn ih stH'h t hnt the ,·ah·e t·he .... t t·tUI
' I
lw quwkh- n•nHln•tl for 111"'Pl'<·tlon. . \11 ot h l'r t·ontrols
•• to tho rea•· tlrr \.tng t•ompartm cnt t•on .... tsl of "'tout rods,
whidt nrc J.tllld{'cl tt.n el lubrt<·ated. 1\rul lt.re pm-jomtt•d ttl
tilt• ends. 'l'he room~ c· hnrtwt t•r nf the dri\'ing c·ompurt ·
rnents 1\nd tl1C' urn ph' "rndow "'Jlll<'<'. whid t J>l'rrrllh 11.
t· lt'l\1' 'IC\\ <lf the• tr·tu ·k t o ht• obtnincd. rtH\Y •
be n·mnrl..t•d
upon. .\ mcc·lmni!·ul M't't•t•n "ipt.•r opcrat('(l by Mtl'ttorl
is lit tt•d . nnd "'I'll t ., few t lw clr·l\·er· nrt• art·ang<>d 111 both
FIG . " 6 PLAN A ND SECTIONS AND DETA I L S OF ENGIN E
1'1\bs.
StJ/IIt Road '1'1 ~''· I n !'tllll'ht,.ion. \\'!' llH\\ rdt'l' to "orrw
11\ ''hwlt all \Ohl'" 1~n• ltt•ld open. The r·r·ank sht\fl is r·un, '"t h r•twl~ !' 11( -of'f. Th t• stt•tl nr prt'>isun• t\t I hP t'II J!rrw of t he• r('-.ull» nh t l\rrwd in r·ec·t•n t rlulk<' r 's trral:.. wh :ch wen•
<·arrit•d rn four bl'tWill~s. n11d Nm Ul' in,.;peded by r~moval ''a,; :2()0 Ih. und t lw si t•om t <'Ill pt'r't\t ur't' U04 eh:g. L' nder· t lw nm ht' l" l 'l'll Y o r·k ~~nd \\' Jrrt b~ tllu l Se·arbor o ugh un1l
O( the >itdO door: l> llHt.Jhw e•lf'C'UitH' doors U.t'O nJ::;o (ll'O\'idt•d c·ontli llons the \)O\H't' d <•vdoprd \\ !I>;!)~ U.H . J> .. 1\lld tht• Yor·k on ~ltl~· i th. Tht• '' <'i;..:ht of tht• NW in t' llnn :ug onle•r
which gl\·l' 1\l'e·ess to Nw h of t ho bot tom ends. The \\ t\ltw c·on:-<11rnption wns l i· l.) lb. pr•r B . H .P. prr hou r. is :JJ ton>< I.)''" t .. but. feH· lrit\1 pur·posrs the:' wt•igh t \\11.."
r·~~lindt•r•s, with tlw inlnt tt.nd o'hll>\lst \ ' t:t.h' <' ns:;cmblios. arc The lllll,irnum >iltt.r·ti ng t o rqut• \\ tls s ho'"' to b<' 3-1 20 foot- inc·rrl\s('d to :J:I t om~. t o tt.llO\\ for·. "tl.~. "'i:>o:t('('ll pus:>t'ngN':>,
in •·let\!' 'ir•w o n orw :;idt• of t ho c·clu.f'lt. the e n gine being J>Otlnds nt :HIO lh. b o iltw Jll'l'SS \Irl'. with lu).(gttJ!<'. &c·. ' l' lw !'t~r 1\•ft York at 10.20 u.rn. and
1\ll,..pendl'd ht••wat 1t t hll l'Otw h well dcnr· of t.ho fr·ont bogie. The boi Jew i>o;hown in Fig. 7 . I t is oft h1• .. :-\uper·-Scnlinr I " tt.r'l'l\'l'd 1t.t \\'h i tb~ nt 12. 1!1 p .m .. nfll•r u. good r1111. Tht•
On lho undct·sidc t\1'0 i no;ped ion doors, which are at·ces- vo r t.i<·nl watc:'r-t 11 bc t~ pc. a.nd is design<'d fot· R. working 1-(<'ll<'l'ttlttb,.;l'llc·t• of t• ugi rw 'rhnttion and thc (Jtlit•t t'\tnning

FI GS . 7 A ND 8 FORWARD AND REAR DRI V IN G COMPARTME NTS S HOWIN G CONTROLS

" 1ltlt ftum tht• g round 111 ln•mn prt. "lult• abo'l' tht·t' llt!lllt'.
111
I lu· hti.!L:H~o t'Oill J>I\rt mc11 t. 1'('1111>'- u hit• floor pant• I.... an•
pro\ldt>d. \\ hwh ttllow tht• l11p std t• of the engine to bo
~'<l."ti:V J.:Ot nt for cxamim~ttou. 'fhl'rt' un.l no flexible .... teum
~~tpt..., llr c unt 1'01~<, both t h1• l' Hguto ttnd the boiler being
trnrl\ tttl•l(·ht.·d t o t h" ftoumc" ork or t ho t·onch. Th~:~
•·tu·w wu rt'produ<·o Ftg. 9 show:f the output of the
Ntgrtw !11\ tlw bt•rw h trial o.t, 'm·rou8 sp("ed~ and with
01 ~Pn•ut f•ut-olT~<. Thr dialo(l·arn 1s prcptwed for a pressure
of 2715 lb. per h(JI U\re IIIC'h, bul th o irH·ret\..'le in power for
Jll't''"'ll't' ul :mn lh pt•t Mtlltlll' rr u·h . 'l'he lwoltlll.! "'" 'htt'l' ut' t ht ~.:~·ur,.. \\ t'lt' -.uhJt•c·l,... uf l'llllll u~·ut. I hu•utg IMII uf Ill•
1s H · i:J "IJ\11\I't' l'l'ct. "1t lr tt gratt• nn•u tiiTtlnged fot t'OI:\1 1'\IIIIIC'I't•lt•t tltiOII t l'"t " \H'Il' llltUit• 011 f,!I'Udll'llh UHd 011 lht>
fu·mg of G· l ~oq\rtlrt• ft•t•t. The t;upcrheat cr <'OJhttoh of a lun•l "1th "llrytn.l( hotlt·r· pre-.,ures und t· ul -off-. . Robin
twin c·otlnnd r::. ciPst ~nrd to ,1.!1\'C a tottll :,lt.•am t emperaturE' H ood s BH\ was k•fl n t I . .)~ p.rn .. and Y ork\\ th rE-ached nt
of from u.JO d"'l-(· to iOO def{. Fah. under "ar·•ou~:> c·onditwrh -t.3i p.m. The ""~'1111\1111 ~"<J>eed tun~;~d during tht ~o run wu"
of tlet·vu·t•. Tlw usual complL,mcnt of uotler ttCl·e ...sortes .'>5! nult•s Jllll' hu11r, c·or-respond111g to tll\ c ngino ~:>peed ut'
itS ywovidt•cl, ttntl a n dTo• t htl.ti betm made to redute i.)O r.p.rn. E' ~·n 11.~ thi:, spt'l'd tht>r<' was, we let\rn, no
radiation by th<' introduction or u.n o.ir casing over the 11ndut.> :;\\ 1\) 1ng or lurc·hing.
boilot· lop tirHl round tho bt\so of lho funnel. Th is pro- \ n tnt~•rc.•,!tng p1wt. of the •·un \Hl!> tho climb up RaH>IIs-
caution, in nchlition to tlw l'flit'i<•nt lagging of all h eated l'l\1' grt\<ltont, "htc-1\ for th o moot part ib l in 39. "·~

• -

55!
extract ft·orn tho tt·ia.l figures some d otu.ils of this run and not seem l:iuita.blo fot· high sp ecdw, and it is possible that
give t hem in tabular form:-
'l.'rial on Rcu:C1111rar Orodic111 at 1 nlumultrt/r Cnl·'•ff.
Time. fo~
::ieconcls ~~ iles I Boiler
por Aver~ge pressu re Hcmark'l.
} m tie. hour·. ~ra<hent lb.fsq. in .
'fhr·ottlo not wido O (H' Il :
Curves bad
C..: u r\' OS bud
Throttle "ido opcu :
13ud 1'\lrves
( 'tU\CS
<.;, ..., c ~
'funnel
Tl11'ot ll o clot;ctl l~l 11 t.he hot gases wore by- passed if t ho feed water approuc hed
ruin . 50 se1·•
Tho re&.<ling;-; were taken at t.ho qul\l'tor-mile posts,
~ lurt.ing from the firs t post out of Flying H alL The car
lmd accelerated from zero to about 20 miles per h our on o,n
up gr adient of 1 in 103 at that point, and t.he t.hrot.tlo levot· not provide a research dopMLtnon t. c·apablo o[ producing
was in the int.ennediato cut-off posi Lion.
Letters to the Editor.
(We do not hold our1elvu ruponsible for the opinions of our
corruponclents.)
LOCOMOTIVE DEV.ELOP~J EK'J .
Sm, -li everything that is new iR interesting. the ~.u-couut
given of the " Kitson -Still " locomotive in THE E NO INEt:R
for May 4th s hould be of interest. Unfortunately tltoro is
u. tendenc-y to pay too much attention in this country to
unimpor tant. departures from o'!tablished types. One
ha.s only to consid er the d evelopment of the m ot or rar
and motor bicycle indul:ltry in this country with the corres-
ponding development in the United Statt>s. Tho ratio
of the number of t y pes to the total numbrr of units pro-
duced is enormous compared to the corresponding ratio
in America. Tho a ccepted opinion in America seoms t o
h e that to proruro first-class development and progress
in industry and sc:ienre therE' must b o fe w stops, and eac·h
stop an important ad vt\nce on the prct·eding ono. .For-
tunately for thi!! c·ountry the grAat minds who have bl·on
re~ponsible for the d evelopment of the Britis h Xavy havo
h cen very much alive to this idea. Outside of t he
Admiralty, with the oxc·cption of tho Rolls -Royce Com-
pany, Ltd., we scorn Lo look in vain in this c·oun try for a
proper recogn1t.ion of Lb is principlc-, antl, toas t of a.ll, in our
railway systems.
l n a hundred years of d eveloprneut the numl>at· of ty pes
u.nd fancies and fads i~; both d eplorable and disgusting,
and the Press wtfortunately contt·ibl\1 os to the general
<·oma, and d eals out large pac kets of opium. As an example
when one of the largo " Parific" typo oxpress locomoti ves
wa,~ on s how at Wembley some time 1:1 inco, the n ews papers
wore burst ing with information c·on<·orning the la test. ty pe
locomotive. As a matter of fac·t , the writer travelled
more than twenty years boforo that. in. the " Twontictll
Centtu·y Limited," on the Now York Central Railroad.
•
behind the same type of lotomotivo, with the :;a.mc ty pe
of valvo gear. T he suggestion h as bo('n put forwanJ tho.t
heC'aUl-le the " Kitson-Still " lot"omotivc failed on the route
Kelect.ed for it., the r·outo slrould be found to suit, the loc·<>-
mot.ive. I n othet· wot·ds, because the patient has bocomo
mnt·e l!odden int"reuso the dose of opium. What ad vantngos
1-an t.he " Ki tson- till " locomotive <"iaim over the Diesel
t'ledt·ic. lo<·omotives, which have been running for l:!Omo
VNWS on t he Canadian National Railway ?
•
T h is type of locomotive eRn pt·odu<·e full load torque 111
•
any condition R.nd at any s peed, from nothing to maximum,
which no locomotive of the " Kitson-St.ill " ty pe can
possibly do. The engine referred to on C.N.R. has been
d eveloped by Messrs. Bea.rdmore t~nd Co., and, a ccording
to the Press, it is going to be given a trial in Lancashire.
It might be p ossible to make three s ize , say, 750 H .P.,
1500 H.P., and 2250 H.P., each of ono or more 750 H .P .
units, and by using the " Austin '' m ethod of electrica l
tnmsmission, on account of it~:~ " fool proof " features,
arrange them so that two men only were required to operate
them when three units were coupled together. For the
benefit of those who hold the abs urd and unst"ientific
opinion that an elect ric motor is not a mec·huniNJ.l
mac hine, it might. be pointed out that the more w~ know
about. eleetron:;, the more wo t•eali ~o that there are n o
mecha.n.ical machine-1 in the old -fasluoned sense, but. t.ht~.t
u.ll machines a.t·e tied together, tus it were, by olastic btmdl!.
F or the benefit of those who still put t.lteir faith in t:it eam
engines, it may be still point~d out that there are
cer tain possible de,·elopments that t\ppear t o ha.,·e been
over looked. If it ib p oastble t o ut>e a geared dri ve with
a.n elec tric locomotive a nd abo with a motot· car, and travel
nt n ,•ery high speed , it mig ht be an advantage to Ul-lC t~
geared drive fo•· a s team loc.·omotive. B y this mcnm; tho
c.·yliuder· could bo made single acting, a.nd therefore of a
unifio,v type. A double-acting Wl.ifiow t y pe engine does
•
THE EN G INEER
' o. high-speed single-acting uniOow engine C'ould bo mad<'
whith would gain in the ratio of power to Rptwc o.nd
weight compared to the d ouble-ading type. The" Miclw ll "
c·rankless engine is a type that mig h t be suitable for this
development, a nd by placing three or four " :Mic·hell "
<·•·ankless single-atling steam engines b ot.ween the driving
- - wheels and geared to them, triple or quadruplo expansion
renLlts might be obtained. On tw<-o un t o f the proximity
of the boilet· t o the eng ines reheating of the exha ust ~:~lMm
• from the intermediate stages mig ht. be practicable. T he
economy of steam thus obtained might enable much higher
pressures possible, 600 lb. per ~:!quare inch or over, without
increasing t he weight of tbo boiler, and so still further
economy would be obtained. An interesting ideo. for
reheating the ~:~ loam would bo to provide a. s mall auxili twy
boiler in it:-; c·rudcst. form , pol:lsibly only a steel bottlr,
which would provide oxtra. high-pressure steam ; l\nything
<>ver 1500 lb. pot· square inch. The steam from thil:l boiler
would havo a c·loscd circ·u it. It would be taken to tho
part · required by small pipes, and the extra high pressure
<·ondensate allowed to flow ba<"k by gravity to t.ho boiler.
It might be wort.h c-onsidering to provide a. pre heator for
t.he feed-wa.lor for the main boiler, arranged with a flap
valve automatically controlled by tomperat.uro, so that
loo nearly to atoam -ra.is ing temperature. F inally, any
_ stea m locomotivo fired by hancl is unworthy of the name of
modern.
K ow tltat. lhc railwt~.y c·ornpunics are a ma lganmtcd ,
there does not. ~:~eom to be a ny reason why they 11hould
a locomotive tho.t. could really bo t·o.lled modern.
Sal&burn-by- lhe-. 'ea, ~Iay 1·! th. \\'. R ot: cm;.
CO ' 1'~· FOR .\IA~UF ACT li HEH X.
:-;ut,- ln your book review of )lu.y 4th there ih !'OIIVt•y<'tl
t.lte impression t.hat t.he cost. of tho foreman who dit·oc·ts
Lhe operations of t he ma.chino is decided solely on t-ho spiwe
o<·cupied by this fa.t"tor of produc·tion. Undot· thi1:1 mis-
apprehension the review goes on to say-quite rightly-
that the hours tho mn<·hine it. at work would probably
be a. safer criterion.
In faimess to myself, I Hhould I i ke t o cmphusi ~;e tho
(act that in both text and examplos, the ro t of I ho foro-
man, otherwise " superintendenc·o," is determ ined by tho
hours the machino is at work, plus the cost of the spa<·e
it occupies. By the combination of these two fac·t ors of
t ime and space into a. unit. •I l'ato per hour." I sugg st
t he criterion of exactness is rea<" hed , and that the 1·oviewor
does not really disagree with mo on this p oint.
The essenre of the system, in fact, is that all working
expenses, both dit·ec·t a.nd indirett, are based on the hours
the machine is at work, and tho s po.c·o it occupies.
Your c·laitn that leading c·onf'erns in the engineering
industry havo up-l<>-date c·osting syst oms may be admitted
without qur!>tion, but even so. l ho simple meth<>d of
arri v ing a t nncl a pplying this " unit rate of expon.<;('," based
on time a nd ~>pac·c, may porhaps be incor porated into such
systems with dil>tinc·t advant ngo. Whatovor internal
diffic-ult iot~ may prosent thcrnsel ves <·an usually bo o vor-
rome. At least. wo »hall agree that any meas ure t.hat loncls
to exac-titudo in re<"overing ovot·hC'ad c-harges, will help
tho Britis h e ngineering indw;tr·y against externa l <·om-
pcti t ivo pr ic.·es.
Regarding the ~> llrmiso, that 111 the c·a:;o of 0\'Crtimo,
tlte c·ost may bo equated hy tho compensation between
" i nc·reased produc·ti vo hours '' ( inc-rea ed wages) and
decreased " om·ost," I d o suggest that my" rovision unit
rates" unqucst ionably decides this point. and leaves nothing
lo r hanc·e .
With refo•·cnc·o t o the p oint rail!od about deproc· iat.ion,
1 have allowed 10 p er cent. of tho capital value of the
machine on the asswnption of n life of ten yol\l's. It. is
tho provil1(·e of 1ho techni<·al ox port t o d ecid e tho difforonc·e
between t.ho offoc.-Live life of the various t.ypes of mnc·hines
used , and for t.lto c·ost ac·eount.a.n t it is merely n q ue~:~ t.ion
of int.erproting that expert opinion or oxp orienro into the
equit.a.ble amount for d opt·ec·iat.ion.
CHARU: · '~ll T tl.
London, .E 12, l\lay 12th. 1
[ \\'e venture t o s uggest that out· <·orresponden.t ha.s not
•·oad the review as <·arefully as he might, or ho would not
have used the wot·d .. solely '' in his first paragraph. The
main point o( out· criticism wM that while floor space might
be a fair bas is fot· allocating cet·tain charges, for others
it would be equally unfair. If we visualise a long boring
machine absot·bing a large pat·t of the shop, and b eside it a
precision vertical milling machine, can anyono j ustify
charging the former with more for "superintendence" ?
A syst em which ha.s for its essence " that a ll working
expenses, both direct and indirect., are ba~ed on th_o h~u~s
the ma<"hino is at work, and the s pace 1t o<·l·up•es, 1s
unsound . D ifferent bases rnw;t be usod fot· varying items of
cost.- Bv. TH E E.)
THE ,' J~ 01" WI R E HOPE I K 'TR UC:1' H.\L
FRAt\!E\\'ORK.
Sw.- 1 \\U.t> vory mteret>ted in1\ll·. Norllt', roply to w y
letter of Apt·il24t.h. To make my ul!e of the word " dit>tortion"
quite clear t o Mr. N orth, I sh ould have put the word " per-
manent " before it--although in view of the general t enor
of my remark'!, I think I wM not unreasonable in a.&su ming
that the ordinary readet· would appreciate that I meant
permanent d istortion.
illr. No.-th quotes experirncnta.l results obtt~incd on
8ft. specimens o[ '' str aining C'ord o£ a. particular lay,"
having a.n effective value of Y oLmg's modulus of 10,000
l\IAY 1 , 1928
tons per squl\l'o inch. H o giv<'s dia~'t'a.rns of 120 c·wt.. and
135 cwt. cables.
I am suro 1\fr. Nor th would ndm it that I madt• it l>6r -
reetly clear in my letter thl\t I was not talkin~ of 11hort.
longths of sma ll rable. I was talking of c·able.~ such a'i
will be used in R 101, which, a.<.·cording to Liout.-Colonel
Richmond's paper, have an effective E value round about
2500 tons to 3500 to ns por square in<·h- if my c::~.l cula­
tions are not t\L fault .
Will Mt·. N ol'lh plea.so ad viso me of nny oxisting piu-
jointed engineering strm·turc in whic·h long wi re~:~ are usod
s uccessfully, l.u<·h wires being of no le s si z<~, length and
:-;trongth than thoso it is propo ed to use in R I01 ? li
he will be so kind as to d o thi t~, I shall be g lad to deal with
t.he other paragra.phl> of hill letter of May 7th.
J\Iay 14t h. H~~AG OI'.
Obituary.
:-iJR GEORGE l3UC IUIA:\l.
tho recent death of Hir Goorgo Thomtll'i
\>\' 1'£U
Bucl<ha rn. which t ook place at his homo in ~hollic ld
las t week, Armst ron g-Yickors Ltd. loso a valuecl
di rect o r who wa a recognised world authority o n
matter - rei at ing t o ord.Jtallce e ngineering. Xir Gcorgc·.
who at the timo o £ his d eath w as in his sixty-fifth •
year, was h orn a11d echwutPd at ~ewcal'tl c-u p c)II-
T y n e. H o cnle•·ed the Els wic k \'\'orks of :-iir· \\'. (;.
Armstron g, \'\' ltitworth flll(l Co .. Ltd. , as an o rd11am·c
engineer ancl sorved tha~ fit·n• nntil 1895, when he
joined the s taff o[ Vick e r·s Ltd. Aft<'r som e t im<' al
1 ' h effield, h e sp ent scver·al ycat"'> at the London oflic·<·-;
of the firm. ln 190 l h e wa-; clec t<>d a wcmh<'l' of
the lnsti tul ion of )lee hanical J<~ngi necrs. :-ii •· C:t•oq~c
Buckham was the d esigner of many or the la rgPt' gun.-;
which cam e into serv ice a s the war proceed ed , and
he also played an impor tant paHt in the early d ovelop -
m ent work a s:sociate<l with the de.·ign of ~he ll.mks.
It wa-; fo t· the n o table aid which h e gave t o the
co\mtry on matters comu~cte<l with gunnery that.
ir C.:eorge was knighted in 1917 . Aftet· the war h e
returned to ' heffield and b ecame attached to the
1
company's Ri ve1· D on ·\\'o rks . At:, the chief ordnance
des igne r to t h e firm, mm;t of the recent wo rl< COtl-
llect ed with the de!'lign and manufacture o f At·my
tanks and thoir armame nt ca me under his s upervis ion.
H e was widely known, b ot h at h ome aml ab•·oacl. us
a gWlnel·y ex p ert, and was the recipient of h ono tu·s
bes towed b y. everal forei~u c:overnmeut s. rn ··ecent
years he c losely identified him ·elf with the indu-;trial
and civic life o £ , heffie ld . and his loss will h o fe lt
among a wide c ircle o£ bW>iness and private frie nds.
(;LE:\1£!:\T llA \' ARD .
week ~l onsi eur ('le rnent Bayanl, t lt<· wdl-
L .\ S T
known FrE'n r h enginc>er a nd finan cie r , clictl s utldenly
at the ag<' of l'\eventy-fi ve. H o was the son of a
provim·ial loc·ksm ith , and afte r learninv his fnLh or 's
trauo went to Paris whoro h e sot himse lf up in l\. ~mall
s hop an<l undertook the ropni£' of the hi~h -w ltcel e~
" veloC'ip<'des " then in use. H e soon saw tho p o<;sa-
bilitie · o f a low-wheeled bic·yc·le, and wa-; o ne o f thr
first-somo even c laim him to have he<'n the vet·y first
- to invent an<l huild a ..afety bicycl<'. H o had
difficulty in p c t·suading Frcn c· h financiet·l> to inve~t
money in n bus iness for t h e mamtfac turo of his 110w
type o[ machine, but after the_idea had .b~en t.akon
up in thi ~ ('Ountr-y and when 1t was defm•lcly seen
that the inventio n wo uld b0 a s u ccess, a c·ompany
was fo m1e d and the ('le m ent B ayarcl safe l y bic·yclo
fad orv was establi heel at Levalloi. . :-ioon afler-
wards. h e tumcd his attention to the moto •· <·ar, the n
in it:-; rarly infanc·y, and in a short timo was. pro-
chacing tho well-kno wn ( 'lome nt Bayanl veh•c·les :
Lator, h o plt\yed an a c livo part in the deve lopment<~[
tho aeroplane and the a irs hip. His air ·hip experi-
m e nts fbii N l to r eali:.:e full s ucce·s, and le ·,:; t han full
u cc·css a lso attended his aet·oplancs, although wo catl
recall tho (.'lement B ayard armo ured aeroplane at ~he
Aeronauti<-al Exhibition al Olympia in 19l:l, stamlu~g
out in. our estimation a s about the only example m
the hall which made any appeal to an engineer as
possessing a soWld s tructm·e.
THE Provincial Government of Quebec ha authot·ised
the Beauharnois Light, H eat. and Power Company to
proceed with its px·oject fot• the development of power_ on
t h e St. Lawronce. An agt·e<'mont has been ont.ered u~to
between the company a nd t ho Oover~ment, under wluch
the <"Ompany may divel'L 4~ , 00~ cubl<' feeL of wato~ per
second, be t wcen Lake St. l •t·anc·l8 and Lako t. Louts on
the ~· t. La\\ t·once, and undertakes to develop 100,000 H .P.
within fi v<' ) ears, increas ing the volumo t o a total of
500,000 H .P . within ten yeat'l:l. Tho (•Olllpany th to J>llY a.
yearly J•cutal of 20,000 dolltu'S fot· the fu-::;t livo yea~-s and
JO,OOO dollar~! p er year a £tor ~hat. daLe. A dauso m t ha
agreemcut. forbidt:i theexpo1·t.uL10n of any purl of the output
to tho Fnited States, but the t'Olllptlny is pormi~tod lo t!ell
to Ontario any bUrplut> thu.t it ca_nnot dispose of m Q':lebec.
I n ,•iew, ltow<>ver, of the increat>mg demand!; of the mdub-
tries in the ueighbourhhod of Montreal, the . company
regards a homo d emand as tu.t>ured: The can y ml? out ol
the enterpr ise will involve un el:ltunatcd expendtt.ure o£
30,000.000 dolltu·s, and the c·o•upany il:l req~d t? make
a d eposit; of 500,000 dollar~> as a guarantee that. 1L wtll carry
out its undertakings.
 THE EN G INEER 555
MAY 18, 1928 •

unanjm1ty of insistont·c upon tho i:l:l 10inimum. '~hero .Japan with £94,757, expo!'tS to the lat.tt>r mar~eL being
it~ a fair inquit·y for t in.pla lcH, but tlw a m ount o~ busmess d ou b lo t,hose in A p ri I of oi t hor· of the two pr~redmg yoarA.
Provincial Letters. dono thiH weak was not larg~. Wa11t ors ar<> 1n bettl'r Hussia, also, (•on t inues to show a ma•·kcd 1mp;ovomon t •
d omnncl for uR<' in Birmin_~;tham nnd l\1id land fadoric11. ahipm ent 1:1 t.hont•G boing valued a~ £93,0 14: ~xpo r,ts to
tho Ne t.horlands we ro .£62,638, to Germany £6~, 367 , ~ou th
• TH E MIDLANDS AND STAFFORD. RTRE. Amorica £50 883, Franc·o .£44, l 05, the Umted l:lt.atos
Scrap.
(From ovr own Conll.!pondent.) .£:14. 106, Australia £ 15,8!)7, China £7557, a n d " ot h<W
Heavy steel strap now realiset~ £3 6s., bu t th<' J•:uropMn rountric>s " in th<> aggr(lgale £20 .176.
Market Situation . Rcll(lrll h11vo not found it po~11ihl o to obtain their full qu~ t a·
tion of .1:3 7s. 6d. There is a good d emand for cast tron A Depressed Home Market.
ALTilOUOH the ma rk<>t tono in t he Midlands is R<·rap and machinery scrap. H l'avy ~achinery ll<;ro.p
bright.or and prospec:ts of int>r<'alling husinells seem more hall mad<' as muc·h a s £3 7R. 6ft . p Cir ton dt>lt vered. and hght Refc ,·en<·e to rontinued depression in t he horn<'
hopeful, buyi ng and S{'lting of iron anc~ stN·~ 11 ti~l la<'k <·ast iron s<·rap £2 J3s. pl'r ton . Th<' sc·rap market ha market for textile mac·h inery was made by ir Oeorgt•
weight. 'fher<' ha ~ been a somt>what hr1 ~ker mquu·y for b<'£11\ 11trcng tlH.' nt>d b~· t h<> pure· hall<' of substantial lot R Hullough , at the annual m E>eting of H oward and Bu llo~gh ,
several clas <'R of mate rial this week. but orders are !!low numing into thousands of ton11, Hold t o Germany, P~l and L td ., textilt> mac·hinis ts. of Ac·c·rington . Jt was oxpl~•.n cd
in materialising. CautiouR buying iR porsi'!tcd in. a nd a nd o t h<~r stcelmakiog c·cntrt>H. , outh \Vales contmuc•s that, the p as t year had boon ono of very keen comp~t •t 1on,
restricted artivity at th<' milh; r<'sultl!. In the Blac·k lo tako fair quantitie11 owing to tho improved d£"mand arising from a restricted d omand wl~en tomp.aJ·ed wtth th <'
Count-ry plant is 'working at t~om othing liko ()O p ar cent. ro•· hiliPt~o~ nncl bat'R for tin . pla tCI prodw·t ion . large output capacity of t ho toxtdo mach mer:y ma~ors.
of capacity onl y, whereas mor·o than !)O p er c·ont. is neces. With rnto exceptions tho homo tmdo had contmuod tn 11
sary foJ' effit>iont p roduction . 'l'o sor·11ro t.his implies that vory d opressod condition and most. of the c·ompany'11
Production Returns .
a considoro.blo proportion of t.ho orci MH at present going outpu t had boen for export. T he sha~eholders wero
to t he Continent should bo di}'<'rt<•d to British plant. Midlands indust•·iolil!ts WOI'<.' disappointed with rN·oiving a. dividend fot· the half.yeRr endmg Marc·h 3 1st
The present relatively high p ric·e of for<>ign steel is helping tlw rt't urn of iron and steel produrtion for the month of last at the rate of 6 per ren t. per an n um, less tax, on t lw
local iron and steelmasters to RN·ure Homo of the business April. 'l'hey had not anticipat<'d any !l'arked a~vat~{'O preferen<'e shares, and a fourth quarterly ilividend of
which usually, on a<'count of pri<'t>. goes abroad, but a on lhe previous m onth 's figures. cspectally cons•dermg 2~ per <·ent. on the ordinary 11hares, making 10 per t>Ont.
larger proportion of it is req u ir<>d t o make any appreciabl<> the holiday break, but they wt-ro hardly prepared to find for the year . Varying d eg•·ees of improvement. a~o shown
clifferenc•e to tho output of th <> fu rnac·cs and mi lls. The them lowe~ than Apr il last year. Undor existing cir cum - in the nnnual reports of two other L ancashire firm11
weekly iron ma rket at Birmingham t o-day- Thur day - ston<·<'R they ronsider it satisfactory that the number of engaged in the same branch of engineering. Brook s and
was poorl y aUended , and tho volume of busint>Hil was again furn a('OII in blast at the ond of April was 149, a. net decrease Doxey ( 1920), L td., of West Oor ton, Ma.n~ hester, disc·losCI
of a reRtril't NL and disappointing r·ha rarter . of on lv one; they note that throo furnaces were rocom. a trading profit of £4041. . After a llowmg £22,000 _for
missio;1cd and four ceased oporat.ions. Production of pig d epreciation, h owever, thoro IS a. n et. loss of £ 17,980, whtdl,
Raw Iron. iron in April amounted to 555,000 tons, c·ompared wtt,h indu ding t he debit balance brought for war d! makes a tot a l
502,600 to nil in March , and 680,000 tons in April, J 927. of .£140 577 to bo carried forward to the d eb1t of p r ofit and
'J'he week has broug ht no t> hangc to t he p ig iron Tho produc·tion included 186,200 tons of homatite, 184,000 loss ae<:ount. l n the p rovious year , however, there was a
department either in t he volume of demand or in relation t ons of basic·, 142,700 t ons of foundry, a nd 22,600 .tons trading loss of £ 13,457, boforo an y allowance was made for
to prices. ConRumers of raw iron continue to press the or for~o p ig iron. Output of 11teol ingots and castmgs, d epreciation. T weedales and malley, L td., of Rochd~ l t',
advantage whi<·h rising stocks at t he furnaces give them, amounting to 644,100 tons, <·ompared with 793,300 tons report a net profit for 1927- of £77 , ~30, compared ~v•t!l
but blastAurnaC'emen d ecline to accept business at unre· in :\1arch . and 850, lOO tons in April, 1!)27. .£74,389 and £69,259 in the two prev1ous years, a chst n ·
munerotive rates. I t is contended that they would be but ion of 15 per cent. again bC~ing made.
willing to consid er lower selling rates if they were assured
of 11uch an increase in the volume of business a s would Coventry Engineering.
10ako it a profitable movo. n ecent price concessions, A Scheme Abandoned.
An improvement in business is reported by t ho
however, have fai led to stimulato d ema nd to t he extent majority of the Coventry m otor engineering fi rms. 'l'hClre The Altrincham Urban Distr ic't Coun cil has n ow
required, and 1\tidla nd smeltora ran fi<'O n o prospect a t has been nn acceleration in t.ho ciemand fol' all types of d ecid ocl not to proceed further .with Lhe prop.o~od sc:ltemo
the momen t, of a different result., should tMy again t est light c·a•·s, and the sun-saloon mouela and t he saloons wit.h for t,ho p u rchase of t ho Al trmchnm electr•c•ty supply
tho mm·kot with roduc<'rl pric·es. 'J'ho requirements of sliding roof!! are called for by an irt<"roasing number of underto.king. R ec·ently the , Co\u~c! l decided! ~y a baro
the local foundries show no mat.orial inC"rease, and although p<>oplo who requil'e a car for a ll purpOi:!OS. The local Arms majority, to apply to tho E lectr•c•ty Commtsstonors fOI'
some slight improvement at Lhe forges is noted, it has not engaged in the production of c·ommot·<'io.l vehicles have power to set up a j'oint board of c.o~trol comp.osed of
110 far had any effcrt upon the raw iron market. Wit h enjoyed quite a good run this yoar on tho passengor-ca.r~y ­ represen tatives of the urban a.uthor1t1es of Altrmc·ham.
r onsuming industries in such a conditiOI\ there is little ing Rid e of the business, very substantial orders hav mg Allhton.on -Mersey, 13owdon ontl H ale, a nd t ho R urol
hope of a real increase in d emand, as a result of lower values. come t hrough , both for motor .coaches and omnibu s~R. Coun<'i I of Buck low. •
Accordingly most of the smelters sti<'k to their quotations, Thoro is a. considerable volume of business on hand •n
djsregarding cases in which lowcr rates a re ac·ceptcd. both branches. The machine tool t rode in Coventr.v re.
Northamptonshire foundry No. 3 is quoted £ 2 1 s. to mains buHy, though ordors are not coming through ao Not to be Closed Down.
£2 19s., and Derby11hire £3 3s. 6d . to £:3 41'!. lJorthamr· fre<'lv as of late. Rumou rs have boon ('Urront during the past few
•
tonsbiro forge is maintained at .£2 13s. 6cl., and D erbyshir!'l days t o the effect that t he H orwich locomotive works of
£2 J Ss. the London Midland and SC'ott.ish R ailway Company wore
Cannock Chase Coalfield.
to bo closed down in the near futuro owing to the t ransfor
Finished Iron. Coalowners in tho Can noclt Chllllo at·oa in common of t ho works to Crewe and D orby. These rumours hovo
with ot.h ora who are leagued in tho Five Counties scheme, now been authoritatively denied . It is believed that thoy
tafforclshire makcr·s of best bars a re reasonably are not making much h oadway with the a ttempt to increase aroso b ecause a number of men in a cer tain deportme nt
busy, but there is little demand for Hl'cond quality and soiling prices. The principal effec·t, 110 far as one <'an of tho wot·k!l were stopped owing to Rlnc·kness.
common brands. p ecial en~inct>ring requirements furn ish judge, a p pears to be to t~ro.w a la.rger share of ~he tra d e
orders for the marked bar miliA, and the bas is p rice of into t he hands of t he colh<>r•es wh t<:h have remamed out -
£12 is maintained without d ifl1culty. K een competition side the combine. The small requirements of the market The Late Mr. W. H. Davies.
for the Rmall orders offering for Crown bars has led to are met without sign of undue strai n . Many associated The d eat h has occurred in .Manchester of ~J r.
prices being <'Ut as Jo,v as £9 2s. 6d. Moat of the makers, collieries produced their s tipula.t.ed quota. earlier in the W . H . Da.vies, former ly c·hief instructo r in tho mecbani<·a l
however, still quote up to £ 10. Nut a nd bolt bars at month, nnd have not much underground employment to engineering workshops of t he Manchester College .of
£8 17s. 6d. fai l t.o find purchaser!!. Belgian No. 3 iron at offer now. Effort s to obtain advanced p r ices are still T echnology, at the age of soven.ty.th~ee. Mr., Dav~l'll
£6 3s. 6d. being utilised instead . There scorns li ttle pros· being maclo, t horo being no formal withdrawa l of the •·ises rot.ireci about five yea rs ago aft or t h trty-o•ght y<> nrR sorvr('O
poet of Staffordshire it·on masters securing much of t his of Js. to Is. 6d . a nnouncod by tho collieries. T h e p ro- on tho Rt.a ff of the Collt>ge.
business, nut nnd bolt makers Rlat.i ng t hat oven after portion of output whic·h if! b o in~ sold at the onh an<"ecl
uti lising the ch eap er fot·eign ra'v m aterial they h ave diffi . ratos is, according to nil th <' indic·o t ionR, insuffi<-iont. to Non-ferrous Metals.
culty in successfully competing for orders for the finished swo.y the market.
goods. Many of tho local tube makers are working undet· • toady to firm conditions havo been in e~ idenl ' ('
pressure. Orders are plentiful , and tubo s trip i!l in keen Miners Receive Notice. in a ll sec·tions of the non -fenous metals market durmg tlw
demand. Wrough t iron tube strip scllll freely at £11. post week, both copper and lin, more particularly ~ho
This is th<' brightE-st sec·tion of tlw StafTo• cl01hire iron trade Trade depression porRiRLS in the Cann,ock Chase former, registering advances, and load and apelter keep111g
nt the mom<>nt. <·oulfiold, and it became known this week that 200 rnon s teady. l o the copper section buy ing interest has not bt>t>u
cmployc>d at the pits of t lw ('annoc·k Chase Colliet·y Com- very pronounced , but tho fact that offerR of the me t~l have
Steel. pany, Chasetown , a re to rc'c·!'live notic·os to cease work. not been too plentiful has se•·ved to force up prtces of
It is point.ed out that it, is not, solely duo t o the smallnesl! of s tandnrd brands b y about £1 a ton compared w1th thost>
Thoro is a slig htly improved tone in the s teel domnnd lhat so many fewer hands are req uired at the pits. current a week ago. P resent indications are that supplioK
depnrtm<>nt in this area.. Output, ill Htoadily increasing, L ately the Cannock' Chaso Company h as carried out a n will <·ontinue to be readily absorbed for the t ime being. An
although lonnages remain tnnoll. 13u yi n~ iF;, t o some important. SC'hemo of con<'cmtrat.ion of itfl p la nt, and hnR impr·ovement at t he consuming end of the tin t rade, corn·
extent, intcr·ferocl with by tho expoc·tution of a further installed a c·onsidera.ble nmouut of <·oal getting machinery, bined with another drop in stocks of the metal in t.hiH
adjustment of slruHural stool pric·ol! by t he A1:u~oci ation. all of whid1 tends to recluc·e t ho amount of man powor re· country, has had a bullish influence on p r ices, a lt.hough
Up to t he timo of writing, howcv<ll', valueR W<'re unchanged. quirod in the pi ts a nd on the llurfar·('. notrun,g of a. spectacular nature in this respect has oc{'urred.
The number of specifications received this week is larger t.he advance being only on a relatively modest scale. Con·
than for some weoks p ast . Expo• t trade has expanded Unemployment. ditions in the case of load, from the point, of v iew of t·on ·
very much during the past fortnight, and good inquiries sumption, seem to show a slight improvement , and valu(';;
have come through Birmingham mer('hants, covering nearly Following a large inc·reas<> in the previous r<>turn havo kept up at the level of the two previous w~>ekR.
?very description of steel. Demand from home consumers showing t.he number uoemployod in the l\1idlands, the Thoro has been a moderate amount of interest s hown irt
IR also better. The disposition to buy British material in rurrent figure records a. deet•ease of 83 6, the t otal bt>ing spt'lter and prices in this section, althoug h unc·hangecl on
preference to con tinenta l since the ml·rc.>as<' of prices of down to 146,4 0. B irmingham has lost gTOWld on t ho balan<'e, compar ed with a wook ap:o, have shown a c·on ·
th? latter is encouraging to local proclu<'<WH. I t is r eported week, the figures having in<·reased from 24,040 to 25,:!87. tinucd steady tone.
thts w~k t.hat c·onstructiona.l engineorR in this a rea a ro I n t.ho Coventry area. thoro has boon a slig h t de..:roa~e in
roc~vet·mg their activity. lnquirioR a ro quito numerous. tho number of workless, p oint,ing to inc·•·ea.sed activit.y in Iron .
R~tlway orders p laced with M i<lland rolling stock firma tho motor.engineering shops. MoRt of the Black Count1·y
w•ll enable tho works to run on full time for aom<' months town A rororcl higher figures, W 1\IAall and \.YeclneRbury Pig i•·on inte •·e~:~ts on tho ~ancushire markot have
to c·ome, and considerab le tonnago11 of liteol will be con - b(li n.l'( ox<·E>pt ions. oxporiented anything but, <·h<>orful <·onditions durinp: tlw
sumed. H eavy quantities of coru;tn•<·tional steel havo past week. The domand Rhows no l!ign of broadoninl-{
been ordered for bridge and fM·tory oxtensionR. B oiler- and there is n continued lac·k of interest among conllumor"
pl~tos are in request, many of tho distr i<·t boiler maker:~ in conne<'lion with rovering future needs. On the whole ,
bemg well placed for business. Thert' is an amended deliveries against contract11 tha t are unexpired are
de~nd for tool steel, and s<'mi-finishecl material. The modoratt'ly satisfac·tory, but , part ly bt>cause of unfavour·
LANCA H I RE. able trade c·onditioM at tho foundries and partly, no d oubt ,
pr1ces of the latter remain os last weok. Continental
~~ia are. again stiffer this week. :Finished material par· (Fr om our own CorrMpondenh.)
bec·auso even at to.da.y's pric·es there seems to be somo
ltc·•pates m tho stronger movements of pric·c.>s, but. in a. less d oubt as to their stabi lity , buyers gcnora.lly a re extremely
clegre~. T here is little inquiry for imported iron an.d M A NO H ~~sn: lt. roluc·tant. to venture far a.heaci. T he result is that forwar·d
steel m this distr·ict. Supp lies arc <·oming in regula rl y, bookings have been on a vo•·y small scale and, as has boon
Overseas Trade in Te:djle Machinery.
but ~onsumers are content to await developnwnta befor<' t.ho cnso for several woeks now, current business is a lmost.
mnkmg up t heh· minds about now buHinf'RR. S HIPMENTS of ll!'it i1:1h textile mal'hioery during wholly a que11tion of covering r equirements during t ho
April , althoug h below the mouthly av<'rage for this yoa•·, next few weeks. It is not surprising, therefore, that tho
Galvaniled Sheets. O\Ying in a large measure to the intidem·o of the Eaator tono is anything but strong. J•'or delivery Manchester or
holidays, show a marked improvement ovor the corr<'· equal, Derbyshire and StafTordsluro No. 3 are quoted at
. There ha>; been a little bri~htor bl}Sine~;s in the sponwng pAriod in either of the t ~ o previous years. The 7ls. to 7ls. 6d. per ton, North .East Coast brands at nbout
galvanu..od sheet departmen t th iR week. Overseas b uyers quantity expor t<'d was !l6:J5 tO nH, or 8. total ~·o )ul.' !>f 79s., Scottish at 87s. 6d., and hematite at 83s. to 3s. 6d .
have boc>n ROunding the markt-t with r(\gard to renewed .£901, 193, c·ompared with 8471) ton!! and£ 38, l4 1 ut Aprtl, Buying interest in bar iron has been a.t about its u Rual
~~~•pmcnts.. Though the tota l volume of business remains 1927 and 833 tons and £835,0{)7 111 1926 or last month 's modorate level, with Lancashire Crown quality quot<'d at
di~:~appo•ntmg, more orders have been booked during the expo~ts 6 36 tons and £665,270 represented spinning ~nd £10 a nd seconds material nt £9 10s. per ton.
past \\OOk ~han for some time past. Tranaactions have twisting mnr hinery and .24 11 tons a nd £1.67,810 wea.vm~
been nogot.•ated on the basis of £1:1 f.o .b. for 24.gauge machinery. British Ind•a waR tho most Important tncl• · Steel.
c·orrup;al.<!da. T hough producers diaplayed anxiet.y t.o vidnal market for British loxtilo .uac· hinery during April, In the steel market, hero 11 C'Or tain amount, of
lltrengthen depleted order books, there was a signiflront, taking 11hipmentR to tho vo.luo of £ 198,432, foll owed by int<II'CSt was o.rousod by rttmours in tho ear ly cloyiJ of t lw
 556 THE ENGINEER MAY 18, 1928 •

week as to impending increases in the prices of British n et profit of £7353. The direttors, noting the improve- have failed to prevent an increase in stocks. 1\lakers have
steel products to non.rebato buyers, and it was reported ment in the tradin~ results of the past yt>ar, regard them rather largo accumulations at their yards, and while they
in some quarters that in anticipat ion of higher prices more as satisfar tory in view of the ket>n competit ion which prt>- are inclined to take a little firmer stand, they are still unable
intere~t had been shown in forward buying. Generally vailed in both horn('! ami foreign mark~>t~. to book orders except at figures well below the cost of
sp eakmg,_ however, the d emand, particularly from the output, and there seems little likelihood of an early rise
construct tonal branch of the consuming trades, is on a quiet New Engine Depot. in values to a profitable level. Prices at whirh sales are
scale and for early deliveries. Prices are s teady at made vary a good deal. but nominally markt>t rat~>'! arc
£8 12s. 6d. for frame and ~cneral plates, £!) 15s. to £l0 for The L . and N.E. Railway Company is to impro,•e- based on mixE'd numb€'rs at 70!1. per ton .
locomotive- boiler p latt>s, £7 17s. 6d . for joists and se<·tions. tho ac·c·ommodation a t it!! lof·omotivP depot a t Bamsley
and£ 17s. 6cl. for st<'r l bars . :Jin. and upwat·d s. R P-rolled by a sc>hemo which inc·ludC's the re-mod~>lling of th€' t>xistin~ lronmaking Materials.
bar>~ a:•·c somewhat s tt>adi<>r in sympathy with d eart>r raw Ri din~s alld thc- installation o f all e l~><' ll·ica lly opt>ratrd
matertals, and quotationR mnge from £7 1Os. to £7 12s., <'Oaling plant. Th!.'ro is an absonco of new fl'aturt> in the fot·<'il(n
with .£7 15s. bein~ quoted in odd rases. I mported fini shed oro trade. T ransac·tions arc ft>w, but ellers, in \'il'w of
a nd semi-finis hed ste<>l products continue to advanre, Electricity Developments. t\ threatened s hot·tage, arc as firm a s ever in theit· attitudt'.
Siemens platos bt'ing now at .£8 to £8 2s. 6d. p er ton , Best. Rubio or·o is quoted at 22s. 6d. per ton c.i.f. Tees.
Thomas plates at about £7 l Os., wire rods at £6 l2s. 6d., The Shoffi<'lrl Cor·poration Electric upply D t'part- l3last-furnace coke keeps plentiful, and with ironmasters
angles at £6 12s. 6d., joists at £6 to £6 2s . 6d., billets at ment has •·ecoivocl p ermission from the Electricity Com- buying sparingly, prices a1·e easy. Oood medium Durham
£5 1Os., and sheCit bar·s at C5 12s. 6d. per ton for cash missioners to install two 25.000-kW generators, and at the qualities are quoted at 17s. 6d . p er ton delivorecl to work!!
against shipping docmn('! ntR and inc·luding delivery to last m eeting tho Committee decid ed to install one of t hese on tho No1·th -East Coast.
LancMhir·e wori<R. · only for tho timo being. If the scheme is approved by
the Council, building extellsions will begin at once. The Manufactured Iron and Steel.
J3 ARROW-lN-FURNESS. improvements are estimated to cost £500,000, but the
expenditure wi ll be spt·ead over a p eriod of about four The re a re no new d e,·elopments in the manufac -
Hematite. yea1·s. The new building will be made to accommodate tured iron and st eel trade. Nearly all d escriptions ar e
two of t hl'so lar·go generators. Councillor E. nelgrove, slow of sale, but manufacturers are not at all disposed to
. . Tho condit.ion of the hematite pig iron market
•s prac·tiC·ally unchanged. J n some quarters t,here is a the chairma n of the Committee, states that if the scheme grant price conct>ssions, and their attitude is strt>ngthonNl
s lightly better f~>eling c·onsPquent upon n few more inquiries is passed by the Council and if the demand for electricity by the upward movement in "ahtt> of foreign product11.
<·o'!'ing in_. Business continues to be practically confined increases to a reasonable degree and industrial conditions •
to •rnmecltate requirements, and there is s till a holding off improve, there is no reason to doubt that, with the aid of The Coal Trade.
in the pla<'ing of orde1·s for forward delivery. Stocks sh ow the new machinery, the Department will b e able to redu<·e
the electri<·ity charges by nearly half. " The d ecrease The tone throug hou t the Xorthern c·oal tradt> if'
a tendenc·y to increase in some places, but that is due to the
present idleness in the steel departments. Business with would, of course, be broug ht about gradually," he said, s teady, both for prompt and forward. but whi ls t there is
the Continent is not considerable and American trade is " and we a re looking probably four years hence when we a bundant all-round inquiry, fitters would like to see
duJI. The condition of the iron ore t rade remains about say that the charges wi ll be halved : but the consumers definite business booked more freely. The abundance of
the same and most of the business is confined to the district , will get the benefit of the economie~ long bt>fore J Sl32 by illquiries causes some sellers to take a s trong optimistic
the g radual redu<'tion ." view, but , on the other hand , doubt is ex--pre sed as to
but there are certain d eliveries of better qualities to whether the inquiries are simply duplications of a few
Scottish and other buyl'rs. The s teel departments are not or all independent demands. The general view, however,
doing much with the exception of the hoop mills, which are Hydro-electric Power Plant.
is that the noxt month or two will s how a substantial
well employed. Tho 1·ai l mills at Barrow will not restart A scheme of an ambitious character for t he esta- increa se in d emand, but it is not anticipated that there will
until after Whitsuntide, And t his stoppage will enable the blishment of a hy dro-electric· power plant a t t ho Wash. bo much improvement in prices, as the output can readily
rompany to give its plant a thorough overhaul, which n o L incolnshire, hns been promoted by the Dynamic Eler- bo increased if requirements justify that course. Con-
doubt it will rcquir·e aft~r its long run. whir h has ex tenciod trical Company, Ltd., and it is claimed that this scheme sumers abroad are keen to get the best out of the alter-
ovet· two •vonrs.
wi ll make it possible to supply electricity in bulk at }d. nating offers of this and other countries. T here is not,
per unit. It; is pt·oposed to build two dams- a sea dam with perhaps, so much to fear from German sellers, as costs of
Shipbuilding. inflow sluice gates to a llow the high tirle to ftow into the production with them are now reckoned t o be pretty much
basin at or near· high-tide level, with locks, so as to a llow on a par with our own ; but Poland is a formidable rival,
Tho vosselF! of the extensive fleet of the I sle of
) lan Steam Packet Company, which have been lying up at shipping to pass, and a dividing dam to separate the full and can secure a lmost as much business as she can handle,
Barrow, ar·e now completing t heir· overhaul and several from tho empty basin . The power station will be erected owing to t he low prices and high quality, supplemented
will leave for their stations this week-end. This company on the dividing dam and the maximum head wi ll b e 15ft. by first·class screening. For the recent Danish coal order
has now a fl eet of fifteen steamers since the addition of The SN\ dam will be about 12! miles long and the dividing placed in Durham, it is said that Poland quoted shillings
the last two purchased from th<' L.M.S., namely, the dam about 13 miles long. It is (')aimed that there are no a ton less t.han the offers from this neighbourhood. The
" Antrim " a nd tho " Duk<- of Connaught." Both of engineering difficulties to be ~o l vNl and no serious obstruc- order came this way, it is a sumed, for reasons of reci-
I h~>Fic ve-s<~<'lR are to be rl'-name-d .
tions are suggest ed. procity of trade rather than on a ctual tendering. The rail-
way carriage of Polish coal is subsidised, which affords
Greek Irrigation Contract. a big pull in final price , and it would seem that only b~'
s ubsidies is export coal anywhere likely to secure trade.
The Greek Government has offered a big irrigation Inquiries for bes t Northumberland s team coa ls are on a
HEFFIELD. contract to H enrv Boot and Sons, Ltd .. of Sheffield and fairly large scale, the Baltic supplying a fair proportion of
London , and Mr. Charles Boot, who is in Athens, intimates them . The collieries are well s ituated, and direct priceR
(From our own Corrupondent.) t hat they have every hope of b€'ing able to accept it. a1·o firmly maintained. There is not much second -hand
coal about now, and this fact tends to improve the position
Steel Orders Scarce. Peakland Cement Works. of the collieries. Best steams are fully 13s . 6d. malls
are more favourably placed , with b est qualities at a
TRE main branches of the local iron and t eel The large cement w01·ks at Bradwell, in th e H ope minimum of 10s. Gas coke has been selling well of late,
t rades continue to experience very dull conditions, and Valley, near Sheffield, for Messrs. Ear·le, of H ull, are now a nd some of tho collieries have their production bespoken
a lthough some firms have good orde1· books they are the in course of erection, and the construction has also begun to the middle of June. Best Durham gas coals command
excep~on rather t han the rule, for by far the greater pro- of a light railway to connect the works with H ope 'tat ion. from l 5s. to 15s. 3d., and seconds up to 13s. 9d. Coking
portion of concern s complain of the difficulty in booking some 2 mi les away. coal p rices ar·e no higher, but they are a shade firmer. The
substantial new business. It is the heavier branches that coke market, whils t quiet, is fully steady for end of May
are suffering most, and, with prices of a generally um~ati s­ and early Jw,e shipments of all descriptions . Supplies
factory charac te1·, it is co1·tain that a good deal of work is are plentiful, but steadi ly h eld; gas coke at 19s. 6d. to
being a ccepted on te1'mS which can only mean a loss. 19s. 9d.; patent oven cokes, 17s. to 18s.; and beehive,
P roducts of b oth i1·on and steel are not likely to command
better prir es until there has been a considerable expans ion
NORTH OF ENGLAND. 24s . to 27s. There is a continued brisk inquiry for all
gradt'ls of <'Oke for shi pment from .July onwards, but makers
in the demand. and it must be coniessed that at the (From our own Corrupondent.) will not operate except at higher prices.
moment thoro are no s igns of that happening. I n the
ordinary qualities of steel h effield and district makers Iron and Steel Trade Outlook.
have sti ll to fa<'C serious competition from the Continent, Coal Miners' Wages.
and the s lump in 1•ailway and colliery work a s a resu lt of A BRIG HTER tone por vad€'s the Northern iron The period fi xed by the Independent Chairman
tht> continut>d d epression in the coal industry has meant a and st<'el trade. The change in the right direction is s lig ht, of tho District Board for the regulation of c·oal miner>~'
big loss to the s teel and engineering trades. There is a but tho movement encourages hope of some early ex--pansion wages in Northumberland will shortly expire, and the
good deal of activity in the lighter and pe<'ial steel of markot operations. Conditions on the Continent are Miners' Association ha considered the question of making
bt·anches, but even in them sufficient headway is not being increasingly likely to have a beneficial influence on the another appeal for a revision of the minimum percentage.
made to countt>ract tht> dt'pressed conditions in the heavier situation in this district. Pric·es of fot·eign p roducts are whir h tho Independent Chairman reduced £rom 80 to 40 p et·
t rades. Last we~;>k the L abou r Exchange figures showed advan<'ing, a nd manufacturer·;; abroad are h a rassed by cent. Tho Association , at a re<'ent meet ing of the District
n. drop of n!.'arly :WOO in the number of heffield unem- labour unrest , but buyers in this area are as yet unin- Board, put forward an application for a substantial increas<'
ployed, from whi<'h one might suppose that trade was fluenced by tht>so circumstances. The outlook geMrall~· in the minimum perc<"ntage on the basis rates. The owners .
improving. Unfortunately, however. t hat is not t he case, i11 far from what <'Ould be desired, but it appears to be however, stated t hat owing to the state of trade they wor<'
t h o decline- bt>ing due merely to the fluctuations conse- b1·ighte ning, not the least hopeful sign being the promise unable to make a ny con cession . At a meeting of tht>
quent upon the continual suspension and re-engagement of much less koon continental competition . There seems Council of t he Miners' Association this week, it was decided
of batchN; of workmen throughout the distric t. Tho g1·ound for a belief in continued gradual home trade d<'- to ask the branches to vote upon a proposal thnt an npp<'al
irregular working at the collieries, too, is causing the velopment, and signs of improvement in overseas demand be macle to the Independent Chairman.
unemploy ment ret.u rns to flu ctuate cons iderably . are not entirely absent.. Substantial increases in German
manufactured iron indicate t he trend of production costs
Lighter Industries. on the Continent. Tho German manufacturers ar·e now
at a big ctif!advantage as rompared with British prodttrers
All hough th(} departments prodtt<'ing finish ed of simi lat' product s, ancl a stimulus is t>xpe<'t<'d to thf'
steel mat.Min.ls are fairly well employed , the position cannot inchu~ try in this clistr'i('t. SCOTLAND.
be •·egardecl as al toget hor· satisfactory. Orders from (From our own Corrupcmclent.)
seven\! important, markets a r·e s howing signs of falling off, Cleveland Iron Trade.
and there is not t he bulk about the work coming through Flax Preparation.
that one would like to see. H ere again there has been a Although tho•·o aro a ltuge number of inquit·iC's
good deal of price cutting indulged in following t.he general cir<·ula ting, businl'SS matu1·es only slowly in the Cleveland A NEW industry in th e nature of flax preparation
quietude which has settled over many of the most impor- pig iron trade. Ironmasters, however, are unde1·stoocl is to be set up at Busby, some 8 miles from Glasgow. Tht'
tant branches. Buying for practically all <'lasses of tools to have disp osed of thoir output fairly well ahead, and Pritchard Flax, Fibre and Pulp Company, Ltd., the com-
has declined in both the inland and overseas market, and are n ot at all perturbed by the present bacl..\\•a rdness of pany concerned, has a cquired the works of the Caliro
so far the season for farm and garden tools has not given buyers. Makers, with theit· stocks almost inconveniently Printers' Association at Busby, on the river Cart. These
any indication that it will be of a satisfactory nature. small, are in a strong p osition, and adhere firmly to the \VOrks include a number of buildings extending to 27 acres
Both plate and table cutlery have run into a quiet period. fixed prices that have ruled for the past few weeks. A and are particularly well suited for the purpo o. Wator
Good quality articles in particular are commanding an heavy proportion of tho output is going into dirert con- rights have also been acquired, which are capable of giving
extremely poor sale, and the bulk of the buying is for sumption at local works owned hy producers, but users a daily supply of over three and a -half million gallons. Tho
• •
resorts preparmg for the holiday season. Other classes of in this district, as well as in other home areas, are taking P r itchard Compan y intends to purchase the rMv flax straw
c·utlery, su ch as scissors, pen and pocket kni ves, pr€' ent moderate suppli ~s, while firms in cotland are accepting throughout Britain and the Colonies, to separate the fibre
no ft>atures of particular interes t. ratht'r considerable par·ccls. h ipmeots to foreign d esti- from the green straw where gro,vn, and to transpor t the
nations are light, but improvements in exports may be decorticated fibre to Busby to be finished into fibre for
Industrial Steels. Ltd. rep orted shortly. No. 1 Cleveland foundry iroll is 68s. 6d.; spinning. It is anticipated that this new industry will be
No. 3 C:.M.B ., 66s. ; No. 4 fotmdry, 65s. : and No. 4 forge, of great advantage to cottish agriculture and will also
It is always gratifying to h<'ar of local firms 64s. 6d. bo a sour<'o of employment for a <'onsiderable nurobt>r of
surmounting their difficulties and making headway in workers.
those unfavomablo times. l n 1026 I ndustrial teels, Ltd., Hematite Pig Iron.
made a net loss of £:JO:J7, but the repot·t for 1927 just issue(} Steel.
HhOWtl a p rofit, afte•· payment of bank inter<'st on the second Condi tions in t. hc East Coast h ematite pig iron
and third debentlii'OS, but. before providing fot· d eprecia- t rade show littlo <'hango. R eNmt <·urta ilment of produc·- I n v iow of firmer conditions on tho Continent
tion, of £19,220. After allowing fot· depreciation there is a tion and fmther sales to home and continental ou stomet·s ther·o is a somewhat bet.ter feeling in evidon(·C' in tho homo

MAY 18, 1928
roarket and makers appear to have a little more confidence
in the possible improvement of trade in the near future.
Evidence of this fact is given in the slight advance in the
prices of certain materials for export. The present demand
for heavy steel is disappointing. Specifications from s hip-
builders are not sufficient to keep pace with the capacity
of the plate and section mills. Rail makf.> rs in the district
have -booked some good export orders of latE', the total
lwinf( Ha id to be about 17.000 tom~.
Steel Sheets.
Black steel f!hcolR Me Rtill rat her quiet, espec·ially
tho heavy gaugeR, whilo galvauiRotl c·orrngated shretfl,
24 gauge, for· export havo been quoted ns low aF< £13 pPr
ton .
Iron.
T ho ba1· iron and s tool re-r·olling works rontinue
inac-tive, and while homo prices a 1·e unchanged the export
quotations of £!) l 5s. and £7 per ton might be shaded for
a good specification. The pig iron market i~; dull, prices
bE~ing still uphold by doarer costs of production.
Exports and Imports.
During the past wef.>k 000 tons of iron ore, 2400
tons of steel and iron produc·ts, and 00 tons of steel plates
were wlloaded at Glasgow. Iron and steel products to
the amount of 5600 tons were s hipped to the Colonies,
J apan, China, Spain, nod South Arneri ra. hipments of
pig iron amounted to 482 tons, c·ompared with 827 tons
in the same week las t year.
Tubes.
'l'he t ube trado is a s hade quieter. Furnaces
producing butt-welded tubes are still actively engaged,
but for some time past the rate of production has been
grrntt-r than t.hat at which nt'w business has been received.
Scrap.
SuppliN1 of sc·l'£1p tu·o not too plenWul and prices
of heavy steel and Cn!lt iron a re firme r at Ms. per ton.
Coal.
Tho position in the c·oal trade is not improving.
Despite drastic reductions in output som e collieries still
experience difficulty in disposing of their productions
unless price concessions are granted. Screened fuels, as a
whole, however, a re fairly steady, although the export
turnover is confined more or less to s m a ll lots for immediate
shipment. L anarkshire splints are well booked up for this
month and ells are fairly well plared. Fifeshire steams
have fai r bookings, but L othia ns s teams are not selling
freely. Treble and double nuts are firm, but smaller sizes
are weakening. Aggregate shipments for the past week
amounted to 225,757 tons, against 245,642 in the p receding
week and 242,100 tons in the same week last year. Home
demands decline with the advance of the season.
WALE. AND ADJOINING COUNTIE .
(From our own Correspondent.)
Coal Trade Conditions.
P RlCE variations in steam coals during the past
wee~ have been negligible, but t he position of many
collieries can scnrrely be said to have b een quite as good
as formerly, owing to the fart that the r egular working of
so many collieries has b een interfered with by the shor tage
of tonnage. At the end of last week the official returns
sho":ed that there were as mau y as forty-nine idle loading
appliances at the various dod<s. and this "\veek was started
under ronditions none too favourabl e, as may be judged
fr~m the fact that on Monday there were thirty tips idle.
St1 11, chartering has been n trifl e more activr of late. so
that the rondi t ions 11hould improve slightly, though it is
to be fenred that this improvement wi ll be nothing like
equ~l _to what is d esired to make the majority of the
eollterre11 comfortable. Despite tho tonnage position, the
Customs returns of s hipments last week were very satis-
fa~tory, as the total wa~ 506,277 tons, which compared
w1th 350,7 11 tons tho previous week. I t might appear to
be very s trange that there s hould be such a differencr,
more especially as the tonnage position was not bettm·
last week than the lH'Cceding week. The probability is
that _so far a~ actual shipments a re concerned there was
nothmg like this disparity, but the r eason is that shippers
ar_e allowed a certain time in which to make t heir returns,
w1th the.<·onsequonce that. t•eturns which rightly belong to
one partiCular wook 1ue c·roclitecl in many instances to the
noxt. From the point of viow of the demand there is no
feature. A lit.Llo moro iH being done for current shipment,
,but as reg~rds supplies ovor n period the inquiry is slow.
rho P a lestme R o.i lwayA a re in tho market for 15,000 t.ons
or Welsh large ancl 5000 tons o£ Yorks hire hards, and
tond~rs have to be sent in by the 29th inst., but outside
of th1s there is nothing of note.
Colliery Amalgamations.
A t-ircular l<lltor waA SM t out at the end of last
we~k by t he P owoll Duffryn , 'team Coal Company, L td.,
to 1ts <'UStomers informing tht'm that it had acquired as
from the 12th inst. t.ho collieries situated in the- Rhondda
Valley of tho L ewis l\lorth:vr Consolidated Collieries, Ltd.,
together with the c·oke 'ovens and by-product work""'!.
Rumours of other amalgamations have been current, but
they have so far found no confirmation. Most interest at
~he moment is being directed upon possible developments
} the an~hracito area.
0
R eports have been going round
or some. trme regarding a fusion of interests between some
or the bagger undertakings, and thoro appears to be good
ground for· believing that there is some truth in them, or·
; t ~ny ~ate thll;t some negotiations have been proceeding.
0 ~ •s qu1te_possrblo tho.t befor·o this week is out something
a definrte character will be known but whether t.ho
negotiations will resn lt in a. schem e of amalgamation is
THE ENGINEER
not too certain ; it mo.y be that an arrangement has been
come to t hat will put an end to severe competition in the
overseas markets between the leading concerns. The under-
t akings mentioned in connection with such a scheme are
the Amalgamated Anthra<'ite Collieries, L td., at the head
of whirh is Sir A lfred 1\Iond ; the Buckland-Llt-wellyn
• len~th, 120ft.; breadth, 27ft.; depth, 9ft. 6in. En~inrs, two
group, a nd tho Hondorson nncl B<'ddoe R e<>s g roups.
Coal Marketing Scheme.
Sirwo the beginning of t his month there has been
a voluntary \rndN~tancling between most of the collieries
regarding minimum pri<·os, this being only par·t of t.he
schema which was propoAod by t,h e coalowners and was
embodied in tho Trust Dood. For instance, there h as boen
no levy on pr·odu otion to c·ompensate collieries which
t.hrough loss of t r·odo are unable to work. The scheme h as
heen \mder negotiation since last November a nd it had
come to ho regarded as toloi·ably certain that it would as
a whole novor come into operation. According to a semi-
official statement, however, it appears that the existing
voluntary arrangement is looked upon as merely temporary
and that steps are now being taken to bring about tho
adoption of the full scheme as originally framed so as to
make it operative as from July 2nd. Last week-end
colliery companies wore circula rised r equesting them to
give their· signatures to the Trust Deed. It is understood
that at least 80 per cent. of the collieries are ljkely to fall
into line, and if this turns out. to be the case the sc·hom<> will
come into force on the above- named date.
Subsistence Wage Issue.
The Executive Council of the South Wales Minors'
F ederation mot on }'riday Ins•, when the subject of most
interest discussed related to the s ubsistence wage payable
to cer tain classes o£ wot·krnen following the recent j udgment
in the Cour t of Appeal upholding the men's contention
regarding the interpretation of the award o£ the I nde-
pendent Chairman. It was decided to instruct the F edera-
tion solicitors to put in claims at once for the recovery of the
arrears due to the workmen affected by the decision of the
Court. Following this thore war; a meeting of the Joint
Standing Disputes Committ,oo of tho eoal trade on Monday,
when the workmen's representatives raised the question
o£ the recent judgment and asked the owners' representa-
tives if they had a statement to make. The r eply was that
the Coalowners' Association had definitely decided to
enter an appeal in the House of L ords against t he judgment
referred to.
Tin-plate Works Strike.
Unfor·tunately, the strike of tin-house men at the
Gorseinon, Grovesend and .Mardy tin-plate works, which
has resulted a ltogether in about 2000 men being idle, h as
not come to an ond. Thoro is no prospect o£ the trouble
terminating until the men recognise the constitution framed
by t heir own side on the Indus trial Council and return to
work as o. preliminary to the discussion of their grievances.
It is estimated t hat a s the result of the stoppage workmen
have lost up to this week £10,000 in wages.
Steel and Tin-plate Works.
A r eport from Pontardawe states that Messrs.
Gilbot·tsons have decided to erect another four tin mills,
which will mean employment for a considerable number of
hands. The work of excavation has begun. This firm now
employs about 2000 hands. Owing to lack of orders in
the heavy stool t •·ade affecting the Por t Talbot district
Bald wins, Ltd., have disposed of t he heavy mill and rolling
gear which was erected at conf!iderable expense during the
war at their Margam Works. This plant is being shipped
to Austx·alia and will bo re-eroc·tcd at Port. Kemble.
Current Business.
The gener·al tone of tho mar·ket has been a shade
quieter, but thero has been no a lteration in values. Several
of the lf.>ading c·oncor·ns have been comparatively well
placerl for tonna~e. but in other directions the supply of
ready s teame rs has not been anyt hing like so good, and
this fact hafl tended to produro a certain amount of
irregularity. That the ronditions in the trade continue to
be far from satisfactory is s hown by the fact that the work-
men employed at the <.:aerau Colliery belonging to North's
Navigation Company received notices on Satu rday to
tet·minate thl'ir· c·ontra(·tH. whirh for· som e time past have
affec·ted by
.
boen on the clay-to-day
this doc·iHiou .
.
. ba~iH. Nearlv :WOO men arc
•
Whitsuntide Holidays.
It has boon agr<'od that at Whitsuntide thN·e will
be no wor·k so far· tltl the coal tr·immo rs and t.i ppers are c·on ·
c·or·ned at loc·al doc·ks on t.he Whit. Monday and Tuesday,
and t.hat on the \.VednoRdo.y •
two short. continuous s hifts
shall b{l wor•kflcl, normal o l'l'angom on ts being ,·es\1mod on
t lw 'I 'IHII'>~dov.
•
LAUNCHES AND TRIAL TRIPS.
]>\SS OF BALI.ATf;n, ~in~le·!l<'rew oil carrier ; built by Blyths-
wood Shipb1uldin~ CompMy, Ltd., to the order of Bulk Oil
Steamship Company, Ltd.: dimonsionR, length 200ft., breadth
30ft. Oin .. depth 14rt . J~nAines. triplc-cxptmsion, pre88ure
180 lb. per square mch ; launch, l\Jay 3rd.
AI'UR~:. twin-!!c·row tank l!le6mer : built by l'ulmer's , hip-
build in~ 1\nd I ron Co111pany, Ltd ., to tht> order of \'cnezuola
Gulf Oil Company; trial t rip, May 4th.
BmTJSH Anoourt, oil lank sleamt'r; built by Palmer's Ship·
build in~ and Iron Company, Ltd ., to the order of British Tanker
Company. Ltd.; launch, :llay 4th .
H oNV£o, steamship ; huilt by Swan, H unter and \\' igham
Richardson, Ltd., to tho ordor of Hunli(Mian Levant Steamship
Compuny, Ltd.; cllmonltiOnH, 370ft. long; to carry 7500 tone
deadweight. l~nginos, triple-expansion ; constructed by North-
Easte•·n Marino gn~incoring Company, Ltd.; launch, May <lth.
HJO DrMr \NTF., Htoau111hip ; huilt. by \Villiam Gray and Co.,
Ltd., to the ot·c.lor· of Thompljon Shipbuilding Company, Ltd .;
d imonsions, 400ft. long, ()3ft. breadth, depth 28ft. 1tin. Engine11,
•
557
balnnced quac.l nap le -oxpan11ion, in vl.'rled, direct-actin~. 11urf ace
condensin~, pressure 260 lb.; constructed by Central Marine
Engine Works; trial trip, l\lay 5th.
YoRXSJJlBEMAN, twin-screw tug and passenger ateRmer;
huilt by Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, ~td .,
t o t he order of Unit-ed Towing Company, Ltd. ; dimensrons,
triplo-t'xpansion, JOin., 16in. Md 2Uiin. diameter by 16in. stroke ;
prE'SSure, 190 lb. : launch, May 8th.
Hco'M'Jt4tt C:111t:f', Aingi<H!Crow Atenm oil tankt'r ; built hy Sir·
\\'. C:. ArmF<trong, Whitworth and Co., Ltd., to the order· of
Tunker<t Ltd.; clito1onsion11, len.~rth '155ft., breadth 66ft. Sin.; to
f'IWry 10,000 tons dcoctwl'ight. l~n~ines, inverted, dir·ec t·ll('tin~.
lmrf6l'e rondcn11ing, quo.druplt>·t'XJ>tlnRion, pre!IRur·e 250 lb. JH"'
Hquare inch ; trial trip, :VIoy 4th.
Kuw CrTY, Rteomship ; built by \\'illiam Gray ond Co., Ltd ..
to tlw order of Sir " ' illiam Reordon Smith and Sons, Lttl.;
dimensions, lrngth 400ft., brt>adth 14ft. 3in., depth 28ft. Oliu.
Engines, 25in., 112in., 70in. by 48in. stroke, pressure !:!00 lb. per
square inch ; constructed h.) Central Ma.rine Engine Wor·kR:
trial tr·ip, M ny lOth.
GnETAJIJBJ,o, oi l tanker; built by Commell Laird 1\nd Co., L td.,
Lo the order of H unting and Son; i.o carry 14,400 tons. J.:nginell,
11ingle-t~rrew balanced quadruple-expansion; trial trip, May I I tit.
CABO RASO, single-screw tug ond salvage steamer ; built by
H arlnnd and Wolff, Ltd., to the order of i\IcKio and Boxter, Ltd.,
for the Lisbon Hnrbour Board ; dimensions, length I 20ft ..
breadth 25ft., depth 12ft. 6in. Engines, triple-expansion,
surfoce-condonsing ; ronst ructed by the builders; handed tu
owners on ;\lay 15th Gfler running sutisfoctory trials.
O.A.TALOOUBS.
Hroos MOTORS, Witton, Birminji(hatn.-Latest price list of
alternating-current and dirert-current motors.
'l'uE RILEY STOKl>R COMPANY, Ltd., 9. Bridge-street, S.W. 1·
- Ca.taloguo describing in detail the " Rileyturba " stoker.
'ffll~ B RITISH THOMSON·HOUSTON COl\ll'ANY, Ltd., Rugby.-
Descriptivo lillt. No. 003 of eloct.ric printing press equipanents.
Wn.LIAM A8QVITH ( l 920), Ltd., H alifax.- Two catalogues of
high-speed drilling machiJleS fo1· rnilway worl< 1\nd portahlc•
universal radial drill it1g roach ines.
THE SuE~'BIELO TwtsT DR1LL AND STEEL COMPANY . Ltd.,
Summorfield-stroot, Shoffiold.- A hundred-page book let of
drills, roa.morA and rnilling cutters of all types.
STUliTEVANT ENOIN.EElUNO COMPANY, Ltd., 147, Queen Vie.
t.orio-stroet, E .C. 4.-Catalogue No. 1235 in four sections:-
( 1) Fans, (2) Systems and Plants, (3) Apparatus, (4) Crushing,
Grinding and Screening Machinery.
CALLKNDER'S CABLES AND CONSTRVCTION COMPANY, Ltd.,
Hamilton H ouse, Victoria Embankment, E. C. 4.-A book entitled
" Callendor Overhead Construct ion," describing in detail trans-
mil!sion and di11tribution lines, railway electrification, cable
bridges, &c.
SAMVEL OSBORN AND Co., Ltd., Clyde Steel Works, Sheffield.
The following sot of catalogues :-" Reamers in 1\Iushet Steel,"
" Chisels and Snaps for Pneumatic Machines,'' " Twist D riUe in
Mushet. Steol " " Rust-resisting Steels a.nd Irons," " Tool and
Special Steels,'' " Springs,'' " Automobile and Aircraft Steels,'
" Carbon Tool Steels," " Files.''
Roo l'AOKJNO.- Wo have received from Allan Clayton, Ltd ..
of 45, Russel-stroet, Leamington Spa, a sample of " Granola '
plostic metallic packing, which hos been compressed into a piston·
rod gland . The material appears to be a compost of fibre, greast',
~raphite, and amnii load shot, and is, we are told, sent out
rn roUe of 2 lb. each. The strand is sup(>lied in a uniform thicl• ·
noes regard loBS of the size of the box whrch has to be pe.cl<ed nnd
is roughly moulded by ho.nd to approximate shape before being
put in place. :F'rom the sample whtch we hove before us it appears
that the mass ReLtlos down into a homogeneous ring fitting
closely in the box and round the rod. The lubricating valut'R
of its constituents need no comment. It is cloime:l thnt it will
serve equally W<lll for saturated or superheated steam, hot or·
cold water Md most liquids, except petrol and strong caustic
liquor.
E~o tNEEIUNO OoLFJNO Soomn.-The spring meeting of the
Engmeoring Oolfing Society wos held on the course of tlw
Tandrid~e Golf Club on Tuesday last, the 15th inst. Jn thco
morning round- an eighteen-holes s troke competition under
handicap-the President's Challenge Cup and Memento wore
won by W. L. Mo.nsorgh with 89 - 8 = 81, and the Wilson
ChaUon~e Cup and Jllomeuto by\\'. R. Manning with 91 - 11..- 80.
T he First Divi11ion Second !>rize went to P. L. Riviere willt
86 - 3 = 82 after a t ie with C. W. l\!yddleton, 85 - 3 - 82,
and the Second Division econd l'rize to K. W. Macnee witlt
99 - 18 - 81. The Sealed Nine-hole I)rizes-given by the
Captain- were awarded t\8 follows : -First Division, C. W .
Mydd leton with 38 - li
Mac nee with 46 - 9
36~, and Second Division, K. W .
37. In the afternoon, in n four-ball
foursomes round, motch ploy against bogey, there was o triple tiC'
at 3 up. The prizes wore awarded as follows :-Timmis Challenge
Cups and llfemonloes, J. H. Skclton and P. V. H unter ; econd
J'rizes, 0 . N. Watney o.nd C. Stewart, and S. Price Williams
a\nd S. C. Lewill. There were frlty-one competitors.
JNSTT'I'UTION 011 MECHANICAL EXOJN.E.ERS.- Membera of lho
No1·t·h· \Vo11torn .Br·anch of the Institution of :Mechanicnl Engi.
uoers to l,ho al\lmhor of about l~ h11ndred spent a verv pleasant
nftemoon on 'l'lauN<day, May 10th, at the Mersey ironwor·ks
Elle11mere J'or·t, belong in~ to the '\'olverhampton Corrogate<i
I J'Oil Compuny, Ltd. 'l'ho party was received by tho mnnnging
di r'f'rt.or, J\Jr. F. J ones; the works 1\lanoger, 1\lr. R. Poverley:
und memborH of the staf£. L\rncheon was kindly provided h~
t ho company, and tho visitors were then conducted round tilt·
works, which extend for O\ or hall a mile. They ore arrangl'd
for· the manufacture of ~ah•anised corrugated steEII Rheet><
Robinson "protected metal," and n special type of vontiloto ..:
The protected meto.l is coated on ooch side with biturnen
wrapped in a sheet of asbestos, and is finnlly coal~ with o.nothc.>;.
lnyor of hitum<1n of a. much s trongc.>r and harder character. 'fht>
total output o~ this metal is over ~000 tons per week, and tlw
works ore desrgnod to red\aco manual labour to o minimum
Continuous production from the bar to the finished sheets i~
maintained. The gt'nerol lay-out of the works includes the
follo":ing : -Pot tcrnmaking shop11, bar shed with bar shearing
roach me, COO\'t'yor and pocker:s ; rolling mills, of which thoro
are twonty·n"\:e. twonty-ono dra~•on by three steam engines and
four by electrac motors ; one-thrrd of the stenm required for tho
engines is produced by waste heal boilers. Other departments
visited were tho shear building, where the sheets are cut square
ond cold roll~d ; a close nn~?aling shop with o furnace 100ft.
long ; a ptcldtng and ga.lvtmaslllg shop ; a corrugating shop ond
gen~rol stores. ~ demon11tra!ion wos given of apparatuR for
t~strnl'( t lto e~c aoncy of varaouH types of ventilatorA undC'I'
dafrcront condttaons. Tea. wa.<!l!t'rvod at the conclusion of a. moHt
enjoyable visit, and a vo to or tltanl<ti to tho company, propoflecl
by Jllr. A: Saxon and He<·oncled hy Da·. '1'. 1\lorlE'y, wn>t C'I:Wr·i<~d h~
ncclamatron. ·
•
 558 THE ENGINEER MAY 18, 1928

Current Prices for Metals and Fuels.

•

IRON ORE. STEEL (co1ttinued).

N. W. Co~sT- FOEI.S.
(1) Native . . .. • • .. • • 19/- to 21 /-
N.E. Co.uT- H ome. Expor t. SCOTLAND.
(J ) Spanish . . • • .. .. 19/- to 21/-
£ 8. d . £ 8. d. £ 8. d . ( Pricu not 1table . )
( 1) N . African ••
• •
••
• •
.. 19/- to 21 /-
Ship Plates . . •• • • 8 7 0 .. • • LANARX&unut - Export •
N.E. Co.uT-
Anglee . . .. . . 7 17 6 • • (f.o .b. Olaagow}-Steam 13/ 9
N ati ve . . . .
Boiler Platee .. .. 12 16 0 • • .. .. Ell . . ••
•• • ••
14/6
• • • •
.. ..
• • •• • • 18/- to 21 /- Joists .. . . . . 7 17 6 .. .. ..
Splint
••
..
• • • •
..
F oreign (c.i.f.) • • • • 0 •
22/ 6 Heavy Rails • • • • 8 10 0 .. .. .. ..
Trebles
•• 16/ 3 to 17/-
Fish-pla t.et • • • • .. 12 0 0 .. • • .. ..
Dou bles ..
• • • 0 ••
13/ 3
12/ 3

PIG IRON.
Channelt • •
Ha.r d Billete . .
. . 10
• • 7
6
12
0
6 ..
.. £9 to £9 6 ..
Avnsa m z -
..
Singles
••
••
0

. . ..
• • •

11 / 3
Soft Billote .. • • 6 I6 0 .. (f.o.b. Porte)-Stea m . . . . . . ..
Home. Export.
N. W. Co.uT- .... ..
Jewel . . ..
13/6
16/6
( 2) 800TL.Ufl>-
£ s. d £ 8. d. BA.IUlow-
Heavy R&i.ls .. F I FE91Jill.l:-
..
Trebles .. .. . .
• •
12/ 9
Hematite .. . . .. 3 14 0 .. . . Light R&ilt • •
•• 8 6 0 .. ..
(f.o. b. Methil or Burnt.
8 10 0 to 8 16 0
INo. 1 Foundry .. 3 16 0 to 3 10 0 - . ..
• •

No. 3 F oundry 3 10 0 t o 3 11 0
Billets .. . •• 7 10 0 t o 10 0 0 islaod}-Steam . . • • .. 11 /- to 13/-
• •
MA NOB EI~ Screened Navigation .. •• •• •• 18/-
N.E. CouT- Bare (Round) .. .. 8 17 6 Troblee •• .. •• • • 12/3 $0 12/ 9
Homatite Uized Nos. 3 10 0 .. .. 3 10 0 .. (Small Round ) • • 7 12 6 .. Doublee .. •• .. •• •• • 12/ 3 to 12/ 0
No. 1 •. . . . . 3 10 6 .. 3 10 6 Hoops (Baling) .. . . 10 6 0 10 0 0 Singlee . . . . .. •• ll / 3
• .. (Soft Steel) 9 0 0 .. L OTBIANe-
• • 8 15 0
Clevoland-
Platee •. . . . . .
. 8 12 0 .. .. (f.o. b. Loith)-Beat Steam .. • 11 / 6 to 12/ -
No. 1 .
. •• • • 3 8 6 3 8 6 ., (Lanoe. Boiler) . . 10 0 0 . .. Sooondary Steam .. .. • • • 0
•

•• 11 /3
Sitioioua Iron .. • • 3 8 6 3 8 6 Troblee • . .
•• So&rrmLn- 12/3
.. • •
• • • 0

No. 3 G.M.B .. . 3 6 0 .. 3 6 0
Siome~ Aoid Billets
. . .. •• .. .. 12/-
.. . . .. 10 0 0 .. • • • 0 • '"

No. ' Foundry 3 G 0 .. 3 G 0

Hard Baaio .. 7 2 •• .. •• ll /3
No. ' F orgo .. 3 4 6 .. .. 3 4 6 •• 6 to 7 12 6
Mottled .. 3 4 0
Intermediate Baeio .. 7 0 0 .. ENGLAND.
•
6 0 .. . .
• •
3 " 0 Soft Baaio .. ..
White .. . . • .. •• 6 (8 ) N.W . COAS'l'-

M I DLANDS-
•
3 " 0 3 " 0 H oope . . . .
Soft Wire Rode
• • 9 10 0 to 10 10
7 10 0 .
0 - H ouaohold ..
• • • • • 0 • • • • •
24./- to 26/-
• • 0 • •
• • 0 •• 37/ 6 to 60/-
( 8) Staffa.- UIOLAMDI - Coke .. • • •• •• .. .. 22 / 6 to 23/ 6
AJI-mino (Cold Blast) Small Rolled Bwa .. 7 6 Oto 8 0 0 NORTBUllanUNo -
.. ..
• 0 • •

North Btafle. F orgo . . - •

Billets and Sheet Bare . . 6 16 0 to 6 0 0 Beet Steama .. •• •• •• 13/ 6
.. ., F oundry .. 3 2 6 .. Shoots (20 W .G.) . . . . 11 10 0 to 12 0 0 Seoond8teams • • .. .. .. 11/8 to 12/-
Galv. Shoots, f.o.b. L'pool 13 0 0 to 13 2 0 Steam Smalls • • .. • • •• 9/- to 9/ 0
(8) Northampton- Anciee . . . . . . 7 17 6 .. Unaoreened .. • • • • • • • • •• • • 11 /8 to 12/-
Found.ry No. 3 .. 2 18 O to2 19 0 Joiate .. .. 7 17 6 Honaehold .. •• • • • • 21 /- to 27/-
Forge .. 2 13 6 .. • • T ooe 8 17 6 .. DO'RBAli-
• • • • • • • •
Bridge a nd T a nk Plates .. 8 12 6 . . • • Beet Gu .. • • • • • • • • 0 0 16/-
(8) Dorby.hire-
Boiler P latee • . . . . . 11 0 0 .. Seoond .. •• • • 13/ 3 to 13/ 9
No. 3 F oundry
Forge •.
• •

..
3 3
2 19
6to3
0 ..
" 6 H oUMhold .. . • • . • • . . 21 /- to 27/-
Foundry Coke .. .. 17/ 6 to 18/-
(8) Lincolnshire- S&EI'nBLD- Inland.
No. 3 F oundry 3 3 6 NON-FERROUS METAlS. Beet Hand-picked Braooh .. 27 / 6 to 29/ 6
No. ' Forge ..
Basio ..
•• ..
..
3
3
1
0
0 ..
0 ..
•• - SWANeEA-
Ti n .platea, I .C., 20 by U .. 18/ 6 to 18/ 7l
Derbyshire Best Bright H ouse 20/ 6 to 21 / 6
Beat H ouae Coal • . . . . . 19/- to 20/ 6
• • • 0 • •

B look Tin (oash) . . . . . . .. .. 232 10 0 Soreened H ouse Coal 16/- to 17/ 6

(4) N.W. COAST- .. (three months) .. . . .. 232 0 0 .. .. Nuta . . . . 16/- to 16/-
N. Lanoe. a nd Cum.- Copper (oaeh) . . . . . . 62 10 0 Yorkehire Harda . . . . . . 16/- to 16/-
-
0 • • •

0 (o ) .. (three montha) .. 62 16 0 Derbyebire Harda . . 16/- to 16/-

• • • •
Hematite M.ized Nos. 0 (b) Spanish Lead (oaeh) .. .. .. 20 0 3 Rougb Slaoka .. .. .. .. 8/ 6 to 9/ 6
6 (c) • • ,. (three moath.e ) 20 13 9 Nutty Slaoka . . 6/- to 7/-
• • •• • •
•
Speltor (oath) . • . . . . 26 6 3 Smalls . . . . . . . . . . 3/- to 4/ 6
------------------------------------ .. (three montba) . . . . . . . . .. 26 18 9 Blaet-(urnaoe Coke (Inland) 13/- at ovens
Furnace and Foundry Coke (Export), f.o. b. 16/ 9 to 17/ 6
M AN OBESTZB--
MANUFACTURED IRON. Copper, Beet Selected lngote .. •• • • 06 10 0 CAIU>xn- (8) SOUTH W ALES.
H omo. .. Eleo\ ro1ytio • • •• 67 15 0 Stoam Coala :
Export.
£ 8. d . £ •. d .
.. Strong Bhoote .. 92 0 0 Beet Bmokoleu Large . . • • . . 19f3to20/-
S OOTLAND-
.. T ubee (Baeil Price), lb . . . 0 1 1 Seoond Smokeleee Large .. .. . . l8/ 6 to 19/-
Crown Bare .. .. . . 10 6 0 .. 9 16 0
BraaaTubee (B aeie Prioe), lb. .. .. 0 0 11 ! Beet Dry Large .. . .. . .. 18/ - to 18/ 0
.. Condonaer , lb. . . . . .. 0 1 2 OrdiDAI'y Dry Largo . . 17/ 3 to 18/-
Beat .. .. • • - Lead, E nglish .. . . . . .. 22 0 0 Beet Blaok Vein Largo
••
. .
••
. . .. 17/ 3 to 17 /9
N.E. COU'l'- .. Foreign .. 20 17 6 Weetern Valley Large . . 16/ 9 to ) 7/:l
Jron Riveie . . .. 11 6 0 Spelter • • . , . . • • 20 15 () Beet Eaetern Valley Large . . . . •• 16/ 6 to 17/ 3
Common Bar11 .. 10 6 0 •• Aluminium (per ton) .. £107
Ordinary Eaetorn Valley Large . . •• 16/ 3 to 16/ 6
Beet Bare • • • • . . 10 16 0 Beet Steam Bmalls .. . . • • • • 12/ 6 to 13/-
Ordinary Bm alls . . . . 11 /- to 12/ 6
L.a.Noe. - Washed Nuta .. . . .. 17/- to 21 /-
-
• • • 0

Crown Bare . . . . . . 10 0 0 .. • • No . 3 Rhondda Large .. 19t 6 to 20/-

• • ••
Seoond Quality Bare • • 9 10 0 .. •• - FERRO ALLOYS. , , Smalla .. 14/ - to 14/ 9
H oope . . . . . . .. 13 0 0 .. • • Tungeten Metal P owder ..
1/ 7 i per lb. •• No. 2 ,. Large . . • 0 • 0 16f- to 16/ 6
S . YO&J[I. -
Ferro Tungsten . . . . .
. •• • • 1/ 3 per lb. .. .. Through • • • • • • • U t 6 to 16/ 6
Crown Bare .. 10 10 0 .. • • - Ferro Chrome , 4. p.c. to e p.o. carbon
Per T on . P er Unit. ,. .. SmtJls
.
•

. ..
0 • • • • 12/6 to 13/ 6
Beet Bare
H oope .•
.. 11 0
12 0
0 ..
0 ..
• • - .. .. 6 p.o. to 8 p.o. ..
£!2 10 0
.. £t2 2 6
1/ 6
7/-
Foundry Coke (export) ..
Furnace Coke (export) . . . . .. ..
30/- to 37/8
27/ 6 to 30/-
• • • •
.. .. 8 p.o. to 10 p .e. .. £22 0 0 6/- Pateot Fuel • . • . . . . . .. 21 / 6 to 22 /6
Mrou.Noa- .. .. Speai.ally refined . . . . Pitwood (ex ahlp ) . . . . • • 27/6 to 28/-
Crown Bare . • . . • • 9 G 0 to 10 0 0 .. .. Maz. 2 p.o. e&rbo n .. £36 0 0 12/- SwANn:..a.-
Marked Bare (Sta ffs. ) 12 0 0 .. .. - , . u 1 p.o. oarbon
•• .. u o 10 0 16/- Antbraoite Coalt :
Nut and Bolt Bare
Gas Tube Strip
• • 8 17
. . . . 11 0
6 to 9 0
0 ..
0 - ..
,.
..
..
., 0 · 70 p .c. oa.rbon .. £46 10 0
.. carbon free .. • • 1/ 2 per lb.
17/- Beet B ig Vein Largo
Seoondt . . . .
••
..
..
..
32/- to
24/ 6 to
36/-
27 / 6
• • • •
Metallic Chromium . • • • • • • • 2/ 6 per lb. Red Vein .. . . • • •• • • 20 / 6 to 27/-
Forro ?.fanganeee (per ton ) . . . . £13 10 0 Cor homo Maohino-made Cobblea .. 40 /- to 42/ 6
£13 10 0 for export. Nuts •• • • • • • • .. 31f 6 to 42/ 6
STEEL. (d) .. Silicon, 46 p.o. to 60 p.c. . . . . £13 0 0 eoale 6/- per Boa~ .. .. .. .. 23/- to 27/-
(8) H ome. (7) Export. unit Peae .. • • • • • • • • •• • • 17/ 9 to 19/-

( 6) SooTL.UJo-
£ s. d . £ •. d. .. ..
76 p.o. • • . . £20 10 0 ecale 6/- per
unit.
Breaker Duff . .
Rubbly Culm
• •
..
.. .. .. 8/- to
10/- to
8t 6
10/ 6
• • • • • 0 0 • • •

Boiler Plates • . . . 10 10 0 .. •• 10 10 0 " Vanadium • • .. .. . . . t•/ 3 per lb• . Steam Coal.e :

Ship Plates, tin. and up . . 8 7 6 . . • • 7 12 6 .. Molybdenum .. .. . • • .
4 / 6 per lb. Larc• .. . . • • •• • • • • 0 • 17/ 6 to 18/ 6
Seotio~ . . . . . . . . 7 I7 6 . . • • 7 2 6 .. Titanium (carbon free ) • • . 1/ 1 per lb. . Seoond.a .. .. • • •• .. 10/- to 17/-
Steel Sheete, lin. . . 8 12 6 .. 8 10 0 Niokel (per ton ) . . . . . . • • . . £170to£176 Small• .. . . . . .. 10/- to 12/-
Sheete (Gal. Cor . 24 B .U. ) 13 5 0 13 0 0 Ferro.CObalt . . . . . . . . . .
9/ 6 per lb. Cargo Through • • 0 • • • • • • • 16/- to 16/-

( t ) Delivered. (2) Net Makers' works. (3) C.o.t . Makore' workl, approximate. ( t ) Detivered Sheffield. (6) Glaagow, Lenark.shiro and Ayrshire.
(I ) Home Prioee All delivered Glasgow Sta t..ion. Boiler Platee 10/- enra d elivered England. (7) Export Prioee f.o.b . Glasgow. (8) Ezoept where otherwise indicated,
ooal.e .,.e per t on at pit Cor inland and f.o.b. for export, and ooke is per ton on rail at oYeDI aDd f.o.b. for uport. (I ) Per ton f.o .b. (o) Delivered Qlaegow. (b) Delivered Sheffield.
(~) Deliverod Birmingham. (d) R ebato 12/ 6 jo ist s and 10/- all other materie~l i i£ ho mo con~~umers con lino pur,·hfL'!o~ S<>loly to Bri t ish proc.l ur tll.
 ENGINEER 599
,J(fN ~ 1' 1928 THE

Railway Matters. Notes and Memoranda. Miscellanea.

D URJ •o 1!)27 th(l total sale!! of electricity for all purpOR{'S LAST year waR a period of m arked prosperity iu all the
TtfE R(\Lurns of N·iciPnts and 'asmaltit>~ on Brit ish domains· of Poland's eronomic life and of increased con-
railways during ISl>t year have now been issued a-; a in Shanghai were 400,:343,3 5 kilowatt -hourR, as compared solidation and general sta.bilisation. writes Mr. R . E.
StationE"ry Offire pt1blic·ation. pric·e 1 ~. with 40fl.245. ) 0 in the year 1926. a derrea.<lC Of 1 · S);J per
cent.. The year's trading ros ultcd in a net profit, aftf'r KimcnR, C.M.C.:., British Commerrial Secretary at Warsa~v.
THE reronstructed s tation at. Wimbledon i1.1 beginning
mE'E"tins:r interest and all oth('r net rev('nue charges . of Goods in demand include machinery or all kinds, colomal
to show what. it ultimately will bo like. The fotLr original Tl.s. 2,292,554. The decrease in sales is attributable to produc·e, cherruc·a.ls and textiles.
main lines through the s tation arE' now in their p ermanent. the serious and long-continued s tate of distu~ba~ce ~vhich A RoYAL Commission will inquire into broadcasting
position; the roofing or Nos. 5- 6 platfol·m iH practically took plac·e in the early part of the year , the 1nstrtut1on. of throughout Canada, and advise as to its f~ture adminis~ra. ­
c·ompletE"d, that on No>~. 7- platform is nearly finished, the curfew and the continuous industr ial troubles reactmg tion and control. The Governm ent IS contemp latm g
ond Nos. 3-4 platform roofing has been begun. The against the output. In view o£ these _c ircumstan~es, thP control, based on the British system, w ith public ownership
~l itch am branch linE'S are now being dealt with.
financ·ial results may be regarded w1th a constderable of all broadcasting stations. A sum of 250,000 dollars
. .
IT was only as rerE"ntlv . as in our issue or 1\Jarr h 9th thM degree of satisfaction , more especially when acC'ount is (£50.000) has been voted for ship-to-shore wireless tele -
we referred to a letter in The Timu from Mr. A. Rosling taken of the r ea ction against efficiency which the con- graph stations.
Bennett, one or the many historians of the locomotive. as ditions involved. T HE reference to the Supreme Cou rt of t h e q uestion as
to his having, at the British Assoriation m eeting in 189 1,
BETWEEN sixty and seventy scientists and fuel tech- to whether the water po_wers in Ca.nad~ a re. under the
proposed the construrtion. equipm~nt and operation or a
nologists in eleven different countr·ies, it is announ<·cd, have jurisdiction or the Domiruon or the :'?rovtnces IS regar dE'd
tube rail·way similar to what is now known as the P ost by the judges as one or the most unportant cases ever
Office tube. \Ve r<'gret that W<' have now to record )fr. tentatively accepted invitations either to speak or to read brought before them. T he hearing was to com~ence on
papers at' the Second International Conferen~e on ~itu­
Bennett's drath on May 24th.
minous Coal, which will be h eld at the Carnegte Inst1tute May 28th, but it is anticipated that_jud~ment. \Vlll. not b e
THREE officet'S in t.he 'ignal and T elegraph D epartment of T echnology in Pittsburgh, Pa., during t~e woek of delivered until October. T he questiOn 1s of v1tal mterest
of the Great We tern Railway have b een given higher November 19th, 1928. The purpose of the commg congress in connection with numerous p rojects for power develop-
rank as a ronsequenc:e of the promotion of 1\Jr. C. M. Ja('obs is to present the results of recent studies of coal that have moot which will be affected.
to succeed the late ~Jr. R. J. In.sell . as ignal and teleg raph to do with improved methods of utilisation and corn· THE Government of Colombia, South America, which
C'lngineer. Mr. . Hult, hitherto known as a.~sistant to bustiou. The p1·ogrammo will include the disc:us~ion. of recently effected a loan of 60,000,000 dolJa.rs for railway con-
signal engineer, becomes assistant. signal ongineer ; Mr. low -temperature distillation. high-temperature disttllat1on struction and public works, has awarded to t ho P . Lya.ll
H . F . D . Page, divis ional signal <'ngineer at Cardiff, is coal tar products, power, s mokeless fuel, complete ~asifica­ and Sons Constru ction Company, of Montreal, t he order
made assistant to signal engineer ; and Mr. C. H . Crook, tion of coal, hydrogenation. pulverised fuel a~d _1ts new for the building of a railway b etween Tunja and Belez.
one of Mr. lnsell's assistants, is also given the latter title. applirations, fLxation of nitrogen, coal benE"fic1ahon, &c. the value of which is stated at approximately 20,000,000
THE Minis try of Tran..c:;port railway statistics for FPbru· EXJ?ORTS of C'oal in April amounted to 3, 722,000 tons, dollars. T here was keen competition for the work by a
ary, obtainable from tho tationc.>ry Offic·e, price 3s. 6d. , compared with 4, I I 1.000 tons in March and 4, 118,000 number of European and American contracting firms. I t
s how that, compared with February, J 927, there was tons in April, 1927. In addition, coal s hipped as bunkers is understood that it will take two or three years to com-
an increase of H· 3 per cent. in the number or passenll:er for steamers engaged in the foreign t rade, including fishing plete the work.
journeys- owing, we ass ume, t o this being leap year vessels, amounted to 1,363,000 tons in April, 1,379,000 THE light cruiser " Shropshire," which ' Villia.m Beard -
and of 6 · 1 per <:ent. in the recei pts from paHsen~ers and of tons in March and I ,315,000 tons in April, 1927. The more and Co. (Ltd.), D almui r, are buildi ng to the order of
7 · 4 per cent. in the pnssenger train mileage. The tonnage avemge value per ton of coal exported was 15s. 9d .. in the Admiralty, is to be launched on T hursday, J uly 5t~,
of freight was, however·. down by 6 · 0 per cpnt.; the ton- April and March and 1 s. 6d. in Apr il. l 927. Companng by the Countess ~owis (Baroness parcey d~ Kne.yth m
miles by 7 · I per c·t>nl.. and thl' fr<>ight train receipts by the distribution of our exports of coal in April with those her own right), w1fe of Earl P oW1s, L ord-L1eu tenant of
:l · !) per c·E"nt. in April last vear, the only substantial increases s hown the Coun ty of • hropshire. The new vessel is one of tbe
D u at ' Cl the three months ended . e ptember 30th lnst, were in t.he expor-ts to Germany, which country took new ''County " class of 10,000-ton British cruisers, o[
the a~si sta.nt inspe(·ting officer~ of the Ministry of Trans- 43 1,000 tons compared with 256,000 tons a year ago, and whic•h the ..·Nor folk " is being bui lt at Fairfield. t he
port held fifty-five inquiries into the more se1·ious accidents Brazil- 1 L ,000 tons against 65,000 tons. The heaviest "Sussex" at Hebbw·n.on-Tvne, the " Devonshire" at
to railway servants. o[ which twenty w('rE' fatal <'Mes. reductions were in the exports to Scandinavia, Italy and D evonport. and the " Londo'n " and the " D orsetsh.ire "
0£ the m<'n killed, nine were permanent way men, two Franre. at Portsmouth. T he vessels are u nderstood to be 630ft.
were signal fitter>~ and t wo were porters. J n nine ca.c:;es Ttn; total rerorded world's production of diatomaceous in length overall, and to bo similar to the cruisers of t ho
the cause flssigned was want of c·are on the p art of the ea1·th, s tates a recent Imperial Institute monograph, is of " Kent " class, but without oxternal bulges.
d e<'eased ; in four, it was want of care on t.hE" part of a the order of 100.000 tons only per annum. but returns are AN offirial notice ( 170A) issued by H .M. Commissioners
fellow-ser vant; in six it was misadventure; and in one very in<'omplete. ~o official figures are available. ~or of Customs and Excise points out that Notice 170 of April
an error of judgmt:'nt by a fellow-srrvant. Danish .. m olcr " production, although large quantlt1es stated that it was proposed to provide in the Finance B ill
•

IT is hoped to ina\lgurate the next s tage or thE' electrifica- are obtained. The German production, which is <'On· for the repayment of duty paid on ~1ydrocarbo~ oi! con -
tion pro~ramml' of th£> outhern Railway on June I 7th. siderable, is also unavailable, but a. largo allowance mus t sumed in agricu ltural tractors used tn the cultiVfl:ttOn. of
Electric·ally operated trains ~v ill then run to Epsom Downs, be made for roru1umption in that country. The United arable land. This proposed a llowance was made pr1martly
nnd c·ertain routes on the old " Brighton " system whirh tates produces over 70 per c·on t. of thE' world's total. and in v iew of the fact that kerosine forms the great bulk of
are now operated by overhead construction, will then be consumes the greater part of its output. Owing to the tho oi ls used in a!ITicultural tractors, petrol, benzol, &c·.,
B.<·tuatccl by current from the t hird rail. I n anticipation fact that there are many s mall producers in Algeria, exact being used in relatively ve ry small quantities .. K erosine
of that event, considera ble c·hanges will be made on June figures for prod\l('tion in that c·ountry are not available. having been exc·luded from the d\1ty by a resolu t 1on passed
lOth in the lines between L ondon Bridge and Bricklayers' but it is the second largest producer·. T he chief cons um. on .May 1st, the s mall amount of duty 'vhich will now fall
Arms. and certain minor chan~es in the eiPrtric·al opern.- ing countries ar<> t ho United • tates. Germany. the United upon users or t ractors would not justify tbe establishment
tion of trains will bt- made on the latter datt-. Kingdom. and Franc·e. New uses for the earth are con- of the s perial official mac hinery necessary to enable repay-
A Lt:'M'ER which will appeal to railway engineers ap- tinually being found. and the ronsumption is steadily ments to be made. Accordingly no repayments will b e
p<'ared in The Times of 1\lay 21 st. lt suggested theappli. increasing. allowable in respect of any oils.
(•a.tion of the flying junction, as used on r·ailways, to the J'l a discourse delivered before the l:toyal Ins titution on T KE position in the coal-mining industry during the
p1'oposed new road from the trand to the Cavell Memorial Friday. May 25th, on " Engine Knoc·k and R£>lated first quarter of 192 was not markedly different from
so that vehicles going from northwards of the memorial ProblE-ms," by Mr. A. C. Egerton. F.R . . , it was explained that of the last quarter of 1927. Output was Jt million •
' .
towards Waterloo and vehideu from the trand gorng that ·· knorking " was a sound which rame from the tons higher, but s hipments were t million tons lower. Prices
northwards would not c·ross each other. \Ve believe that cylindN· of an internal combustion engine during the both for export and inland were still falling, although t he
the first instance or a flying junc·tion was that designed abnormal explosion of the charge. It limited the com- rate of d eclino was slower than during the p revious quarte1·.
by Mr. William Baker, the chief engineer of the L ondon and pregsion of the cha rge and therefore the efficiency of the Tho number of persons employed continued to decrease.
North.\Vestern, when the new line from Liverpool- opened engine. The efficiency could be improved (a) by suitable but there was a small improvement in the regularity of
April 1s t , l 69-was made t o pass under the Xorth main engine design; (b) by the admixture with the petrol fuel employment. The average number of p ersons employed
line and to join the up main line at \\'eaver .Junction. of lar,ae percentages of non-knocking fuel, such as benzene: during the quarter fell by 17,000, as compared with a.
TaE s ubway, 01· underground. 1·ailway of New Y ork or (c) by the addition to the p etrol of small quantities of dt·op in the D ecember quarter of 1>000. Ten and a -half
was built by the munieipality under the supervision of tho "anti-knocks," such as lead tetraethyl or iron carbonyl. days were lost by the pits through want of t rade--an im -
Board of Rapid Transit--as in the earlier similar work in Thus t he;. function or an anti -k-nock was to make possible provement of two days over both the September and
Bo ton. Under the lea e or February 21st, J900. the Inter- the use of higher compressions in the eng ine, thereby December quarters of last year. The amount of coal
borough Rapid Transit Company," the lessee. is bound increasing the efficiency and preventing the unnecessary retained for home consumpt-ion was higher by two million
to a maximum fare of 5 cents per passenger. regardlesR of wastage of large quantities of petrol fuel. I t was, explained tons.
the distance and whether other ronnerting lines have to be 1\fr. Eger ton. Sir Humphry Davy who, at the Royal I nstitu- ToKYO, the first city of the Orient to adopt the subway
travelled over. Naturally, the railway company has tion, first drew attention to the influence of small quo.n. as a means of solving t raffic p roblems, opened the first link
wished to raise the fare in ord er to meet the inrreased tities of combus tible s ubs tances on the rombustion of other of an underground system to the public at the end of
expen!!e or operation, but the city authorities l1ave sur<'eSS· mixtures. The remarkable features of anti-knocks, such D ecember, 1927. The enthusiasm of the populace over
fuJly resisted all attempts in that direction. Now. how. as lead tetraet.hyl or iron c·e.bonyl, were the small quan- the inauguration of what was to them a most novel scheme
ever. the Fedora! "tatutory •
Comt , in a decision announc·od tities needed to be effective - one part in 200,000 of the of travel was so great that close to 100,000 passengers
on 1\1ay 2nd, has held that a 7 tent fare would be legal. fuel and ait· mixtur&-and. secondly, the fact that although crowded the trains and stations on the opening day, and
the~· deadened d own explosion, they themselves, in the
TB.ERE has recently been issued the report by Colonel pure s tate. wc:>re highly inflammable and E>xplosive many rode repeatedly back and forth. The new subway
Trench. of the Ministry of Transpor t, into the derailment connects two thickly popuJated sections of Tokyo for
of January 20th, outside Glasj:tow Central Station, of two s ubstanres. which s urface lines had become inadequate, the terminals
<·onches of a passenger tr·ain. Eighteen passengers rom. AccoRO!NO to the Chemical Trade Journal an<l Chemical being at Ueno and Asakusa. In its constr uction and equip-
plained s ubsequently of minor injuries or s hoc·k, but nono Enuinl'er, aluminium powder. erroneously called aluminium ment, the engineering features and general appearance
of them made any report at the time of the a<·c·ident. The bronze in the United States. is acquiring an ever -inc•reasing a re very similar to those of the subways of New York City.
c·ause of the mishap was the brt'akage of the leading axle industrial importance. There is only one method available The excavation was open cut, and roofed over witb steel.
of the trailing bo~i<' of tire first of the two vehidC'Is in for its satisfactory production, and that is to s ubmit the It is of rectangular section and is situated comparatively
question. The report says t hat the coac·h was put into m etal to pressut·e in such a way that it is divided into very near to the s urface. The stations, even to the set spaces
Aervi("e in November, 1926, and was in the St. R ollox small pieces which have the s hape or spangles or shining for advertis ing on the walls, are like those of New York
Rh op;~ for periodical E-xamination and overhaul in Novem- plat<'lrts. By this process a. polishing effect is also im- City, and similar turnstiles of the coin-in-the-slot type a re
ber, H)27, when no defect was ob er,•able durin~ the parted. to whic·h the metal owes its lustre. If direct used.
inspE>ttion. The fradure orcurrccl about 4 ~in. inside the gri nding methods are employed, a p owder is obtained DETAILS of the projected Pykara hydro-electr ic power
1·ight-hand wheel and on the portion of the axle on whic·h which is by no rneans so lustr·ous as the spangles, so that scheme show t-hat it is one of the most comprehensive
t~1e manufarturer's branding was impressed. Examina- any direct grinding action should be avoided. The metal yet thought out in connection with India's great untapped
t•on after the ac·t·idrnt showrd that then• was a growing is usually ra.mmercd in specially constructed stamp mills. water power. The object of the sch eme, states the Elec·
flaw whic·h had E'Xtended ov~r about three-quarters of The aluminium must be pure--99 per <'ent. and over. trician, is to utilise, for the development of electric power.
the sedion of the axle prior to the final fracture. The Impurities. sud1 as iron and sili<'on , ma.kt' it hard and un- tho fall o[ 2050ft. o[ water where the P ykara descends
flawed surface wail, however, dean, and did not indic·ate s uitablo for trratment in the Rta.mp millR. I n addition, to the plain.•> below from the Nilgiris, about fourteen miles
that tiro whole 01· any portion of it had br<'n in ex i1.1tenc·e theso m<'tals for-m alloys with the aluminium whieh a.re from Cotacamund. From the Mysore embankment
for long. Examination of tiro s tr·ucturC' of the metal by <'OIOlii'E"d blue and ~rey, and so detrart f1·om the lustre of it is p roposed to transmit power by overhead lines to
means or micro-photographs did not rev<'al any adequate the powder. ln the hammN·ing prOCE"!!S it is readily intel· Coimbatore, Pollachi, Trichinopol y and Madura and
c·auso of fra<·ture. After remarking that >~imilar failures ligible that thr minute s pangles receive lines and other neighbouring a rea, though Madura may be left out at the
have been attributed t o th<' brea kage of the skin at the imprt:'Rsions from the mac·hinery. but it is precisely these moment. The scheme provides for a dam about t.hreo
branding, and rN·ommending that the brauding be u.t thC' irr-egularities on Lhc s urfac·e of the s pang les which <'Ontri- miles above the fall . This dam will have a storage
Pnd of tho axle, Colonel Trenc·lr roncludes that no blame bute to thei r int<>nsified r<'Aexion of incident light, and so capacity of not less than 4000 million cubic feet, a nd
s hould bo attached to the inspecting s taff c·onc('rnod in to the lustre or th('l powder. The thic·kness of the s pangles other storages will be provided against drought_ The
c·onnection with this breakage. The inspec·ting officer thE>n varies between a fourth and a five hundredth part of a total fall to b e obtained is about 3088ft. It is p ro-
draws attention to the examination of axles rec•ently millimE>tre, and the ratio which the diameter bears to the posed to install three generating sets, oach of 7500 kW
instituted by the L ondon Electric Railways, in whic·h a thickness va.!'ies between 200 : 1 in the case of good capacity, and, when necessar~, increase to five sets, a nd a
m_agnetic circuit is set up through the axle undor test, quality powde1·s to 5 : 1 in the case of poor- quality powders. further provision is to be mad e for two sets of 15.000 kW
Wtth a view to detE-cting Haws which may be invisible to The tougher the spangles the better the quality of the should demand justify it. The total installed power will
the ~ye. The apparatus appears to be compact and inex- material, and this toughneS!I is largely d l'pE>ndE"nt upon the be 67,000 kW. The transmission power wlll boat 110,000
pen'!IW, nnd the tp«t takes J~s than 5 minutes. pu1·ity of the metal used. volts, to be increased to l :~0,000 volt~.
 560 THE ENGINEER 1\tlAy 18, 1928
•

t'ffc<'lt'd by inlN<:on ncduaJ.: 11 ''at h 1\ trutiUl~ Oap a<h~pted to mo,·e
t\Utom~tl('l\lly, NthN· I•\\ 10~ t n tt'! \\ t'i~ht, position Of hin~inj(,
by spranu Jl rt't'"UI'l', ur hy 1111~ Ill" nil of tht>so combined. The
at the lo" or end of Raad <•htlm ber o.nd het\ted nu d1-whor~t:> means Ctns <.:, <'t\rracs rut lfl&ulnt an~ blcek fi tted w1th an el('('trodo 1>
nt the upper end o r sntd a·hl\mber"" menns t>onnce led "'ith the air w~uch <'O·Opcratcll w1th th e ~st"gmcnt~J and terminals o r the d•s·
disehargo moan!! fo r dt"laqmn~ and distrahutmg the heotcd na r trrl~utor moulding E to dat~trabute the high-tension ru rrent to the
to the heu.linsc r•hnmber of tht• flamQ('t' and mean" 1\;uj{)t'tl\l t'd ''~raous eparkmg plujto!. A small sir $BP ie provtdc I between the
~,·ith the air hln~t anlt't for dt•ll\"f' rll\1( th'e t\ir mto &~id t·hamht•r dte~rthutmg clce t rode D and the dastributor trogmcnts, acro•
Ill a tongentaul rlar<'<'tull\, 111 l'lllnhanntaon "ath perapht'ral rabR whtch the ha~th - tcnl!aon <·urf<'nts jump, and tho cOniM'quent
aoru~llon o f the nar rlf'<'f'H~itatca vcnt!lallon. The purpo!K' o r
the fins Cas to kc><'J) the aar anetde tho dtstrabutor <'asmg in rarl'u·
N°288.072 lntao n. and to th ao! <'nd '<'lltalahng ~tau:tes E are provtdcd, I!U
...
.•
•. •
that.aar 111 drn" n 111 liXHlll~ ond <'Xpclled in e. radial dircction. -
. lpra/ 1:?111, 19:?8.
•

1\I'I'<UIJ.(<IIIW•H '" 11'1 ••hv 1o111! in the drnwing ~~~ to need no d et!<· a·ip.
tu111. . l p1i/ Gth, 192!3.
TRANSMISSION OF POWER.
:?81,U)(i. ,)IUliiiWY 2:}rd , 19:?8. ha Pn()Vt;M~:NTl< IN \'AI\IABJ, a,;.
!li".t:t;l) Ut:Ait, Chnmbon, J~td ., or :?3 and 2G. Xnndlt\nd .
street, L o ndo n, W.C. 1.
This iawontion r(llnt~~ to imp.r ovem~nt~ in . variablo-sp e('d
lo(<'M.of. the typ0 ('~ lllpru!lng 1\ fH\I r o f fraCtiOn dJSCR and 1\ pair
nf frwlu~n rollers dasposcd b<'twccn and rolling against tho discs
na~d aga\mt!t ono another •md <'apnble o r being disploced radially
wath respect to tlw disrs. Tho drivin~ m ovoment is received
by th o pulley A 1\nd trnnsmitted by the s haft to th e disrs B
11nd C. Tho roll<>rt~ E ani! F nre ro tl\lcd run~ result of th e drive
<'ausod h~• tho fra<'liun sN up between the rolle<rs and undt'r the
pressure o r the sprlllj(fl (:. 'l'ho ro tation o r tht' ro llers is tranl! -
lllittod t<1 the sht\ft11 H au\CI .J, the wormt~ K, L. :\[ and X, tho intcl(rt\1 "ath th e lllllt••· wnll. hut !!pa<>od fro an tho ou to r wttll for
wheels 0, 1', Q and R , nn!l, finally, to tho s hafts and T . 1t diroctmg tho air in the) nar t'lanmber while absorbing the heat '. \\'. I. Annul\1 meet in~ ot H omo Office )luscum, H oNefcrry·
N~284-, 195
('
H
Forthcoming Engagements.
Secret.ariu of Institutions, Societiu , &:c., desirous of halfing
notiU! of nuetingtt inserted in this column, are requuted to tlOt~
that, •n order to mako lure of itA insertion the necusary informatio1~
should rweh this o.fllu, on, or before, the morning of tM. Wednuday
of th4 week preceding the meetings. In aU ca~u the TIME and
l'LAO£ at which tht. meeting is to be held should be clwrly 1/ated.
• • h
1- -o-
TO-DAY.
H I)\' \I, ) \;STITUTIO" 0 1' GR&AT B RtTA IN. - 21. All:>tlllltlrlu-
st rl'e t, \\'. I . Discourso, " Tho Sea in Factio n," "Y )lr. ~l orlcy
Robcrts. 9 p.m.
- .t:::!!IL---o!::::O....- T UESDAY. ~IA Y 22~'~>.
f LJ.\!Ml' \TI "O F.:>OCl i'\&ERI'\0 OCU:TY. -32, \ ' a<' tOrin ·8trN>t,
radi ntmg f•·om saitl innt'r "all. Prt>forably the outer fseo of the rond , ·. w. I. G p.m.
inne r wo_ll i8 form~.! \dth t\ t·ont in uous peripheral he lix forming RoYA L 'ocr&TV OF ARTS.-John -stN'ot, Adelplu, W.<:. 2.
corru~atu:ms o~ r1h11 RptwOtl from tho oute r wall, whereby in " The 01\mbio. Colony nnd Prote<·to mto,'' by Captain f;ir Cocil
<'omb~naltot~ wath th e nir blo~t, a cyclonic effect is imparloo to Armrto~o. 4.30 p. an.
th e aar passang through th e atr rh ambor.-.Jpril 5th, 1928. 'fH fJ INSTITUTION 011' LOC'O)tOTrv& ENGINEERS (LONLION).-
Visit to Man chester Ship Cnnl\1. J~covo Euston 8.30 a.m.
MACHINB TOOLS AND SHOP APPLIANCES.
\\'I~ DNERD.\ Y, :\1 \ Y 23RD.
273,297. .June 2 1Rt , 1927.-JMPilOVEMENTS 1'1" nil Rt:LATI'I"(l
·ro LOOAJ. IN J•' VS INO l\1t<:TAI.'< DY TilE ELECTRI C' .\nt• Js ::~T ITUTI ON 0~' MUN ICII'\1, ANIJ <'OU!STY J•>\ (U N to; J~ Il.loo .­
PuocEss MW TO J!:LECTRH' Auc \'\' t~L DIN O, 1'he British l:)outhorr\ Dit~trit· t an ootin~ nt th e Hofinory nt Fuwl":V, lll'lll'
•
'l'honUIOII · I-ItmiJ/011 C'om pan y, Ltd., 14 () rQwn J-loWte, t llrlu•ydt, Soutl111mpton. I :?. H) p.an.
1.-ondOil, W .('. 2.
'l'his invontio a\ rolutes to improveu1onts in me thodt! o r lot nll y TJIUH. 'DAY, MAY 24TH.
fusill~t metnl h y t ho e lco La·ic• ort· pt·ocet~s. Tn th o orro.nJ:tO·
mon t shown, nrgon is s upplied from 1\ suitable soui'C'<', through INt~TITVTION OF MUNICIPAL A~o CouNTY ENOINt:t:ti.S.-
EMt Midland Distric t Mceting.- At Council Chamber , Counoil
Offices, Station-road, Rinokloy. 11.15 a.m.
N° 273.297
FHIDAY. MAY 25TH.
H11 \ ''· I '" TI TUT t t•~> o~· Ont:AT Bn1T \IN. :! I. .\llot• allurh··
Ktr\'!'t, \\'. I. J>iS<:oursc," l~ngmo Kno<'k and Rch•ted l'a-ui,INnt<,'
by .\Jr . .\. C. l·:~crton, F .R.S . !lp.m.

THllHSD.\Y, F IUI) ,\\' A~D SATl'RD.\ Y, :\1.\\' 31~ r

N F
TO J U'<E 2so.
T11 t. I NKTlTUTIIl' o F )IUKJCIP\L -''~"D CousTY E~c"~.~.Rq,­
G Th<' H ydro, l'l'f'blc>-.. Scotti11h Dis tric t mt:'Ctin~.

"all he I!<'<'" that tho sh11Ct'i J [ llnd J ro tnte t\t tho samo speed
hut in <·ontrnry clirel' tio ns, with tho result that tho wh eel ~
0 aud Q rotate at tho same spocd and in the same direc tion on
a<>cow1t of tho opposite hands of the screw threads of the wormt1
K and i\f. Consequently, tho wheels 0 and Q can be mo unted
o n a. common shl\ft S, and both sorve for driving it. It
will also be seen thl\t tho shaft T is driven in a simila.r mannM
to that of the sho.ft S. The speed of the shafts S and T iH variecl
by the displocement o f the rollers E tlnd F rt\dially on tho friction
d iscs B and C. In this mnnner, any vtlriation botweon pre-
det<'rmined limits of speed of tho rollers, and consequently
of the shnfts S and 'I', oo.n bo obtained. 'rh o o.xial disploce mont of
Lho rollers 1•: nnd ~· mo.y be ofTcetod in any su ita.blo manner.
Tho Vl>r·it\blo genr m ec hnnism is clnimed to be partic ulo.rly
s uitable for uso on printinl( nuwhines.-April 12/k, 1928.
288,•183. XoptombOI' 17Lh, 1927. -lMPI\OVEMt;NTS rN ANI)
CONNECTED WITH CLUTOIIE8 J'OR M OTOR VEHICLES ANLI
THE LIKE, H o roco Hoynl Dickinsoo, Almoro.h, Mumbles·
r·oad. Oerwen Fawr, Swtlni!N\, Cla.morgon. and H orbort
I<:itchener Bu&lott. o f R osohall, Swan::~et\, Gh\morgan.
.\ clutch <·onstr-uo ted m t\l•t·ordonce with this invention <'0111·
pr·ises a plate clutch A t·omhint'r l "ith an y us ual fo rm o f fric tion
A
If
B CL,\ YTON AND Rll UTTI.EWORTII, Lt cl., or Lincoln. inforlll till tllllt
a r!exi hlo l!onduit. A tn ~~ wulding too l B , from wlait·h it is di s·
c htngod oro und the we lding e loc troclo C and the molten portions
of the wo rk D. Tn ploco or argon, mi.xtures of o ther goses con ·
taining argon might likewi11e bo s upplied. The e lectrode C is
indicoted as boing drawn from t\ ret:>l E by feed rollers F drivon
by [\ny sui table mNmH. Th<' ft>t'tl ro llers are mounted in a
welding head (;. 'fho clc<·trodt' i11 dt>ll\·ered from the ro ll~J F
to the tool B by a. Boxiblo conduit Jf. Welding current is sup plied
at J from any suitable t!Ourl'o.-.lpril 12th, 1928.
PERSONAL AND BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS.
TII OI!. W . \\'AIIO, Ltd .. o r Shoffield, flt\8 l\Cquirc tl fo r diHIII t\llt ·
ling purpol!ell tlw wo rks o r t hl' Ailhi'>nry R nilwny Cnrrll\1(6 llfld
Iron <:ompMy. t.rtd .. Monc hcst(lr.
th (ly h twe i'>oon awo.rdod th e silvoa' modal- hiJ.!hest award-at
th<1 Dublin J\ gricu lturl\1 Show fo r their 30 B.I-I. P. electa·ic typo
co ld·Ahtl'ting hetwy o il (lll~in o o f th o C:layton . Bab<·oc k del!ign.
OONTRAOTS.
Tu a. (:~:;:st.n \ I. EL~:<'TR IC ('o\IPASY, Ltd., hos rl't:ein•d tm
ord1•r from tho Lond on l rnated Troanways fo r ono hundreJ nml
two GO ho rso-nowcr trf\m<'l\r motors. \\'.T. :?8 ~f.L.
•
BnAJTttWAITE A"D C.:o. , Ltd., of Bro adway Buildingt1. \\'e~t ·
minster. London, S. \\'. I. hove been awarded a <'o ntrset for the>
11 u pply o f a comhin PCI rond and railway bridge ovl'r the rtver

- :?88.~ Ill.
MOTOR CARS AND ROAD TRAFFIC.
F e bruarv Zl11t , 10:?7. -l\IPROVEMt::'ITS IS \'ID n&LAT·
TO D ISTRIB UTORS f'OR MA CNI!TO·ELEC'TRIC :\lACUINES,
l 'l"(l
The B ritish ThoiiiAOn-H ouston Company, Ltd .. o f Crown
H ouse, Aldwyc h . London, \\'.C. 2; Locnard Griffiths. o f
18, <.:rafton -s trl'e t , C'ovontrv. and Froderick Ambroso
F ost!Oy. o f 4, HarriK· r·oad . StOko, Covontry.
Th o objc<·t. of thitl invention iA to prevent sto~nation e> f the
E has received an order from th e Now South Wales Government
t·lutc h B , the pinto clutdr bcin~ pro,·idt'd "ath adjustable sprmgt~
(' 1\lld a driving connection to the IIKui\1 dutch, so arranJ:tcd thnt
111 the clutchin~ operl\taon the plstc t·hat<·h is applied bl'fore th t'
uthor clutt·h <'omes mt<l u p<'ration , nnd 111 do-clutching thu Ublllll
dutch 11! tltscngagc I h<•fo ro the pla\tc dutch. Tho odvontal(e
l'lnimed for tho clutc h as that it tokPl111JI tho load more grud unll_v
th1\ll Ul!ual.- . l pril 12th, 10:?8.
H ooghly at Coll'utta. 1'he bridge. which will weigh 17,000 to nK,
will <'one ist. o r Rovcn spnn11 eoch of 360ft.
J 011N I. TII ORNYC I\Ol'T AND Co.. Ltd .. inform U t! that they laO\ c
rOOOIVed from th e P arsons ~Iarine teo.m Tu rbine Cou\pany,
Ltd.-whic h hl\8 itself obtained 1\ll order fro u1 the B ritielo
Admimlty for one o f the eigh~ d estroyers coil? prising th~ 19~7- 8
programme, on which machmery of a spooral type wath htgh ·
pressure steam is to be installed-an order for the hull 1\nd
boilers o f that vessol.
BntTlSH DnowN- B OVERI, Ltd .. informs uslhat its orgru1isotion
Railways nnd Tramways for ton additional sots of power
rectifie rs eimilo.r to those which it supp lied to the Cordon. s ub -
stt\tion in 1925. The rec tifiers are l GOO kW, 1500.vo lt, clarect -
c urront units with an overload capocity of 25 per cont. for t.wo
hours, 50 per cent. for twenty minutes, 100 per cont. for three
minutes. 200 por cont. fo r ono minute, and. 300 pe~ cent: for peak
loads. They are to be supplied on the prrmary. s1do ~Yrth thre~·
phose, 50-period c urrent at 33!000 volt s, and wtll be mstallod 1n
the Cordo n, Epping, Grnnvrlle, Sefton and Cabravo.le sub·
s tations.
;\[t: r.onUliS LTD .. of 'l'im~erley, near :\loncbeeter, hos durin~
th e post row months rocci\' Cd o rders fo~ its for~ed dra~ght
furnoces w1th smoko <'Onsumer for some e•J:thty ho alers, mamly
nf tho J.anroHlure 111HI Corniflh I>'P~~- T~cS? o rd~r11 ha\'1'1
romo from various mdus tri<'R, int'ludmg colhorae~. brtckwo~ks,
r·h t'm ical workt!, nrt Rilk works, iron and s teel works. loundraeR,
woollen nulla, cNncnt . lim e a nd pottt>ry works, gasworks. l_1ot
workR. furn itu r<> works. ll our m il111, institutions . &c . Ollrtnj:
lht• l!ll ll10 period forty.fh•o ;\l~ldnun rt'ius_e d estruc tors, aangm~t
111 si:r.o from thl'l 11mnll dom<'Ktac type bummg 25 lh. of ro(uRO per
hnu 1· up to thOI!C) for trnde ond municipal purposes," t're o rdl'rNI.

FURNACES.
288,07:?. .July 18th , 1927. C'VPOL.\'1, A. H . Coplan, i, C:lomow·
avenue. Ottawa, Ontario. Ro\'AJ .•\ &nO'-~A UTICAL SOCIETY.-A~ a me~tin~ o~ the Cowwil
Here we have a t~pecificat ioat in which, with the aid of a brief of th e R oyl\1 Aeronnutico.l S ociety- wath whtch t8 mcorporntt'd
quotation and 1\n illustration, the idoaa of the inventor ore dill· the Insti tution of Aeronautical Engineers- held on 1\Iay 8th,
closed. The ilhtlltration needs no <'omment, and the quotation 1928, Colonel the l\lnster o f Sempill was unan!mol!sly elected
is as follows :-The invention <'OnSil!ts in substituting, in a cupola, PN'sident (o r the ensuing year, 1928-1929. A1r Vac~-:Marsb~l
for the usual refroctory lining, an inner wall of heat resisting t\ir in~tido the uu1tributoa' c hamber o f •• mngneto. Tho de11irt>d Sit· Vyoll Vyvynn, K.C.B., D.S.O., wl\8 re-elected Vtce-Pres•·
!!loci spaced fr·om the outer wall of the cupola to form a con - obj ce L is o btnincd by p a·oviding four blades or fins on tho dis- dent, o.nd Liout.-Co lonel J. T . C. Mooro-Brabazon, 1\f.C., wall
tinuous air daombor, nnd providing air blaet admission moo.n s tributor genr w l\col. This goor wheel A, with its spindle B o.nd e lor tod tU\ 1\dditiono.l Vice.Presi.lent.

•
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