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HOLCROFT'S PATENT PORTABLE SAFETY BOAT OR PONTOON.

launched upon its native element with a facility equal to that of expanding an umbrella. The various uses to which this invention may be turned, need only be hinted at to render them obvious to the dullest imagination. Pontoon boats, whaling skiffs, wherries, punts, and all the various kinds of boats, whether used for pleasure, commercial or warlike purposes, or in Polar voyages of discovery (where a portable and easily stowed boat would be an invaluable aid) can be alike constructed upon the principle, and formed from the materials used in these boats.

The means of providing safety for his crew and passengers, however numerous they may be, are here provided for every mariner in command of a vessel; and whether she be a majestic ship of 120guns, or a mere chaloupe, the same means are equally available; whilst the stowage-room required for any number of boats will be greatly less than that required for the boats now in use. Independently, likewise, of this consideration, which in itself is of no mean weight, is another of almost equal importance, namely, the the cost of each boat would not amount to more than that of the fabrics now in use; and when to these two features is added a third, of far higher importance than all the rest put together, namely, that the patent boat is incomparably superior in point of safety to every other invention that has yet been laid before the public,-it is conceived that the invention has claims to the attention of the Government of this maritime nation which no other novelty in the way of the useful arts has ever yet possessed.

Description of the Engravings.

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and gunnel. IJM are the stem and sternpieces, which are secured to the keelson by nuts, M M, and connected to the nearest ribs by the links K L, K L, which links turn on joints at K K, and are attached by hooks and eyes to the ribs at L L. O O are girders, by which one half of the ribs (that is to say every other rib) is connected transversely at top; they are linked to the tops of the ribs by swivel joints, and are jointed at the middle, but to support them at the middle joints when extended, each rod has a short under-stay O', which is secured at one end to one-half of the rod, while the other is made fast by a ring P, which slides on the other half of the rod, and is just large enough to come over the under stay, when brought forward to the centre of the rod. RR are the rollocks for the oars. The parts before described constitute the framework of the boat or pontoon, and may either be of wood, or cane, or metal, or any other strong but light substance which will answer the purpose, excepting only that the joints, links, and rings, should, in every case, be of metal. When the framework of the boat has been thus put together, it is covered up to the edges of the gunnel with any of the approved sorts of waterproof canvas, or with thin sheets of metal, protected from oxydation (as far as may be) by suitable coatings, which covering is to be nailed, or otherwise secured to the gunnel. To the stem and stern and sides of the boat, floaters V V V, are also attached, consisting of hollow air and water-tight cases, made either of metal, or of some other impervious material, or consisting of cases filled with cork-shavings, or other substance of the like small specific gravity, or consisting of large pieces of solid cork; and these floaters, when consisting of cases filled in either of the modes aforesaid, are di

H.

(From the Patentee's Specification.) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exploring party provided with one of the boats, the details of the construction of which are shown in figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section; fig. 3 a plan; and fig. 4 a cross section of the boat or pontoon.

A B is the keelson, C C C are ribs which spring from the keelson to which they are secured by the swivel joints H and 1'. DE is a gunnel, to which the ribs are made fast at top, and which is jointed at I I, just beyond the last rib at each end. G G G are side-pieces, which bind the ribs laterally together, being nailed, or otherwise secured to them, about half way between the keelson

vided into compartments, two, three, four,

or more, so that in the event of one compartment being damaged so as to let in air or water, the injury may not extend to the other compartments, and the boat still remain insubmergible. When the boat is not required for use, it can be folded up so as to carry on the shoulder, or under the arm, like an umbrella. For this purpose the nuts M M, which secure the stem and stern pieces to the keelson, are to be first unscrewed, and then the eyes L L, by which they are connected with the nearest ribs, unhooked, after which the links K Lare to be turned in their joints K K, till they are in a line with the keelson; the stem and stern ends of the gunnel doubled down at the joints I I, till they are in the position indicated by the dotted lines J J, fig. 2; and the cutwaters JJ brought round into the position indica

ted by the letters M M in the same figure. The rings P P are then to be moved back, so as to set free the under-stays, O1, which will allow the transverse girders O O, to yield at their middle joints. By then pressing the ribs G G G together, the whole apparatus will be brought into the foldedup position indicated by the dotted lines in fig. 4.

FOUR AND SIX-WHEELED ENGINES.

It is so very manifest a thing, that a carriage running on parallel rails must be safer with six wheels than with four, that one cannot help wondering that it should ever have been a subject of controversy among any considerable portion of a "thinking people," especially in an age so mechanical as that in which we live is said to be. It may serve however to diminish our wonder if we call to mind, that it is not long since it was debated just as seriously, whether such carriages could run at all whether with six wheels or with four.

Indeed it would almost seem as if it were but of the order of things that mankind should never hit on any really useful discovery in art or science, without hatching at the same time (by way of set off to their merit?) some most extravagantly ridiculous whim or project. The same age which saw the lightning drawn at the will of man from the heavens, saw its learned circles divided into the knob and point factions, and royalty throwing its weight into the scale of error and absurdity. The same age which has seen the Atlantic bridged, as it were, by the steam power of England, has heard of our sinking hundreds of thousands of pounds to bore a hole under the Thames, that we may cross it on foot rather than steam it over head. And now that we have by great good luck found out that a steam carriage will run of itself on rails at the rate of from 20 to 40 miles an hour, without the help either of ground diggers, drag-chains, or cog-wheels— now that this happy discovery is producing such vast and beneficial changes on the face of society-behold our wise men and wiseacres engaged in a hot discussion, whether there is more safety in travelling at such prodigious velocities on four wheels or on six! Would that the folly of the thing were all ! The fourwheel faction of our times is unfortunately a very powerful faction-powerful from the accidents of wealth, and place,

and station-powerful from the bullheaded confidence which is ever natural to ignorance-a faction able to give prac tical effect on a fearfully large scale to its nonsensical preferences-and not very caring (apparently) how much society may suffer from them. It is a fact now established beyond all question, that the persistence by certain of the railway companies in the use of four-wheeled engines has been attended with a great sacrifice of human life. And it is also a fact, that, untaught by the past, and deaf to all remonstrance, they still persist in the use of the same sort of engines, at the imminent risk of illustrating, by many more homicides (murders would perhaps be the more appropriate term) the prodigious evil which stupidity in office is capable of inflicting on the community.

The four-feeted-we beg pardon, fourwheeled wrongheads-would not probably be so slow of comprehension, or so obstinate of purpose as they are, but for the self-elected champions, that is, the writers or scribblers of their party-men who, from their literary or scientific attainments, would be of no earthly use to the right side of any question, and for that very reason fasten with leech-like tenacity on the wrong side of this. Writing only for the gratification of their personal vanity, they seek nothing less than to elicit the truth; and belonging to a public body more remarkable, perhaps, than any other in this country for its exclusion of men of literature and science from its ranks, they find it a matter of but small difficulty to make "the worse" appear to those about them "the better reason." To be "a wit among lords" is proverbially easy; but not more so, we fancy, than to play the part of a seeming learned man among Railway Di

rectors.

With what absurdities-what sillinesses what fallacies-what misrepresentations -what downright false-hoods the cause of the four-wheel faction has been maintained (in the absence of all reason and common sense,)—it would take more time and space to relate than we can afford to so unprofitable a theme. We shall be the more readily excused for passing them over without more special mention when we state, that we have ourselves no intention whatever of joining in the fray. Our only purpose in now adverting to the subject, is to introduce and

DR. NORMANDY'S SOAP PROCESS.

commend to the notice of our readers an extract from the Report of the last monthly meeting of the Liverpool Polytechnic Society, which appears to us to comprehend in a few words the whole pith and marrow of the question at issue. A long paper had been read by a four-wheeler "On the comparative merits of four and six-wheeled locomotive engines" and it was thus well replied to on the instant by the chairman of the meeting, John Grantham, Esq., C. E.

-'s argu

"He would reply to Mr. ments in the order in which they were introduced, but he must first explain a very common error into which the public are led while discussing the comparative merits of four and six-wheeled engines. Inside, bearings and round fire-boxes are by many persons supposed to be alone applicable to the former, while outside bearings and square fire-boxes are supposed to be essential to the latter. He need not say how erroneous this opinion is, but till men divest their minds of this impression the subject must remain undecided-till this distinction is made all the lengthened papers in the Railway Journals stand for nothing. There was no reason why the square fire-box and the outside framing might not be applied to the four-wheeled engine, or the round fire-box and inside framing be adapted to the six-wheel engine. Such changes had been made, but were not general. For his part he was inclined to prefer the round fire-box and inside framing. The subject, however, for discussion at the meeting was simply as to the comparative merits of locomotives having four and six wheels. He had been engaged in the construction of several of each description, and had of course frequently travelled on them; and from his own observation he was led to the opinion that engines with four wheels were more unsteady than those with six wheels, and that this defect more than counteracted all the advantages to be derived from the saving in friction of the extra wheels. He thought the appearance alone, as exhibited by the drawings, even to an unpractised eye, would strengthen his arguments in favour of six wheels. Some serious accidents had happened to four-wheeled engines, that he believed would not from similar causes have occurred to six-wheeled engines. He did not allude to the collisions that had taken place on various occasions; all engines were alike endangered from those casualties, but he alluded to those cases in which no satisfactory reason could be assigned. The comparative cost of four and six-wheeled engines of the ordinary construction is, as

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Mr. stated, about 20 per cent in favour of the former; but this difference arises

chiefly from the outside framing and the copper fire-box, and does not materially depend on the number of wheels. He would not say any thing as to the comparative cost of repairs, but would leave this subject to the directors of railways. He might, however, state it as his decided opinion, that the first consideration for directors is, which plan will insure pectingly place themselves under their prothe greatest safety to those who unsustection. Mr. Grantham concluded by expressing his conviction, that as a separate question, the principle of six wheels was superior to four.

DR. NORMANDY'S SOAP PROCESS.

"How are you off for soap?"
Popular Sayings.

Sir, in a late Number of the Mech. Mag. (No. 975) I observed in the list of "Abstracts of Specifications of English Patents Recently Enrolled," a notice of the invention of "Alphonse René Le Mire De Normandy, Doctor of Medicine, for certain improvements in the manufacture of soap," which improvements appear to consist in a very liberal admixture of "the salts of potash and soda." I must confess I am not much of a chemist, and certainly never was a manufacturer of soap, but it does not, I fancy, require a great deal, either of chemical knowledge, or of manufacturing practice, to see that these alleged improvements are altogether fallacious. It is stated that "these substances are introduced into the soap (when the saponifying process is complete, and it is ready to be cleansed) either in the solid state, in pulverised masses, in the state of crystals, or in the state of crystals melted in their water of crystalization, or else dissolved in steam or water." But if the process of saponification is to be first complete, where is the good of the addition ? Where the saving? I hate being uncharitable, particularly towards that class of soi-disant public benefactors yclept inventors; but really, Sir, it will require the explanations of some one whose lot has been cast in a much more fortunate die than mine, to disabuse me of the idea that this Doctor Normandy's invention consists of any thing more than a patent mode of selling cheap neutral salts for a price at least ten times more than they cost in their original state. I am strongly impressed with a notion that by the Doctor's admixture of them with soap, the public would be defrauded in two ways, viz: first, by paying ten times the proper value of these sulphates, which I conceive to be a useless addition; and,

secondly, by again paying for carbonate of soda (or common washing soda) the price of soap, when every washerwoman knows that that material may be had in retail for 1d. or 2d. per lb.

My interest in the soap market goes no farther than my business demands, being,

P.S. The adulteration of common soda is practised to a monstrous extent. In a future communication I will explain an easy, cheap, and infallible mode by which the public may detect the fraud.

April 21, 1842.

S.

A SHAVER.

DESCRIPTION OF WHITE'S DISCONNECTING CRANK FOR PADDLE-WHEELS.

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THE PIANOFORTE MANUFACTURE.

to steam frigates, especially when on a cruising expedition.

The principle is simple, and may be readily adapted to any marine engine without farther expense than a new crank and crank-pin to each paddle-wheel. This is an advantage which some of the other modes in practice do not possess, where no previous preparation has been made for the improvement.

It will be seen by fig. 2, that a is the crank-pin; and if we suppose the dotted line b c to be the face of the crank on the paddle-shaft, the paddle-wheel, with the pin so situated, would be disconnected with the engine. The space shown between the dotted line b c, and the end of the pin a, prevents the crank on the paddle-shaft touching the brasses of the connecting-rod when the crank is revolving with the engine at rest, as would be the case, were the vessel sailing without the aid of steam; and when the paddle is connected with the engine, the space alluded to is occupied by the ring, fig. 4. The end of the pin a, which has the spiral upon it, fits a corresponding groove within the eye of the crank, and by simply turning the pin once round by these spiral planes, the paddlewheel is connected, or disconnected, as it may happen. When the paddle-wheel has been disconnected by withdrawing the pin a to the position represented by fig. 2, before the end of it can be replaced into the eye of the crank on the paddle-shaft, it will be necessary to fix the paddle-wheel at that point, which brings the eyes of the two cranks quite fair. To effect this several plans might be suggested, but perhaps none is better than having a small portion of the outer rings of the paddle-wheel toothed, and provided with pinions of sufficient strength for moving and retaining the wheel to suit that purpose.

When the pin a is being moved, the bolts and nuts d d are sufficiently slack to admit of its being turned round, by the leverage of a strong key, applied to a hole in the end of it, as shown in fig. 1, and when the paddle is connected with the engine, these bolts and nuts are screwed up as tight as possible. To prevent the large nuts dd, which fix the pin a, becoming slack during the continued working of the engine, there are others, having a conical seat, which are let into the former, and these have a left

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hand thread; by this contrivance, any tendency the large nuts may have to slacken, would instantly be checked by the small nuts, and thus remove all danger of the pin getting loose after it has been properly fixed.

We are now to suppose the wheel connected, and the pin a, as firmly secured in the eye of the crank as bolts and nuts can make it. But then comes the question-is it as firm by the plan which has been described, as if the eye of the crank had been shrunk upon the pin in the ordinary way? No; neither is it requisite. By the latter mode there is no elasticity in the grip, nor any way to refix the pin properly in the event of its coming loose, which is a good reason for the excess of metal in the eye of a crank that is shrunk upon a cold pin. The plan I propose is different in principle. The pin is retained by an elastic grip from the construction of the crank; and if properly made in the first instance, while that elasticity remains, no strain the pin is exposed to will ever shake it loose, and if, by any other chance, it were to be so, the labour of a few minutes would suffice to refix it.

Fig. 3 is a view of the top of the crank, showing the double nuts, and the two projecting lugs through which the bolts pass.

For engines of great power, three bolts may be used to each crank, and if 2 inches in diameter, they would be found strong enough for the largest steamvessel in Her Majesty's service.

JAMES WHITE.

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