Hereto to those granted before the fire of December, 1836. fore it has been limited to those actually lost before the fire, thus excluding many lost subsequently, and before they were recorded anew in this office, leaving the inventor without remedy. ART. 3. Protection is by this act extended to a new class of objects, viz. To new and original Designs: For a manufacture of metal and other materials. For the printing of woollen, silk, cotton, or other fabrics. For any impression or ornament, or to be placed on any For any new or original shape or configuration of any article ART. 4. American ministers, consuls, &c., residing abroad, may administer the oath required by applicants not resident in the United States. Heretofore such functionaries were not authorized to perform this act, thus subjecting applicants, in foreign countries, to much inconvenience. ART. 5. The stamping or affixing the name of any patentee on any article, without authority so to do, or the affixing the word "patent" or "letters-patent," or the stamp, mark, or device of any patentee on any unpatented article, for the purpose of deceiving the public, is forbidden under a penalty not less than one hundred dollars. ART. 6. Patentees or their assignees are now required to affix the date of the patent on each article vended or offered for sale, under a like penalty-thus affording to the public, notice of the duration of the patent ;-when the article is of such a nature that the date cannot be printed thereon, it should be affixed to the case or package containing it. It will be observed, that this act does not repeal or change the law under which patents have heretofore been granted, but is merely additional thereto,-all patents, except for designs, being granted for fourteen years, and the fee, as hitherto, being thirty dollars. Before the grant of any patent under this act, the application must be made by petition to the Commissioner of Patents, and signed by the inventor. He is also required to furnish a written description or specification of his invention or production, in which the same shall be fully and clearly described,—such specification to be signed, witnessed by two witnesses, and verified by his oath or affirmation. In all cases which admit of representation by drawings, the application must be accompanied by duplicate drawings and a specimen-and in other cases by duplicate specimens. The provisions of the 6th section do not apply to patents granted prior to the passage of this act. Scientific Notices. STEAM EXCAVATING MACHINE. We are now enabled to lay before our readers a drawing of the American excavating machine, which has excited so much interest amongst engineers, contractors, and all persons connected with the formation of railways, docks, and harbours. In Plate X., the machine is represented in perspective, which, although it does not enter into detail, will, it is hoped, by the aid of the following description, give a tolerably clear general idea of the construction and arrangement of the principal parts, and the manner in which the operation of excavating and disposing of the soil is effected. The engine and boiler, by which the various parts of the machine are put into operation, are shewn at A, B.—a, a, is the framework, provided with wheels, by means of which the whole apparatus is capable of being moved along a temporary railway, as the machine digs away and removes the earth before it. The crane-post is shewn at b, b, at the upper end of which is placed the crane-jib c, c, supported by the diagonal beam d, d, which is also used for carrying certain wheel-work and apparatus, for effecting the required movements of the shovel. At each end of the crane are mounted pullies, over which a chain e, e, passes from the shovel or excavator f, f, and from thence down the centre of the crane-post, and under the carrier-pulley g, to a windlass or capstan, on the axis of which is mounted a large toothed wheel h, taking into a pinion upon the main driving-shaft, on which is mounted the fly-wheel c. The shovel or excavator is connected, by swing-joints, to the forked end of diagonal arms i, i, which are furnished with chains, attached to each end thereof. These chains pass once round pullies, mounted upon the axle of the toothed-wheel k; and hence, on rotary motion being communicated to the said axle, the diagonal arms i, i, and consequently shovel f, will be caused to move upwards or downwards. The end of the shovel is connected, by hinges, to the other parts thereof, and retained in its proper position, during the operation of digging, by means of a bolt or pin, which may be withdrawn, by means of suitable apparatus, when the filled shovel is raised by the chain e, e, and swung round to the required position; the shovel will then tilt over, depositing the excavated earth in a waggon or other required receptacle. Upon the axle of the guide-pulley, on the top of the cranepost, is a bevilled toothed-wheel l, taking into a similar wheel, mounted upon a diagonal shaft m, at the lower end of which is a bevilled pinion, taking into another, mounted upon the axle of a pinion n, which latter pinion is capable, by means of hand-levers, of being shifted in and out of gear with the wheel k; by which arrangement, the chain e, passing over the guide-pulley, and communicating rotatory motion thereto, will cause the pinion 1, and shaft m, to revolve, and thereby, through the intervention of the pinion n, and wheel k, effect the required motion of the diagonal arms i, i, and shovel ƒ, the attendant being able to arrest the motion thereof, at any time, by means of the hand-levers connected to the pinion n. The horizontal motion or swinging round of the crane, is effected by means of the horse-shoe-shaped pulley o, o, affixed to the crane by cross-rods; to this pulley, each end of a chain p, p, is fastened, which chain, having passed round the periphery thereof, is conducted downwards, by means of guide-pullies q, q, passing once around an axle, driven by wheel-work, connected to the engine, which wheel-work is capable of being shifted in and out of gear with the main shaft, by the attendant, through the intervention of a hand-lever; by this arrangement, the chain p, p, is put into motion at discretion, thereby causing the horseshoe pulley o, o, to revolve, and with it the crane and shovel or excavator. The machine is propelled along its temporary railway, as the work progresses, by means of a toothed-wheel r, affixed on the axle of one pair of running-wheels, and connected to the motion of the engine by suitable gearing. When the operation of excavating commences, the shovel is caused (by the loosening of the chain e, e,) to assume a nearly perpendicular position, the teeth thereof being turned towards the earth; motion then being communicated to the several parts, by means of their respective trains of wheel-work, the chain e, e, is gradually drawn tight, and wound around the windlass or capstan; during which operation the arms i, i, are brought into action, forcing the shovel into the ground by the means before described; hence it will be perceived, that the shovel or excavator is operated upon by power exerted in two directions, the one through the medium of the arms i, i, causing it to be thrust into the earth, the other through the medium of the chain e, e, and its appendages, causing it to be lifted therefrom; by which combined action, and suitable speeds of driving gear, the shovel will describe a curve in ascending, the commencement thereof being just in front of the machine, and the end thereof vertically under the front of the crane-jib. The shovel being filled with earth, and raised to this point, is swung round, by means of the horse-shoe-shaped pulley o; and the bolt, which secures the end thereof, being withdrawn, the contents will fall into the waggon or other required receptacle; after which, the crane is again swung round, and the various parts put out of gear, when the shovel will descend, in order to operate upon the earth as before. This peculiar arrangement of apparatus, it will be seen, is applicable only to operations performed on land; but a machine, on the same principle, suitably modified for the intended work, has been constructed for the purpose of dredging harbours, deepening rivers, or other such operations, a description of which, with a more minute account of the first machine, we shall lay before our readers at a future time. THE COMPLETION OF THE THAMES TUNNEL. The report of the Directors of the Thames Tunnel Company, submitted to the general assembly of the Proprietors, on the 7th of March, 1843, announces that this extraordinary undertaking, which has excited the interest of the whole civilized world, is at last completed, and was opened for foot-passengers on Saturday, the 25th March. We congratulate the Proprietors, and also Sir I. BRUNEL, the talented engineer, on the successful termination of this undertaking, which is another proof of per severance, when combined with skill, bearing down and finally overcoming the greatest difficulties; the following is the report of the Directors : "GENTLEMEN, "Your Directors have the great satisfaction to announce to the Proprietors that the Thames Tunnel will be opened as a public thoroughfare in the course of this mouth, or, in fact, as soon as the formal arrangements can be made. "The engineer, Sir I. Brunel, has reported the work to be complete for this purpose, and his unqualified confidence in the solidity and durability of the structure. "Thus, after many years of anxiety and difficulties, perhaps without parallel in the history of great public works, the practicability of forming a thoroughfare for carriages and foot passengers, under a deep navigable river, and without interruption to the navigation, is proved and executed. "The obstacles, which have from time to time impeded, and all but stopped the progress of the Tunnel, have been numerous. "From the first, however, amongst its supporters, it reckoned those who were pre-eminently qualified to judge of the probability of its final success and utility, and your engineer and Directors, deriving confidence from the sanction thus given to the work, never hesitated to persevere, even under the most discouraging circumstances. "The Duke of Wellington was an original subscriber in the year 1824. The work was commenced in 1825. In 1828, the capital of the Company was exhausted, and an irruption of the river, in front of the excavation, occurring at the same time, apparently involved it in irremediable difficulties, if not ruin. His Grace attended a public meeting, which was attended also by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, and supported the Resolutions which were moved in favor of advancing fresh capital, by means of loans on debentures, in order to continue the work. In the course of his speech, His Grace said, addressing a large meeting, "You must all see, as well as I can detail to you, what the chances are of the success of this undertaking: this I will say, that if money is found, it is quite certain that the Tunnel must be completed. The accidents which have occurred, and which appear to have occurred only to demonstrate the enterprise, the genius, and the ability of the engineer who has conducted it, have proved to a certainty, that it is absolutely impossible that the work should not be completed;' and he added, "That the work was important both in a military and commercial point of view.'' 2 B VOL. XXII. |