43 2 NOTES AND NOTICES. NOTES AND NOTICES. The Wonder and Fairy.-The Jersey News, speaking of the late trial of speed between these vessels, observes, "The nature of this contest will be better understood when it is mentioned that in anticipation of this trial Her Majesty's vessel had been prepared in dock, that the wind being a-head and the tide against her, she had the advantage of a light draught of water, and the entire absence of top hamper, compared with the large paddle boxes and greater depth of her rival, in addition to which, the Wonder was taken without preparation from the Quay-wall, and with her bottom in a state that retarded her at least one knot in the hour. Yet in the face of all this, she most triumphantly maintained her well-acquired character-that of being the fastest steam-craft afloat. "Honour to her, and prosperity to her owners." Steam Navigation of the River Amazon.-We some time back stated, that attempts were making by the Americans, to run up the river Amazon by means of steamers. From further particulars we have received on the subject, it appears that four steam-boats were built in the United States for that purpose. When they arrived at Neustra Senora de Loretto, a port on the limits of the Brazils and Peru, they there found the American, Captain Clause, who had come from Lima to take command of the expedition. Captain Clause, on board of the Peruvian steamer, of 140 horses-power, ascended the river as far as the mouth of the river Guallaga, and afterwards in a boat, accompanied by 350 Indians, which number he progressively increased to 700. He then ascended the Guallaga, as far as the village of Tingo, situated in Peru, and seven days' travelling from Lima, when he was able to have the current of the river cleared of all obstacles which might impede the progress of the steam-boat. That accomplished, he returned to Loretto, and brought the steamer up the Guallaga to the said village of Tingo, whence he despatched an express to Lima. The commercial house which is at the head of this enterprise, gave orders to Captain Clause to explore the river Gastoza, another brauch of the Amazon, as far as it was navigable for steam-boats. He found this river perfectly navigable as far as the village of Andoea, situated on the limits of the republic of Peru and the equator. Thence he went by land to Quito. In the course of this exploration he discovered several mines of sal-gomma, and very extensive silver and platina mines. He was quite surprised at the mass of riches the countries he passed through contain, consisting chiefly of valuable mineral ores of various descriptions, timber for building, and dying woods, coffee, cocoa, cotton, spices, balsams, resins, wax, and a great number of other produce of the highest importance.-Mining Journal. A Railway Race.-A railway race is a sufficiently exciting and interesting event; but it is rarely witnessed, and scarcely ever in perfect safety. Between a pair of well-matched locomotives it would be sufficiently exciting; but between a new system, like the atmospheric, and its rival, the locomotive, the character and reputation of both systems for speed depending on the issue, a well-matched contest would be of no common interest. In this case we were lucky enough to see such a race; and we believe that any of our readers who leave Londonbridge station at twenty minutes past two, and take an atmospheric ticket, may do the same. We were standing at the Forest-hill station, preparing to start, when it was announced that the Dover express train was in sight! Immediately we (the atmospheric) made preparations to start, and were just in the act of starting from rest when the locomotive train "whisked" past us at, probably, some thirty-five miles an hour. We started, but before we got into motion at any velocity, the Dover train was a mile a-head of us, and was evidently gaining rapidly in speed. However, on we went like a whirlwind, and it soon became evident we were gaining on our rival. Three or four minutes decided the race. We passed the express train at a rate exceeding her own by fifteen or twenty miles an hour. Our velocity could not be less than sixty miles an hour. It was easily and steadily maintained, and we were over the Brighton viaduct and considerably beyond it before the Dover reached it. But considerably before this time the brakes were put on, and the vacuum destroyed by the valve, to avoid danger in running upon the workmen round the sharp curves; and when we reached Croydon, in six minutes and three quarters, it was found that the journey, as a whole, had occupied more time than it has frequently been performed in.-Railway Chronicle. The Steam Pile Driver. We extract the following account of the performances of this powerful machine, from a letter of its modern resuscitator, Mr. Nasmyth, to the Mining Journal.-The steam pile driver, at Devonport, has already completed its great job,-namely, the vast coffer dam required for the construction of the great dock (of sixty acres) which the Admiralty are forming there, for the accommodation of the vast steam navy about to be called into existence. This coffer dam is of unprecedented dimensions, being 1650 feet in length, by 20 feet wide, and formed by three rows of piles, 14 inches square, from 50 to 65 feet in length, driven perfectly close together. The steam pile driver has executed this great work in the most masterly style, and with a degree of rapidity and perfection never before attained. In the enormous number of piles driven by it, not one has been split; while, at the same time, they have been driven into depths of soil, which was otherwise unattainable by the ordinary system. The whole of this great work has been executed in defiance of many impediments, since the latter end of June; and the last duty the steam pile driver had to do, was to test its power upon several piles which had been driven to the very utmost limits of the power of the old system machines. These it was brought up to, and set to work on; and, with a few of its masterly blows, sent them down into the hard soil to further depths, varying from 3 to 9 feet; thus demonstrating, in the most convincing manner, the superior powers of the steam over the ordinary pile driver. The Lunar Rainbow is a much rarer object than the solar one. It frequently consists of a uniformly white arch, but it has often been seen tinted, the colours differing only in intensity from those caused by the direct solar illuminations. Aristotle states that he was the first observer of this interesting spectacle, and that he only saw two in the course of fifty years; but it must have been repeatedly witnessed, without a record having been made of the fact. Thoresby relates an account received from a friend, of an observation of the bow fixed by the moon in the clouds, while travelling in the Peak of Derbyshire. She had then passed the full about twenty-four hours. The evening had been rainy, but the clouds had dispersed, and the moon was shining very clearly. This lunar iris was more remarkable than that observed by Dr. Plot, of which there is an account in his History of Oxford, that being only of a white colour, but this had all the hues of the solar rainbow, beautiful and distinct, but fainter. Mr. Bucke remarks upon having had the good fortune to witness several, two of which were, perhaps, as fine as were ever witnessed in any country. The first formed an arch over the vale of Usk. The moon hung over the Blorengea dark cloud was suspended over Mayarth-the river murmured over beds of stones; and a bow, illumined by the moon, stretched from one side of the vale to another. The second was seen from the castle overlooking the Bay of Carmarthen, forming a regular semicircle over the river Towy. It was in a moment of vicissitude, and the fancy of the observer willingly reverted to the various soothing associations under which sacred authority unfolds the emblem and sign of a merciful covenant.-Globe. LONDON: Printed and Published by James Bounsall, at the Mechanics' Magazine Office, MESSRS. TAYLOR AND SIMPSON'S IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING. We noticed last summer a very promising experiment, which was then made on the Regent's Canal, (afterwards repeated, we believe, on the Grand Junction, with equal success,) with a steamboat fitted with a submerged propeller, invented by Captain W. H. Taylor. Some improvements have been since made by Mr. T. B. Simpson; and we extract from the Specification of the Patent, taken out in the joint names of these gentlemen, the following description: Fig. 1, is a plan of the propelling apparatus, and fig. 2 an external elevation of the same, being shown in both these figs., detached from the vessel to which it is to be applied. Fig. 3, a side elevation of a vessel with the propelling apparatus, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, applied to it. In the centre of the vessel there is a rod as usual, appropriated to the engines, by which the paddle-wheels are to be propelled. B B are two recesses for the paddle-wheels, formed in the sides of the vessel, under the waterline, which are parted off from the rest of the vessel, by water-tight partitions, a a, and have openings to the external water, at the points be and d. Each recess is horizontally divided by partitions e e, into three separate compartments, namely, a central compartment marked C1, within which the wheel revolves in a horizontal position; and two others, one above and one below, marked C2 C3, through which the water flows into or from the wheel; DD, are the vertical axes of the wheels which are stepped in suitable bearings in the floor of the vessel, and are carried upwards through hollow trunks or cases, E E, which reach above the water line. Each axis is stepped at such a point within the recess, that when the wheels revolve, the floats ff shall successively project a little way beyond the outsides of the vessel. Where the shafts pass through the partitions, e e, which separate the upper and under compartments C2 C3, there are open spaces all round them to allow of the water flowing into and from the centre of the wheels. The length of the side openings d, should not be less than about one-sixth, or more than about one-third, of the circumference of the wheel. The necessary rotary motion is communicated to the shafts from the engine by means of wheel gearing, which being of the same description as that commonly used for such purposes is not represented in the drawings. On motion being given to the wheels, the floats are successively protruded into the water one at a time, and each at that point of its circle of revolution where it is capable of exerting its greatest useful effect. The water at the same time keeps continually rushing through the top and bottom openings b c, and the open spaces round the shafts DD, into the centre of the wheels, whence it is expelled sternwards through the side openings d. The floats may be of the form, and fixed in the manner shown in fig. 5; or of the form, and fixed in the manner shown in fig. 5a; or of any other suitable form, and fixed in any other suitable way. Another arrangement on the same principle as the preceding is represented in the plan fig. 4, of the drawing hereunto annexed. M is a water-trunk, made in the bottom of the vessel, extending from side to side, and parted off from the rest of the vessel by water-tight partitions, w w, the floor of the vessel serving as the floor for this trunk. NN are two circular cases, appropriated to the paddle-wheels, which are raised on the bottom of M, and project through openings, mm, (the ends next the water fitting tightly into these openings,) to such an extent that the length of the openings shall (as before) be not less than about one-sixth, nor more than about onethird of the circumference of the cases. Where these cases project from the vessel, they are open at the sides only to the water; but on the inside, all round, from to s, they are closed and shut off from any communication with the watertrunk M, except through orifices PP made in the tops of the cases round the paddle-wheel shafts. The water-trunk, M, is perforated in those parts of the bottom of it not covered by the paddlewheel cases with holes, for the admission of water from the outside of the vessel, and being by this means kept constantly full, the water flows over through the orifices, P P, into the centres of the wheels, whence it is expelled through the open side of the paddle-wheel cases. Instead of the floor of the water-trunk M serving for the floor of the paddlewheel-cases, the latter may have separate floors of their own, and be raised a MESSRS. TAYLOR AND SIMPSON'S IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING. 435 little above the floor of the water-trunk as represented in the sectional elevation, Fig. 5a. fig. 6, which will allow of a number of additional holes for the admission of Fig. 7. water being made in the bottom of the trunk, A third arrangement, much on the same principle as the last, is shown in 436 WALKER'S HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR FOR IRRIGATING, DRAINIng, etc. fig. 7. Each paddle-wheel case has a separate water-trunk, M, which is quite open at bottom to the water, and it is ́ also itself open at bottom, as well as at top, to the water. Should the supply of water to the interior of the paddle-wheel cases, provided for by any of the preceding arrangements, not prove sufficient, pipes may be laid from the outside of the vessel to the openings in the tops of the paddle-wheel cases, as indicated by the dotted lines tt, in fig. 4, which would furnish any additional supply which might be required. Instead of the paddle-wheels being fixed horizontally under the water-line, as in the arrangements before described, it is stated that they may be fixed vertically as represented in the transverse section, figure 8, and worked by crank connections, as usual; but this plan is said not to be considered of equal efficiency with either of the two first described. H and G are channels, which would, in this modification of the invention, be necessary to admit water into the centre of the wheel for the purpose before explained. Or the paddle-wheels, when worked vertically, may be enclosed in chambers open at the top to the atmosphere, and rising above the level of the water on the outside of the vessel; in which case the water may be left to flow freely into the wheels through any number of tubes found requisite to supply the quantity ejected by them when in motion. In all cases where the paddle-cases are not worked in chambers having an open communication with the atmosphere, it will be necessary to have air-tubes.communicating between the paddle-wheel cases, CC, and the external atmosphere. WALKER'S HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR FOR IRRIGATING, DRAINING, &c. BY MR. BADDELEY. Sir, I have much pleasure in redeeming a promise made to your readers some time since, respecting Mr. Walker's patent hydraulic elevator. I should have been most happy to supply this information ere this, but a prophet is not without honour, except in his own country, &c., and while Mr. Walker has been fully employed in executing foreign orders, it is only lately that any of these machines have been made for home ser vice. Had I reported the extraordinary performances of the hydraulic elevator in foreign parts, my representations would most likely have been met with the ordinary remark of the incredulous, "We may as well believe it as go to see !" In many of the colonies and elsewhere, Mr. Walker's elevator has long been at work both for short and long lifts, and its performances have been so transcendantly superior to anything of the kind heretofore employed, that orders for a further supply of the machines have kept the ingenious inventor pretty fully occupied, and left him little time to push their introduction in England. I have already apprised your readers of the suc cessful working of one of the elevators put up in Woolwich Dockyard, about fifteen months since, and worked by 'manual power, (vide vol. xli. p. 873.) This machine continues to perform its duty to the entire satisfaction of the authorities, and to the astonishment of all who see it, leaving everything else of the pump kind immeasurably behind. " Within the last few months two machines of much greater power have been 'erected in this country. The first of these has been put up by Mr. Walker for Mr. Merryweather, of Lincoln; it has two working barrels, 18 inches in diameter, with a stroke of 9 inches each. The lift is about 9 feet, and the machine is set in motion by a steam engine of three horses power; at a speed of 60 revolutions the delivery is 2,000 gallons per minute! The second machine is of still greater power, and has been erected for the Commissioners for Draining the county of Somersetshire; it has two barrels, each 24 inches in diameter, with 18 inches stroke, with an average lift of 7 feet, (the minimum being 5, the maximum 9 feet.) The steam-engine is of six horses power, and when making 30 revolutions per minute the speed of the elevators is 45, and the water delivered 4,500 gallons! The engine is capable of driving the elevators at a speed of 80 revolutions per minute, the delivery being upwards of 8,000 gallons. It was satisfactorily proved by the Commissioners, that when working at the rate of 50 revolutions, 5,000 gallons were delivered; and although the drain was 8 feet wide and 2 feet deep, the water running 50 feet per minute, it could not keep the elevators supplied at this speed. The speed of 45 was maintained for se |