sion

of an engine carrying waite and Erics

son's does) its own fuel and water, and therefore not requiring any tender, the matter of weight was thus arranged in the new conditions: "The tender-carriage, with the fuel and water shall be considered to be, and taken as a part of the load assigned to the engine." And "those engines that carry their own fuel and water, shall be allowed a proportionate deduction from their load according to the weight of the engine." At first sight these seem very fair conditions; and we have no doubt the intention of them was to do equal justice to all parties. When attentively examined, however, they will be found to have this defect-that they serve to place the steam-carriage, which uses a great deal of water and fuel, on the same level with one which uses very little; though a diminution of fuel and water consumed, is one of the most important improvements which can be introduced into a locomotive engine. As the judges could have no other intention than to place all parties on equal terms, they would have done better simply to stipulate, that "the weight of each engine should be considered to consist of its entire working power; that is, of the whole of the machinery, and the whole of the materials necessary for putting it in motion." The matter would then have been placed on its only just basis; and there would have been no chance of any arithmetical mystification in the results.

Another alteration relates to the pressure of steam which was to be allowed. It was at first stipulated that "the pressure of steam in the boiler should not exceed 50 lbs. on the square inch;" but in the new conditions all that was required was, that

as soon as the steam is got up to 50 lbs. per square inch, the engine shall set out on its journey." We think this alteration was a very expedient one. We know not how the pressure could have been constantly kept at just 50 lbs.; and are quite sure that it would have been very unjust to withhold the prize from a competitor, because he might occasionally exceed, that maximum.

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Nothing was said in the new con ditions as to each engine's "effectu ally consuming its own smoke," but this omission could only have arisen from oversight; for the Act of Parlia ment, under the authority of which the railway has been formed, orders imperatively that no engine shall be suffered to ply upon it which does not possess this qualification,

Having set these preliminary matters to right, we now proceed with our narrative of the experiments.

The engine which exhibited on this the third day was "6 The Rocket" of Mr. Stephenson. The trial was conducted in the manner laid down in the "Ordeal" we have just quoted; and it was understood on all hands that this trial should be considered decisive of its merits.

The engine, with its complement of water in the boiler, weighed 4 tons 5 cwt. and the load attached to it was 12 tons 15 cwt., or including a few persons who rode, about 13 tons. The journey was 1 mile each way, with an additional length of 220 yards at each end to stop the engine in, making in one journey 3 miles. The first experiment was for 35 miles, which is exactly 10 journeys, and, including all the stoppages at the ends, was performed in 3 hours and 10 minutes, being upwards of 11 miles an hour. After this a fresh supply of water was taken in, which occupied 16 minutes, when the engine again started, and ran 35 miles in 2 hours and 52 minutes, which is upwards of 12 miles an hour, including all stoppages. The speed of the engine, with its load, when in full motion, was, at different times, 13, 134, 14, and 16 miles an hour; and, had the whole distance been in one continued direction, there is little doubt but the result would have been 15 miles an hour. The consumption of coke was on an average about half a ton in the 70 miles.

Fourth Day, 9th October.

To-day a public notice appeared from Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson, stating, that in consequence of the alterations made.in the conditions of the competition, the trial of their engine in the manner prescribed by

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ne new "Ordeal," had, with the approbation of the judges, been deferred till the following day. The 9th became thus a dies non in the competition.

Fifth Day, 10th October,

At the appointed hour this morning "The Novelty" was weighed, and three times its weight assigned to it by the judges. The steam was got up in 54 minutes from the time of lighting the fire. The engine then went one trip by way of rehearsal, when a small pipe accidentally gave way, and it was found necessary to send to Prescot, a distance of two miles, to have it * repaired.*

In the interval, Mr. Stephenson's

Things should have been better ordered. In any future competition, we would recommend that there should be a forge at band, with all the necessary tools and materials, for repairing instantly any accident of this sort.

locomotive engine was run twice down the course and back, making in all 7 miles, but with the whole load taken off from behind, including even the tender-carriage with the water-tank and fuel. Thus stripped for the race," The Rocket" performed the seven miles in the space of 14 minutes 14 seconds, being at the rate of 30 miles an hour! This was a rate of speed nearly equal to the utmost which "The Novelty" had achieved; but as it carried with it neither fuel nor water, it is not a speed which it could have long sus tained.

"The Novelty," having now had its broken pipe repaired, made several trips, but solely for the gratification of the spectators, who were to-day extremely numerous, and not with any view to a decisive exhibition of its powers. Mr. Vignoles, the engineer, who rode on the engine, and timed it during two of these trips, has favoured us with the following statement of its performances :

10 lbs. per gallon

4 0 10

Load assigned by the judges

Total weight of the engine and lead

The engine was brought up near the starting-post a few minutes before three o'clock; and the rate of its speed, loaded as above detailed, is recorded in the following tables, in which the time indicates the moment of her passing each post. The distance between posts

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Strokes per minutes.

2 22-quarter post. ... 5-quarter post..

3

8 47-10-mile post.
4 30-judges' post .....
4 57-turning post
Pressure always under

The engine went off from the startingpost at the rate of 12 miles an hour, and her velocity rapidly increased during the whole trip.

By the above tables it will be seen, that the distance between the 9 and 10 nile marks was performed in 3 minutes and 7 seconds, and the mile between the quarter post, near the grand-stand and the judges' tent at the eastern end of the course, was run in 2 minutes and 54 seconds, while the last half mile was performed in 85 seconds, being at the rate of 21 1-6th miles per hour. The whole

9

8

312 49-grand-stand post

3 13 17-bridge mark

3 14 43-judges' tent
3 15 28-starting post.

.....

Strokes per minute.

110

110

The following calculation, founded on the preceding results, was made by Mr. Vignoles and Mr. Price of Neath Abbey:

"The maximum number of strokes was 142 per minute, while 440 yards were traversed in 43 seconds. Dianeter of wheels, 50·1 inches-circumerence, 1674 inches. 157.4 × 142 qual to 621 yards, being the velocity er minute of the circumference of →heel, or 21-miles and 300 yards per rur. Then as 60 seconds: 621 yards

3 seconds: 445 yards."

Tus the calculated distance of the un (considering the wheel as a permbulator) agrees within 5 yards ith the space actually passed over; and this difference might arise from the most trifling inaccuracy of noting the time a quarter of a second at

110.

each end being sufficient to produce this discrepancy; so that it may fairly be concluded, that there was no slipping of the wheels at a velocity of nearly 22 miles an hour with a load.

Another carriage, with seats for the accommodation of passengers, was now substituted for the loaded waggons attached to "The Novelty," and about forty-five ladies and gentlemen ascended to enjoy the great novelty of a ride by steam. We can say for ourselves that we never enjoyed any thing in the way of travelling more. We flew along at the rate of a mile and a half in three minutes; and though the velocity was such, that we could scarcely distinguish objects as we passed by them, the motion was so steady and equable, that we could manage not only to read, but write.

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Sixth Day, 13th h ́October. Mr. Acworth's engine, "The Sans Pareil," was pronounced to be this day ready to exhibit its powers. We were informed that, on weighing it, the judges found it to exceed by two or three hundred-weight the maximum of six tons; it was, nevertheless, allowed to start to do 70 miles, in the saine manner as "The Rocket," with three times its great weight attached to it-that is, upwards of 1800 tons. It was soon manifest that a very powerful competitor had entered the field. Fortwo hours" The Sans Pareil" kept going with great regularity, and duing that time completed upwards of 26 miles. It went occasionally, when at its utmost speed, a mile in 4' 10"and 4' 17", being at the rate of nearly 15 miles an hour. While thus bidding fair-if not to win the prize, at least to come in second besta similar accident happened to it as befel The Novelty;" one of the feed pipes burst, and it was rendered for the 6ime incapable of proceeding.

It being generally understood that this was to be the day of a more decisive trial of Messrs. Braithwaite and Erics 3 son's engine that is, according to the new conditions named by the judges

there was almost as numerous an> assemblage of spectators as on the first day of the competition.

A fresh pipe had, it appeared, been substituted for the one which failed on the preceding trial; one or twow other parts of the machinery that were in a faulty state, had also been renovated; but the engine, with the exception of some of the flanges of the boiler being as Mr. Ericsson expressed it, rather green, was pronounced in a working state. The load assigned to it by the judges was thus calculated : 5

X by

The steam was on this occasion got up to a pressure of 50lbs. in somewhat less than 40 minutes, and at an expenditure of about 15ĺbs. of coke.

The engine now started to do the 70 miles for a continuance; but just as it had completed its second trip of three miles, when it was working at the rate of 15 miles an hour, the new cement of some of the flanges of the boiler, yielded to the high temperature to which it was exposed, and the spec

The Liverpool correspondent of the Times states, in a communication in Friday's paper, that "the pressure of the steam was too great for the boiler, which burst," and that this was the cause of the trial being put an end to. The real cause was literally as we have

3

tators had again the mortification to hear it announced that it was, under these circumstances, impossible the trial could go on.

Mr. Burstall's engine, "The Perseverance," which had met with an injurious accident on its way to Liver pool, but been since repaired, was now allowed to make some expe rimental trials. We left it returning from a third or fourth trip; but if we

stated it to be, the yielding of the.cement which secured several of the flanges; and next week we shall, by means of a diagram, explain this more particularly. We were close to the engine when it stopped, and can state of our own knowledge that no bursting of the boiler took place

16

-padura anubiy sal busserstra may judge from the degree of speed which it then exhibited not more, certainly, than five miles an hour it has no chance.

We were informed that, early on Wednesday morning, before we reached the course, an experiment had been made with Mr. Stephenson's engine on a part of the railway which runs with an inelination of 1 in 96, and that it drew up this plane a carriage containing 25 passengers. with great

We describe this engine first, not with any design of anticipating the award of the judges, but simply because it stands first in the official list of the "Running Coaches."

The external view of "The Novelty," given in the front page of our present Number, will at once satisfy our readers, that it has not been unmeritedly extolled by all who have seen it, for its singular lightness, ele gance, and compactness. All locomotive engines have been hitherto so constructed, as to require a separate tender to carry the water and fuel necessary for these operations (we cannot as yet except Mr. Gurney's); but "The Novelty" includes within itself every necessary accommodation for these purposes, and is, nevertheless, much lighter than any engine on the old plan. "The Rocket" of Mr. Stephenson, which is one requiring a separate tender, weighs 4 tons 9 cwt., while "The Novelty" weighs only 2 tons 15 cwt.; making a difference in favour of the latter of 1 ton 8 cwt.

There have been people so absurd as to say there can be nothing gained by so great a reduction in the weight of an engine as this; that it is "something like substituting a Scotch galloway for a good team-horse, be cause the lighter the engines are the weaker." We do not dispute that there is a limit beyond which there is

OPI 141

nothing to be gained by lessening the weight of an engine; but we think the performances of "The Novelty furnish abundant proof that this engine at least has not approximated to that limit. The plan besides which the judges adopted of requiring that each engine should draw three times its own weight, was calculated to prevent most effectually any delusion on this head.

The advantage gained by such a reduction in weight as "The Novel ty" exhibits, is one of no small moi ment. On the Stockton and Dar lington Railway, the enormous weight of the engines employed (12 tous, we believe) has been a subject of great complaint. "The speed of the ens gines," says a writer on rail-roads, "

has been increased on the Darling ton road, by substituting wheels of 4 feet diameter instead of 3; but these working upon the plain bars cannot be case-hardened, for fear they should turn round when they have a hard pull-consequently, they are cast of soft iron, which from the immense weight of the engines, wears' into grooves, the width of the rails, and with the heavy drag, bites upon the rails, and twists them sideways, which keeps men incessantly upon the line setting them straight: the proof is obvious, because where the engines do not work, but the waggons only, the rails keep their position, and want no repairs."

The Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway having the ex perience of these results before them, very wisely made superior lightness, one of the foremost qualifications, which should enable an engine to be ranked as "the most improved" of those competing for the prize. They announced that "the weight of the machine, with its complement of was ter in the boiler, must at most not exi ceed 6 tons, and that a machine of less weight will be preferred if it drew after it a proportionate weight."

The means by which the inventors of "The Novelty" have been able to combine so much lightness with great

A Treatise on the Utility of a Rail way from Leeds to Selby and Hull, &c. By Thomas Hill.