in using a substance much more inflammable than common oil, and their estimate of the security attainable from care and proper attention. This question does not seem, to the committee, to be within their province. Perhaps, however, it may be considered that the greater inflammability of the chemical oil is somewhat compensated by the fact that when spilled upon a surface it leaves no stain.

These questions being left for individual consideration, the committee can, with safety and pleasure, recommend Mr. Greenough's lamp, as admirably adapted for the purposes for which it is intended, and as exhibiting a gratifying specimen of our arts in the gracefulness of its design, and the beauty of its finish.

By order of the Committee.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary.

Philadelphia, Nov. 11th, 1841.

Mechanics' Register.

LIST OF AMERICAN PATENTS WHICH ISSUED IN NOVEMBER, 1840. With Remarks and Exemplifications by the Editor.

1. For improvements in the Steam Engine applied to Locomotive purposes and Steam Navigation; John Ericsson, of the Kingdom of Sweden, now residing in New York, November 5.

The claim appended to the specification of this patent will give a sufficiently clear idea of the invention; it is as follows, viz. Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, and shown the manner in which I carry the same into operation, I do hereby declare that I do not claim to be the inventor of steam engines having radial pistons which vibrate or perform partial rotary movements within semicylinders, or other segments of cylinders, such engines having been before known and used; but what I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by letters patent, is the propelling of steam carriages by the combining of two semi-cylinders, each furnished with radial pistons, which pistons vibrate within them, said semi-cylinders being placed on a level with each other; and the shafts, or axles, of their radial pistons extending through the cylindrical covers in opposite directions beyond the sides of a locomotive carriage, and having crank levers attached to their outer ends, which crank levers are connected by suitable rods, to crank pins on the driving wheels. The respective parts being combined and arranged substantially in the manner herein set forth. I likewise claim the employment of the same apparatus for the driving of the propelling, or paddle, wheels of such vessels as are propelled by the power of steam; the general arrangement and operation of the respective parts being substantially the same with those by which said combined semi-cylinders are adapted to the propelling of loco

motives, with such variations of arrangement only as are required by the nature of the case, and as herein fully pointed out and made known. I also claim the combining of the double semi-cylindrical air-pump with my double semi-cylinder steam engine, constructed and arranged as herein set forth. Said air pump having a radial vibrating piston, and self acting valves, and being arranged and connected with the other operating parts of the engine, substantially as herein described."

2. For an improvement in Portable Ovens and Stoves; Edward Gosselin, city of New York, November 7.

This patent is for adapting a portable and shifting oven to a cooking stove, the draught of which passes under the top plate. The top plate of the stove is provided with two apertures, one near the front, and the other near the chimney; there being a damper in front of the rear aperture, which, when opened, admits the draught to pass directly out at the chimney, and when closed directs it around the oven, the flue of which is made to fit the two openings in the top plate of the stove, so that the draught passes up at one end of the oven, over the top, down the back and out at the chimney.

Claim."What I claim as new and of my own invention, and desire to secure by letters patent, is not the mere combination of a portable oven with a cooking stove, as this is not new, but the combining the oven with the stove in the manner herein set forth, so that the draught from the stove shall pass up on one end of the oven, over the top, and down on the opposite end into the common flue of the stove; that is to say, I claim the combination of an oven constructed in the manner herein set forth, with any cooking stove adapted to receive it, and so regulated as to admit the draught either to pass over the oven and thence into the common flue, or to pass directly into the flue without circulating over the oven, the whole being constructed substantially in the manner herein set forth."

3. For making Water-proof Trunks; Peter Getz, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, November 7.

The proposed improvement is adapted to the common trunk, the space in the top, or lid, being made air tight with tinned copper. A box that fits into the body of the trunk, is also made of tinned copper, covered on the top with wood. Into this top is made a hole with a metal ring fitted to it, to receive a cover that screws into this ring, there being a similar ring attached to a copper plate which constitutes the cover. The key hole is made water tight by a screw cap in the saine manner with the cover of the box. The whole being thus made water tight, and the upper part or lid of the trunk being an air chamber, the articles contained in the box will not only be preserved from moisture, but the whole may be used as a life preserver.

The claim is confined to the "method described of rendering trunks

water-proof by constructing them with a screwed plate, or lid, in the manner set forth."

4. For an apparatus for Cooling Mash in Distilling Operations; Allen D. Ward, Mason county, Kentucky, November 7.

The improvement which is the subject of this patent is applied to the common mash rake. A water receiver is placed on the top of the rake beam and surrounding the shaft, and another at the bottom of the mash tub, and also surrounding the shaft. Two pipes, one on each side, extend from the upper to the lower receiver; they are curved so as to extend from the upper receiver to the outer rake teeth, in front of which they are then curved and run up in front of the next teeth, and so on until they reach the receiver at the bottom of the mash tub. Water is supplied to the upper receiver and passes through the serpentine pipes to the lower receiver and is discharged at the bottom thereof, and in passing through the pipes, which are carried around with the rake, cool the mash.

The claim is to the "combination of the serpentine pipes and receivers with the shaft for cooling the mash speedily in warm seasons, after the operation of mashing is accomplished."

5. For improvements in the Printing Press; Stephen P. Ruggles, Boston, Massachusetts, November 10.

This press, we are told by the patentee, is principally adapted to small work, such as the printing of cards, and bills. The platen is raised and lowered by a toggle joint, and the types are placed with their face downwards, what is usually called the bed plate, being in this press placed above the platen. The paper is placed on a movable tympan plate, and the impression is given by raising the platen, which first comes in contact with the under side of the tympan plate, and forces it up, with the paper, against the types. The paper is put on and removed, and the types inked by the operation of the machinery, which is all worked by one person; but as the arrangement is necessarily complex, and the claims refer throughout to the drawings, they would not be understood if given.

6. For an improvement in the mode of Shifting Switches on Railroads; Jesse La Rue, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, November 10. In this apparatus a bar is jointed to the single or double switch, and to this bar is jointed two levers, in opposite directions, and nearly in the middle of the track-when the single switch is used, one lever is placed in the middle of each track. That end of the levers opposite to the end which is jointed to the bar, is weighted to counterbalance the weight of the switch and bar, and properly curved to be acted upon by a cam piece attached to the forward part of the car. By this arrangement the car will always act upon the switch before it is reached by the wheels when running in either direction. The cam

piece which acts on the levers is permenantly attached to the forward part of the car. The end of the rail, and of the switch against which it fits, are beveled so that stones and dirt will not be retained by them. Claim. "I am aware that switches have been shifted by the mo-tion of the cars running on the rails leading thereto, and do not therefore claim this as making any part of my invention; but what I do claim, and desire to secure by letters patent, is the combination, in the manner set forth, of the switches, connecting rod, and the two levers, furnished with the curved metallic castings acting as a counterpoise to the weight of the switches, and acted upon by what I have denominated the operating power, (cam piece attached to the car,) whereby the switches may be shifted before they are reached by the car, the same being effected by the car itself, when traveling in either direction, as set forth. I also claim the beveling of the ends of the switches, and of the rails, for the purpose and in the manner above made known."

7. For a machine for Cutting Nails, Brads, &c.; Geo. D. Strong and Jona. Dodge, assignees of Walter Hunt, city of New York, November 13.

This machine is principally applicable to the cutting of nails, such as were patented by Walter Hunt on the 12th of November, 1839, and noticed in the 1st volume, 3rd series, of this Journal, page 18. The cutters are made by turning, or otherwise forming, metallic staves or longitudinal sections of zones, or thimbles, so that their outer peripheries shall represent the form of one half of the nails, or brads. Two such cutters are attached, by their ends, to levers united so as to vibrate together upon gudgeons attached to their outer faces; the centre of vibration of the double lever corresponding to the centre of the circle forming the outer peripheries of the cutters. Two similar cutters, arranged in the same manner, are placed below, so that when the two sets of levers vibrate, the edges of the two sets of cutters just pass each other, they being reversed for that purpose. The cutting edges of the two cutters, on each double lever, are sufficiently far apart to admit of the passage of the bar of iron, from which the nails are cut between them during their vibration. The two sets of levers are connected together by joint links so as to insure their simultaneous vibration. Thus it will be seen that when the two sets of levers are vibrating in one direction, the cutter on one end of the lower set of levers will unite with the cutter on the other end of the upper set of levers in cutting a nail with the head on one side of the bar of iron, and when making the return vibration the other set of cutters will cut the nail with the head on the other side of the bar.

There is a spring gauge to gauge the feed of the bar at every cutit consists of a long spring attached to the outside of one of the lower levers with a horn, or projection, passing between the two lower

cutters.

Claim. "I claim the plan of forming the cutters for cutting nails, brads, &c., from staves or longitudinal sections of metal zones, or

thimbles, in the form, or forms, specified, whether the same are first made, or turned in entire pieces and afterwards cut, or sawed, into sections, or whether said sections are fitted up separate, or made of cast steel, or other metal. I also claim in connexion with said above described cutters, or those of any other form, having similar shaped cutting surfaces, or edges, the mode of arranging the same in such manner as to operate upon the same principle of motion, that is to say, arranged in two opposite pairs fitted in levers, or other fastenings, by the vibrating motion of which levers two opposite cutters, one from each pair, is made to approximate and pass each other, operating as cylindrical shears in cuting off one nail, and as those recede, the other pair operate in a similar manner in cutting the next nail, alternately. And I further claim the combination and general arrangement of the head knives, cutters, and spring gauge, constructed and arranged as above set forth and described, without reference to the particular form of the cutting edges of the cutters for the purpose of cutting nails, brads, tacks, &c., without regard to the particular form or shape of the same."

8. For an improvement in Door Springs; Wm. W. Smith and Ben. Mullikin, Jr., city of New York, November 13.

From the arbor of a crank having its bearings in a frame attached to the casement of the door, a lever projects, the extreme end of which passes through a loop in an arm attached to the upper edge of the door. The lever is at right angles to the crank, and the crank is actuated by a spiral spring, one end of said spring being attached to the crank and the other to the casement of the door. By this arrangement it will be perceived that the tension of the spring will tend to close the door until it is opened to a right angle, which places the crank in the dead point, and keeps the door open, and when it passes this point the effect will be to force it still further back.

The claim is to the "combination of the spring, crank, and lever, acting upon the arm attached to the door, or gate, in the manner and for the purpose described."

9. For an improvement in the method of Manufacturing Balls or Shot; Levi Magers, city of Baltimore, November 13.

The moulds, which are to be used are made upon the sides of any number of square bars of iron, are arranged in a reciprocating carriage, so that they can be separated at the end of each operation to discharge the balls that have been cast, and then reclosed. For this purpose the bars slide on the carriage at right angles to its length, and all the bars are connected with one lever, each by a separate link, the connecting link of the outside bar being furthest from the fulcrum of the lever, and the others nearer and nearer the fulcrum, so that by one movement of the lever the bars will all be separated. A furnace and kettle, containing the lead, are arranged over the carriage of moulds, and are provided with the necessary appendages to allow the molten lead to run into the moulds as they pass under the kettle, and