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recommend these lamps to be made of different sizes, according to the different lengths of time they are required to burn. The part A, which is one-eighth of an inch deeper than the body of the lamp B, contains the wick-tube. The oil also is poured in at A, the reservoir B being perfectly closed excepting where it communicates with A. bb is the flat tube, to contain the wick. This tube is made so long as to reach quite to the bottom of the lamp'; and in order to admit the oil to the wick, the bottom of the wick-tube is cut out, as represented in the figure. This construction of the wicktube admits of its being made very wide, without the wick being liable to slide down and extinguish the light, a defect frequently met with in lamps having tubes of the common construction. The width of the wick-tube should not be less than one-sixth of an inch. A wide tube is absolutely necessary to make a lamp burn well with common oil. By making the wick-tube reach to the bottom of the lamp the oil is warmed, and prevented from coagulating, especially that part of it which immediately surrounds the wick, and is in contact with the tube. The wick-tube is soldered or otherwise fixed into a small round plate of tin, or other suitable metal, the edge of which rests upon a shoulder in the inside of A. In this situation the round metal plate is level with the top of the body B of the lamp. The wick-tube should, not project more than one-eighth of an inch above the round metal plate, in which case the top of the wicktube will be level with the top of A. If the tube were longer, so as to reach higher above the oil, the lamp would not burn so long as street-lamps are necessarily required to do...

VOL. XV.-SECOND SERIES.

M m

This

This lamp is suspended by a wire or wires 11, in the usual manner of street-lamps, excepting that I take care to suspend or otherwise place it so that the flame may be right under, or in the axis of, the cylindrical pipe or chimney ee; and this is also to be observed of any other lamp which may be used with the above-described lamp

or lantern-head.

The proper wick for these lamps is the broad flat wick, commonly called garter or ribbon wick, which I prepare by soaking it in melted tallow, and afterwards squeezing or pressing out the superfluous grease. Wick thus prepared not only burns with a clearer flame, but lasts longer, as the incineration of the wick and forma'tion of crust takes place slower than if the wick were unprepared. I then cut it into pieces of one quarter of an inch longer than the wick-tube. These pieces being stiff with the tallow, they are easily and without trouble put in at the top of the wick-tubes of my street-lamps. I think it proper to observe, that the wick must be renewed every night.

In witness whereof, &c.

Specification of the Patent granted to JOHN CURR, of Bellevue House, of the Parish of Sheffield, in the County of York, Gentleman; for laying a Rope, or, in other Words, of twisting and forming the Strands together that compose the round Rope.

Dated November 16, 1805.

With Engravings,

To all to whom these presents shall come, &c.

NOW WITNESS these presents, that the said John Curr,

by

by this present instrument in writing under his hand and seal, doth describe and ascertain the nature of the said invention, and manner in which the same is to be performed, used, and exercised, as follows; that is to say: Presuming there is in use a wheel or engine for twisting the strands at the top-end of the ropery, and another moveable one towards the bottom end of the ropery, andthat the large tooth wheel in each of these wheels above mentioned that drive round the smaller nut wheels contain ninety-four teeth each; and that there are three small nuts working into the tooth wheel of the wheel or engine at the top end of the ropery occasionally that contain fourteen teeth each, and three more that contain twenty-five teeth each, and three more that contain fifty teeth each, which are also occasionally put into geer for twisting up the strands, or for laying a rope to accommodate different sizes and dimensions of ropes ; and that there are three small nut wheels working into a tooth wheel above described of the wheel or engine at the bottom end of the ropery, occasionally that contain eight teeth each, and three more that contain fourteen teeth each, and three more that contain twenty-eight teeth each, which are also put into geer for twisting up the strands, or for laying a rope to accommodate different sizes and dimensions of ropes. Now, in order to lay or twist a shroud-laid rope regularly from end to end, and to keep the fore twist of the strands and the back twist of the rope always regular, my invention herein set forth requires that a wheel or reel,, or other apparatus, shall be attached to the wheel or engine at the lower end of the ropery above described, in such a manner as to point out and command the speed of the

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4

moveable top or laying block commonly used in laying a rope. And the nut wheels at the top end of the ropery employed in twisting the strands should be so proportioned to the nut wheels employed at the same time in twisting the rope at the bottom end, as that it shall require an equal number of turns on the wheel at both ends of the ropery to give the proper twist or hardness to the rope, so that the workmen making one revolution or turn of the one wheel or engine at the same time as the workmen do on the other end, a regular proportion of twist is effected and kept up.

In order to simplify these principles, and enable a mechanic to construct and apply them properly, I herewith annex a view of the wheel or reel (which is about thirty inches the greatest diameter,) and mode of application as follow: upon the axis of one of the three nut wheels with twenty-five teeth on the wheel or engine used at the bottom end of the ropery above described, is fixed a nut with six teeth; which nut gives motion to the wheel or reel A A, Fig. 3, (Plate XIII.) above annexed, and which wheel or reel is fixed on the same axis with the tooth wheel B B, which contains ninetytwo teeth; on which reel a small cord, wire, or other fit material, required to be as long as the rope intended to be made is applied, and this wheel or reel is so con-structed as to be convenient for enlarging or lessening, to suit the twist of the ropes of sundry sizes, at the discretion of the rope-maker; which small cord or wire shall be fixed or attached to what is called the top or moveable laying block, after the strands are twisted to the hardness required. The strands being then all put upon the axis of the nut with fourteen teeth on the engine at the

bottom

bottom end of the ropery, and upon the separate nuts with twenty-five teeth on the wheel or engine at the top end, the wheel or reel on which the cord or wire laps being fixed to the diameter of eighteen inches and a half for a rope of three inches circumference, and both wheels or engines being turned with the same velocity, or, in other words, a revolution being made of the wheels at the bottom and top end of the ropery at one and the same time (which, as they are in sight of each other, may easily be done), the cord or wire will then turn off the reel, and govern the speed of the top, which will produce a rope nearly regular in twist and in hardness. To make a shroud-laid rope of greater or less circumference than the third-inch rope above described, the diameter of the wheel or reel will require to be lessened or enlarged two inches in diameter for every threeeighths of an inch the ropes are more or less in circumference, in which case the twist of the rope will be found tolerably near the twist of a hard-laid rope, and close a cable-laid rope on these wheels, or make a shroud-laid rope of larger circumference than four inches and a half. The three strands may be put upon the nut wheel at the bottom end of the ropery containing twenty-eight teeth, and the single strands upon the wheel at the top end with fifty teeth, in which case the wheel or reel will be fixed to half the diameter of the above directions. the above-mentioned proportion of teeth does not harden the rope to the discretion of the rope-maker, the nuts at the top end, with a tooth less each, will make the ropes harder; and with a tooth more each will make them softer; and lessening or enlarging the wheel or reel gives more or less twists in the rope. There are, doubt

If

less,