MR. HALL'S COAL-CONSUMING CLAIMS.

as

Sir,-In forwarding you my first letter in reply to Mr. Samuel Hall's advertisement, as it appeared in the Mining Journal of the 10th instant, and which you will be pleased to insert also as an advertisement,* I have to request your readers will suspend their opinions with respect to the several points not yet commented on by me, assuring them that none shall remain unnoticed. They will perceive that the use of coal in locomotive engines, on Mr. Hall's plan, is, in the opinion of almost all, (Mr. Hall himself, of course, excepted,) attended with such uncertainty and expense to be impracticable. I hope hereafter to give the reason why. I may here just observe, that, although on many railroads coal is used with advantage, except as regards the nuisance from smoke, yet, the moment we attempt to burn the 10,000 or 12,000 cubic feet of gas which each ton of coal evolves, the admission of the enormous volume of air which such gas demands, induces so many difficult chemical conditions, and such a complex process, as almost to defy our efforts in effecting complete combustion, and avoiding the nuisance of smoke. The subject is one of great difficulty, in a chemical point of view; and I propose, hereafter, directing attention to its details, as regards locomotive engines. In land boilers, and the greater number of marine boilers, the difficulty has already been surmounted. I am, Sir, yours, &c., Liverpool, September 21, 1842.

THE

C. W. WILLIAMS.

SUBSTITUTE FOR A FLY-WHEEL, AT MR. LUCY'S, BIRMINGHAM. Sir,-Would any of your readers be so kind as to describe the substitute for a flywheel, weighing 24 tons, removed from Mr. Lucy's steam-engine, of Birmingham, and by which the performance was increased 10 per cent., as stated by Mr. Parkes in the course of the discussion on Mr. Mosley's Indicator, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, as reported in your Magazine, at page 139 of the present volume. The discussion in your papers relative to the loss of power in the crank might be benefited by the information.

Yours, &c.,

A LOOKER-ON.

See Cover of this Number; also, Cover of the Monthly Part for September.-Ed. M. M.

IMPURE WATER THE CAUSE OF FOUL CISTERNS IMPROVEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION OF CISTERNS SUGGESTED.

Sir,-Controversy on practical subjects generally evolves something of public utility. One thought suggests another; and your Periodical, by giving expression to diversi ties of opinions, leads on discussion, until the public obtain some beneficial result.

Your correspondents, B. and Mr. Baddeley, seem to think differently about the chief sources of the impurities of the water in our cisterns, and, consequently, about the remedy to be applied. It is an occurrence so frequent as to have become an axiom, that when a man finds he has the worst of an argument, his sensitiveness is more remarkable than his sense; and the last communication of Mr. Baddeley is, I think, an instance of this kind.

Mr. Baddeley would have us believe, 1. That the water comes into our cisterns comparatively pure; 2. That it gains its chief impurities from the deposits retained in the cisterns; 3. That these deposits are not from the water supplied, but from the spiders, moths, flies, blacks, and such-like nuisances as abound in the places where cisterns are generally fixed; 4. That if we were careful to keep our cisterns clean, we should have pure water.

In answer to the first of these propositions:-There is the fact, that the water as it comes, not from the cistern, but from the main, is so thick as to be unfit to drink, or to use in the preparation of food; and that this water, by being undisturbed for some time, becomes clear-that is, through the impurities, which occasioned its muddiness, settling down to the bottom of the vessel.

This fact militates as much against the remaining three propositions as it does against the first. If we get a pail of water from the main, and let it settle, the bottom of the pail receives the deposits; if the same water comes into our cisterns, they receive the deposits. These deposits are increased by every supply of water. Most people would reckon that three days of such deposits as these would be equal to a hundred days of such accidental deposits as Mr. Baddeley speaks of; and it is because they do reckon in this way, that they deem it labour in vain to clean their cisterns out, in expectation of getting clear water. Give them clear water into their cisterns, and nine in ten would take pains to keep them clean. But now, if they were to clean out their cisterns every day, they would be still as far as ever from obtaining pure

water.

These reflections on the deposits in our water cisterns have suggested to my mind the possibility of devising another remedy

besides that of Mr. Stuckey. Under the best system of filtration, deposits will take place; and it would be a great improvement if, by some change in the shape of the bottom of the cistern, or in the shape and position of the cock, these deposits could be prevented from accumulating. At present, there is between the cock and the bottom of the cistern a perpetual substratum of stagnant water, which forms a breeding-ground for worms and other animalculæ.

All your readers know that Mr. Baddeley possesses much ingenuity, and perhaps, in his zeal for the public good, he may supply some remedy for this evil; so that, by the time the public obtained Stuckeyfied water, they might also have butts which would not retain deposits so badly.

I am, Sir, yours respectfully,
J. COLE.

Old Kent-road, September 27, 1842.

THE

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WATER QUESTION-STUCKEY'S FILTRATION V. BADDELEY'S CISTERNAGE. Sir, I am glad to perceive my veteran" opponent, (Mr. Baddeley,) is anxious to have it believed that he is neither influenced by a desire to serve the Water Companies, nor to deprecate the forthcoming Parliamentary Inquiry into their "sins of omission." I at once apologize for having so far libelled him as to imagine that he had such objects in view; but perhaps he will pardon me while reflecting that he himself acknowledges that he has been "driven into the position of an apologist for the Water Companies," however " 'uncongenial" such a task may be to his feelings, and the more especially, if I happen to demonstrate that the case he attempts to make out, of the comparative innocence of those Water Companies in producing the filthy and foul beverage their customers swallow, is so utterly against both science and evidence, that no man who knows any thing of Mr. Baddeley's talent and information would for a moment believe that he could honestly hazard such assertions, or profess such opinions. Nevertheless, I was wrong-I confess it. Baddeley, in making the statements he has done, that "nine-tenths" of the bad water arise from the laches or neglect of the customers, and not one-tenth from any fault of the Companies-that, in truth, in defying me to produce a single case of the slightest indisposition produced by water as supplied by any of the public Companies," he was really, all the time, a decided water reformer-a "veteran associate-one who wished to induce or compel the Water Companies to adopt Mr. Stuckey's plan of filtration; nay, to give him "a push behind on any

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Mr.

stop-short movement." It may be so-it must be so and the only way to account for it is, on the hypothesis of Butler, that Mr. Baddeley belongs to that species of character described as men

who may have wit, But who are shy of showing it!" Like the prophet of the heathen king, he blesses those whom he intended to curse : meaning to fight on any side, he commences operations by giving up the citadel. He thinks the Water Companies "ought to amend their water;" but then, "there is not a single case of the slightest indisposition produced by it!"

Call you this a "backing of your friends," Mr. Baddeley? Truly, they are very badly backed!

Why should the Water Companies amend their water, if no indisposition be produced by it?

Well, however, friend or foe, Mr. Baddeley's defence is a bold one, and it shall be boldly met. He shall have evidence so strong, so full and so complete of the fact that he defies me to prove, that, if he be not convinced, "the eye of his faith" must be "dim" indeed; so much so as to make an unkind public suspect that he has shut it, on purpose not to see.

A noble lord who has gained some laurels in America just now, before he went to smoke a pipe with brother Jonathan, said some 18 months ago that the water supplied to him was so bad and filthy that saying nothing about drinking it, he positively would not take a bath in it, no matter which of the Companies supplied him. I make no war on individual Companies-such, however, was the fact. The head of the great house of Baring thought differently on this subject from the head of the great house of Baddeley.

But now for proofs, as to the two points of Mr. Baddeley's letter,-1st, that the water supplied by the Water Companies is deleterious and destructive to health, and 2nd, that when water is delivered pure into cisterns it remains so for a great length of time. I propose to adduce extracts from the evidence as given before Committees of both Houses of Parliament, and before the Royal Commissioners of the following among other individuals, Dr. James Johnson, Dr. Kerrison, Dr. Bostock, Dr. Paris, Dr. Yeates, Dr. Wm. Somerville, Dr. Hoffman, Dr. Lind, Dr. Mead, Dr. Wm. Lambe, Abernethy, and a host of non-medical men to prove the deleterious, dangerous, and fatal effects of that very water which Mr. Baddeley, in his innocence, declares never to have produced" the slightest indisposition;" and in the second place to establish my position,

THE ROYAL STEAM NAVY.

We extract from the Times, the following description of the honorary medal which we were the first to mention in our journal of the 27th August last, had been awarded by the Lords of the Admiralty to the engineer of the Tartarus, for his ability and good conduct in the management of the steam machinery of that vessel during her more than four years' service in the West Indies.

"WOOLWICH, Sept. 22.-The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have caused a very handsome silver medal to be struck, to be presented as rewards to engineers of the first class serving in Her Majesty's navy, who by their good conduct and ability deserve some especial mark of notice, and as an inducement to all the members of that rank to strive to obtain this highly creditable token of their Lordships' approbation. The medal, as a work of art, is of a superior description, and the emblematical devices of an elegant yet chaste description. The intrinsic value of the silver must be fully 5s., as, although a small degree less in size than a five-shilling piece, the medal appears thicker, and contrasts strangely with the appearance of the Sultan's medals issued to the officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, being equal in quantity of metal to about three of the Sultan's issued to the officers, aud of the value of 120 of those issued to the men of the various corps which served in Syria. This medal for firstclass engineers is the first of a series about to be issued to the most deserving of that important class of men, on whose ability, exertion, and careful service so much of the efficiency of the steam navy of Great Britain in a great measure depends. On one side of the medal is engraved, on the outer circle, on a frosted ground, Mr. William Shaw, first-class engineer, 1842,' and on an inner circle the following letters have been cut in the die, For ability and good conduct,'

surrounding a neatly-embossed figure of an anchor on a polished surface. On the reverse is a beautiful figure of a steam-vessel with the steam up, richly and tastefully embossed on a polished ground, with a representation of the water, on which she appears to be sailing, formed of frosted silver, having an excellent contrast and very pleasing effect. Underneath is a figure representing the head of Neptune's trident, surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves with acorns. William Shaw, who has so distinguished himself as to be the first to obtain this testimony of their Lordships' approbation, earned the envious distinction when serving under Commander George W. Smith, then Lieutenant of the Tartarus steam-vessel, on the West Indian and North American station."

Mr.

Without desiring to disparage the moral influence of such testimonials (to say nothing of "the intrinsic value of the silver," being fully 5s.!!!) we must still adhere to the strong opinion we expressed some weeks ago, and which we are glad to find has met with the cordial approval of some of the best informed officers of Her Majesty's Navy, that it is not by such means that this important arm of the public service is ever likely to attain that high degree of efficiency of which it is susceptible; but by giving the same rank to those who have charge of the steaming, as is possessed by those who are intrusted with the sailing of Her Majesty's ships. It has been objected to our plan by "A Ward-room Officer," who has sent us a more saucy than sensible letter on the subject, that "no gentleman would be found who would subject himself to the fatigue and filthiness of the engine-room." We beg, by way of answer to this, to state a case which has come to our knowledge within these few days-first premising that we are not aware of there being any thing in the superintendence, or even working of steam-engines, which should render it more unsuitable to the habits of gentlemen, than the handling of tarry ropes or rusty shot, with which every wardroom officer is or ought to be familiar. The case is this. When the Isis, one of the Royal Mail West India steamers, left England on her last outward voyage, she took out as a passenger Mr. Samuel Clegg, jun., C.E., of whose productions in engineering literature we have more than once had occasion to make most favourable mention; and who, in point of

education, manners, and conduct, must be allowed by all who have the pleasure of knowing him, to be equal to the best companionship which the naval service has to offer. The first engineer of the vessel having fallen sick very soon after her departure, Mr. Clegg volunteered to perform his duties for him, and actually did so all the way to Madeira, (whence the last accounts were dated.) But this is not all; for, availing himself of the opportunity thus afforded him of obtaining a practical insight into the daily working of marine steam-engines, Mr. Clegg has kept what may be called a steam log of the vessel, during the period of his superintendence, which, judging of it from some specimens sent home, is far superior to any thing of the sort ever before furnished, and such as all the honorary medals in the world would never elicit at the hands of men of that "next to caulker" class, to whom Her Majesty's Commissioners of the Admiralty seem at present intent on confiding the exclusive charge of the engine rooms of the Royal Steam Navy. We see in Mr. Clegg exactly the sort of "gentleman" whom we have figured to ourselves a first engineer of one of Her Majesty's steamers should be, and we refer to what he has done on the present occasion, for convincing proofs of the advantage which the Steam Naval Service would derive from the introduction into it, of a class of men of the same grade in respect of education, acquirements, and general intelligence.

LISTS OF PATENTS GRANTED FOR SCOTLAND FROM 22ND OF AUGUST TO THE 22ND OF SEPTEMBER, 1842.

Job Cutler, of Lady-pool-lane, Birmingham, gentleman, for improvements in the construction of tubular flues for steam boilers, and in the manufacture of tubes for such and other purposes. Sealed August 23.

Henry Barclay, of Bedford-row, Middlesex, dentist, for a composition or compositions applicable as tools or instruments for cutting, grinding, or polishing glass, porcelain, stones, metals, and other hard substances. August 25.

William Edward Newton, of 66, Chancery-lane, Middlesex, civil engineer, for improvements in machinery, or apparatus for making or manufacturing screws, screw blanks and rivets. (Being a communication from abroad.) August 31.

Eugene Varroe, of Bryanstone-street, Portmansquare, Middlesex, gentleman, for apparatus to be applied to chimneys, to prevent their taking fire, and for rendering sweeping of chimneys unnecessary. September 1.

Thomas Marsden, of Salford, Lancaster, machinemaker, and Solomon Robinson of the same place, flax-dresser, for improvements in machinery, for dressing or hackling flax and hemp. September 1.

Samuel Morand, of Manchester, merchant, for improvements in machinery or apparatus for stretching fabrics. September 1.

Henry William Kempton, of South-street, Pentonville, Middlesex, gentleman, for improvements in the manufacture of candles. September 2.

John George Hughes, of No. 158, Strand, Middlesex, general agent, for a new application of Telegraphic signals, and the mode of applying the same. September 2.

Joseph Whitworth, of Manchester, Lancaster, engineer, for certain improvements in machinery or apparatus for cleaning roads, and which machinery is also applicable to other similar purposes. September 2.

John Thomas Betts, of Smithfield-bars, London, gentleman, for improvements in covering and stopping the necks of bottles and other vessels. (Being a communication from abroad.) September 8.

Isham Baggs, of Wharton-street, Middlesex, chemist, for improvements in obtaining motive power by means of carbonic acid. September 8.

NOTES AND NOTICES.

Figure weaving.-On Thursday, September 22, a deputation from the committee of figured silkweavers of Spitalfields proceeded to Frogmore-lodge, for the purpose of presenting to her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent a specimen of silk-weaving, new, we believe, to the manufactories of this country, but on a principle which has some time been worked by the manufacturers of France. The specimen was a portrait of the illustrious lady to whom it was presented, entirely woven in silk, in a loom and machine of the Jacquard principle. Its dimensions are 14 inches by 10, and the portrait is an exact copy from the engraving published some time since by Mr. Cochran. It is elegantly mounted in a rich gilt frame, and is at once creditable in the highest degree tothe skill and industry of the designer and the operative, and well worthy the gracious acceptance of the Duchess of Kent. It has cost in materials, pattern, drawing, &c., upwards of 1601.-Times. [What is said about this specimen of silk-weaving being "new to the manufactories of this country, but on a principle which has been some time worked by the manufactories of France," is in conformity with the fashionable cant of the day respecting foreign supe riority, but is all nonsense. There is but one principle on which figure weaving of every sort is performed, whether in a Jacquard loom or any other, -namely, the principle of squares; and the same machinery which is used to depict imperial tulips and royal dahlias, will produce (with a little more labour only) good likenesses of living duchesses.-ED. M. M.]

Captain Norton's Concussion Shells, and Mr. Jeffrey's Cement.-Some further experiments were made on Friday, the 16th instant, in the marshes at Woolwich, with concussion shells invented by Captain Norton, and a massive block of wood, about 5 feet long, and 2 feet 6 inches broad, formed of two pieces about 15 inches square, joined together by the cement noticed on a former occasion, and the invention of Mr. Jeffrey. There were 19 shells fired on Captain Norton's principle; nine of them, being of 8 inches in diameter, were fired from a 68-pounder gun at 400 yards' range, and were constructed with leaden fuzes. Five of these shells answered remarkably well, but four did not burst. The other ten shells (32-pounders) were constructed with wooden fuzes, and nine out of that number burst on striking the bulkhead; the other did not burst. The block of wood submitted by Mr. Jeffrey was bored to the centre, exactly in the middle of the joining, and a 5-inch shell inserted, for the purpose of tearing it to pieces. On a port-fire being ignited, the shell soon exploded, tearing the solid wood in all directions, and into numerous fragments, but in no part separating the pieces where the joining with the cement was made.