civil engineer, for an improved system of working coal mines and quarries of stone, marble, and slate, which may also be applied to the making of tunnels, borings, or to other purposes of the like kind,—being a communication.-Sealed 20th February—6 months for inrolment.

John Kymer, of Pontardalais, South Wales, coal proprietor, and Thomas Hodgson Leighton, of Llannelly, Carmarthen, chemist, for improvements applicable to the burning anthracite or stone coal, and other fuel, for the purpose of obtaining heat.-Sealed 21st February-6 months for inrolment.

Joseph Crannis and Robert Kemp, both of Southwark, furriers, for certain improvements in wood paving.-Sealed 21st February-6 months for inrolment.

Benjamin Brunton Blackwell, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gent., and William Norris, of the city of Exeter, civil engineer, for an improvement in coating iron nails, screws, nuts, bolts, and other articles made of iron, with certain other metals.-Sealed 21st February-6 months for inrolment.

Lawrence Holker Potts, of Greenwich, Doctor of Medicine, for a new or improved method or methods of conveying goods, passengers, or intelligence.-Sealed 21st February-6 months for inrolment.

Henry Clark, of Drogheda, Ireland, linen merchant, for improvements in machinery for lapping and folding all descriptions of woven textures and surface fabrics.-Sealed 23rd February -6 months for inrolment.

Francis Roubiliac Conder, of Highgate, engineer, for improvements in the cutting and shaping of wood, and in the machinery for that purpose,- being a communication.-Sealed 23rd February-6 months for inrolment.

John Haggerston Leathes, of Norwich, Gent., and William Kir

rage, of the same place, asphalte manufacturer, for certain improvements in coffins.-Sealed 25th February-6 months for inrolment.

THE

London

JOURNAL AND REPERTORY

OF

Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures.

CONJOINED SERIES.

No. CXXXVI.

Recent Patents.

To SAMUEL HALL, of Basford, in the county of Nottingham, civil engineer, for improvements in the combustion of fuel and smoke.-[Sealed 14th January, 1841.]

THIS invention consists, in improvements upon, and additions to, the methods and apparatus described in the specification of a patent, granted to the patentee on the 24th June, 1836, for more perfectly effecting the combustion of fuel and smoke.

The present improvements consist, firstly, in apparatus or machinery for supplying fuel at the front of the fireplace, when it is a long one, and for removing it therefrom progressively along and upon the bars towards the back or bridge thereof, and at the same time raking and clearing the bars. Secondly,-in certain means of retarding the consumption of fuel as it becomes carbonized and converted into coke, for the purpose of retaining an ample quantity, in that state, for more perfectly effecting the combustion of the smoke and inflammable gases as they pass over it in

VOL. XXII.

S

commixture with atmospheric air. Thirdly,-in sprinkling a portion of water upon the fuel in front of the fire-place. Fourthly, in apparatus or means of supplying atmospheric air to certain fire-places or furnaces. Fifthly,-in preventing large pieces of fuel, of certain furnaces, from passing into the chimnies and escaping from the tops thereof. Sixthly, in taking the heat, for heating atmospheric air, from other situations, and by other means than those specified in the before-mentioned patent. The following is a description of the apparatus constituting the first and second parts of the improvements above mentioned.

In Plate VII., fig. 1, is a plan view of the apparatus, with the bar B, (shewn in figs. 2, and 3,) removed; fig. 2, is a side view of the apparatus; and fig. 3, is a front view, with the fire-bars in section. A, A, are the fire-bars of a steam-engine fire-place or other furnace, containing slides s', s1, at those ends of them nearest to the bridge of the fire-place; one of the bars is shewn at A', (see detached figures,) which is a plan or view of the top of it; a2, is a section, taken in the line 1, 1; A3, is another section, taken in the line 2, 2; and A4, is a section, taken in the line 3, 3. There are partitions in the bars, shewn by dotted lines, of a shape to fit the tops of the slides s1, s', which slide on ledges t, t, whereby the parts of the slits u, u, from v, to v, can be partially or wholly closed, to regulate the quantity of air passing through those parts of the slits, for the purpose of increasing or diminishing the consumption of the fuel, when in a state of greater or less carbonization, as it approaches the back ends of the bars; or instead of these bars, common bars may be used, thickened at the back ends of them, as shewn by B1, B', whereby the spaces u1, u1, extend only three-fourths or any other portion of the length of the bars. a, a, a, are iron teeth, situate between the fire-bars, and capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure, in order to rake the fuel from the front to the back of the furnace, or otherwise, as required.

B, (figs. 2, and 3,) is a cast-iron bar or frame, in which the teeth a, a, a, are firmly fixed by nuts b, b, b, screwed on the ends of their shanks. c, c, is a frame or carriage,

to which six axles are attached, having a wheel e, upon each of them to move the carriage backwards or forwards upon the rails D, D. This movement is effected by the following means:-E, E, are toothed racks, firmly attached to the rails D, D, by the pillars or supports d, d; and c, c, are pinions, which are keyed on the shaft f, to work in these racks. This shaft f, is attached, by bearings, to the carriage c, c, which is moved on the rails D, D, when the shaft is turned round by the working of the pinions in the racks E, E. In order to turn the shaft f, conveniently, there is a bevil wheel g, keyed on one end of it, and into this wheel another smaller bevil wheel h, is worked, by the turning of the square shaft i, on which, while it is turned round, the small wheel slides, moving along with it the carriage c, c, it being attached thereto by the projection j. The shaft, when worked by manual labor, is turned round by the handle k.

The mode of giving the upward and downward motions to the points of the teeth is as follows:-On the carriage c, c, are attached two pillars l, l, which pass through two corresponding holes in the bar в, and give it a perpendicular movement, when, by the means about to be described, it is raised or lowered. In the middle of the carriage c, c, there is a cross-shaft F, on which are fixed the two arms m, m. In the end of each of these arms, most remote from the shaft F, is screwed a pin n, the head of which slides in the dove-tailed grooves o, o, of the bar B. There are other similar bars p, p, attached by joints to the carriage c, c, in one end of each of which is also screwed a pin q, similar to the pins n, n. The heads of these pins slide also in a similar way in the grooves o, o. The upper end of the arms m, m, and those of the arms p, p, most remote from the carriage, are connected together by means of the pins n, and q, and of a flat bar r, r, whereby the arms are always kept parallel with each other.

It is obvious that, by turning the shaft F, all the arms m, m, and p, p, will be put in motion, and that the frame B, and the teeth a, a, a, fixed in it, may be raised and lowered at pleasure, by the traversing of the pins n, n, and