conspicuous, and its position, in the way proposed, more easily perceived than the ball now in use. In turn-outs that are much used, it may be expedient to keep a lamp burning during the night, to show the position of the disk. It seems desirable, however, that every precaution should be taken to prevent the necessity of stopping a locomotive train in order to adjust the switches of a turn-out. J. G.

Franklin Institute.

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND THE ARTS.

Report on Mr. C. Kenzie's Water Wheel.

The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination the model of a Water Wheel, invented by Mr. C. Kenzie, of Troy, New York, REPORT:

That they have carefully examined the object submitted to them, and find that it is a modification of the tub and the undershot wheel. The peculiarity of the invention consists in receiving the water from a number of chutes at once, distributed around the periphery of the wheel. The buckets or float-boards, are set in the direction of the radii, and the water is directed as nearly as practicable in the line of a tangent to each float. In this arrangement the water is, of necessity, discharged from the wheel within the rim, or shrouding, and is allowed a free escape on both sides of the wheel. The wheel is placed in a horizontal position, at the bottom of the fall, entirely under water, and is surrounded by a box or tank of an equal depth with the wheel, to which it is accurately fitted to prevent the escape of water between them, whilst it permits the latter to revolve freely.

The supply of water is through a water-tight trunk connected with the tank, by which the entire head and fall is made available, the wheel being sunk below the lower level as before stated.

One of the benefits arising from this arrangement, is that of the water being received on the wheel in a compact form, owing to the spaces being kept always full by the centrifugal force. A principal advantage, however, is that of being able to employ a much greater quantity of water than could be brought to bear upon the floats by any other wheel of equal size.

The Committee believe that the advantages above enumerated, are in accordance with the principles of hydrodynamics, and that its inventor has attained a high degree of perfection in that description of wheel, and they are happy to add, that so far as their knowledge extends, the arrangement is

new.

The Committee take leave to suggest, that since the water always retains a part of its power, proportionate to the square of its velocity, on leaving the wheel, no inconsiderable portion of it would be saved in this instance by extending the buckets to the centre, so as to deliver the water at as low a velocity as possible; and they would also recommend the use of a partition which should cause al! the water to take the same course in the floats. In this case the rim must of course be made wider so as to contract the diameter of the opening to what would be just sufficient for a free delivery of the water.

By order of the committee. Oct. 13, 1836.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary.

Report on Mr. Holcomb's Reflecting Telescope.

The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination a Reflecting Telescope, made by Mr. Amasa Holcomb, of Southwick, Massachusetts, for the Newark College, Delaware, REPORT:

That the following description of the instrument is given by Mr. Hol comb: "The telescope submitted to the examination of the Committee is a Reflector on the plan of Sir Wm. Herchel. It is fourteen feet long and ten inches in diameter. It has six different magnifying powers from 70 to 1000."

The Committee proceeded to the examination of the telescope on the evening of the 17th instant. A trial was made of its various powers from 70 to 1000, upon the moon, upon several nebulæ, clusters, and double stars, and they beg leave to report as the result of that examination, that the instrument possesses all the superiority over any reflectors hitherto submitted by Mr. Holcomb, which its increased length and aperture would lead us to expect, and that it has every attribute of excellence which the best optical skill could give to an instrument of these dimensions. The Committee cannot forbear again commenting upon the excellence and simplicity of Mr. Holcomb's method of mounting the instrument, which not withstanding its size, is portable, with all its mounting, by a single person. The object is easily followed by the rack work and the inconvenience from the motion of carriages at short distances from it, was not found to be greater with a power of 1000, than with a power of 100, in the common mode of mounting achromatics, moveable by rack work on an upright stand. The short time allowed the Committee prevented them from making observations on close double stars, for the purpose of determining the limit of its optical capacity. All of which is respectfully submitted.

By order of the committee. Oct. 13, 1836.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary.

Mechanics' Register.

AMERICAN PATENTS.

LIST OF AMERICAN PATENTS WHICH ISSUED IN MARCH, 1836.
With Remarks and Exemplifications by the Editor.

1. For a machine for making and Cutting Crackers; William R Nevins, city of New York, March 2.

A claim is made to "the peculiar arrangement of the machinery as described, by which the operation of the rolling of the dough, and cutting the biscuit, or crackers, is performed at the same time and with the same machine. Also, as an improvement, the horizontal rack or pinion by which motion is given to the cutters."

The description of the machine is very imperfect, and the drawing lends but little aid in exhibiting the "peculiar arrangement" of its parts. There are to be two, or more, pairs of rollers to roll out the dough; a moveable table, or apron, to carry it under the cutters, and the frame carrying these cutters is to be raised, we believe, by cams, or lifters, and is to fall by its own gravity. There are many other machines in which the rolling and cutting are performed at the same time, this, in fact, is common to the numerous instruments which have been contrived for making crackers,

2. For a Power Printing Press; Isaac Adams, city of Boston, Massachusetts, March 2.

We cannot attempt to give any description of this press, the specification of which occupies sixteen pages, with numerous references to the drawings; the claims amount to twenty-one in number, and it will be a fortunate, and very remarkable, circumstance, should the whole of them prove tenable. The press has been tried, and we are informed that it operates well, and is much superior to that patented by the same gentleman, which was itself a good one. The combinations in the present instance are sufficiently novel and characteristic to render it unnecessary to resort to minute particulars in the claims, a course which is commonly pregnant with danger; if one thing only that is essential to the existence of a machine is claimed, it is safe to trust to this alone. In the case before us, we could point out more than one thing claimed which is not new, and the patentee himself informs us respecting one of them, that "the claim last above written, on the nippers, is not to extend to cylinder printing machines;" a court and jury, we apprehend, would not regard such a limitation.

3. For a Stove for Cooking and Warming Rooms; Foster Stevens, Springfield, Hampden county, Massachusetts, March 2.

The general form of this stove, as represented, is that of the common Franklin, or open, stove; but in this form it is to be used for heating only; when employed for cooking, a close, or box, fire place, is produced by means of two plates hinged together, and folding up against the back of the stove; one of them, when unfolded, forms the top of the close stove, and has perforations for cooking utensils; the other makes the front, and has folding doors to supply the fire. There are wing plates, which when not used to complete the enclosure, fold against the sides of the stove.

The claim is to "the combining the cooking stove with the common fire place, or fire frame, by means of the folding plates and wings, and the closing of the lower flue by means of the plate when folded back, so as to cause the smoke and heat to pass off as in a common fire place."

Such folding plates are apt to be troublesome, and are liable to get out of order, by warping from heat, the insinuation of ashes, &c. about the joints. Should there be no difficulty of this kind, we are not aware of any thing which will interfere with the claims of the patentee.

4. For Apparatus for heating buildings, and for Cooking; Lovell Lewis, Lewiston, Niagara county, New York, March 2.

A stove of any of the usual kinds is to be employed for the combustion of the fuel, and this is to be surrounded by a casing of tin, allowing a space between them; the stove pipe is to be surrounded in the same way by a tin case, which is to be closed at top. From this casing tubes are to lead into any part of a building to be heated; and when cooking is to be performed, the articles to be operated on are placed within the casing, which is furnished with doors for that purpose. The claim is to "the method, or manner of collecting, retaining, conducting, and using, heat, for the purpose aforesaid."

Although we have good and bad conductors, and good and bad radiators of heat, we cannot by any of our devices, bottle up, and retain this subtile medium, as we can bottle up and retain water; neither will it, at our bidding, pass through tubes, or be drawn off by pumps and cocks, in the manner of VOL. XVIII.-No, 5.-NOVEMBER, 1836.

27

liquids. But apart from this, the foregoing description sets forth no new discovery, as tin cases to stoves and furnaces intended to arrest and retain the heat, are well known devices, and have been made the subject of patents in various instances.

5. For a Washing machine; John O. Geer, Norwich, Connecticut. March 2.

A cylindrical barrel is to be placed horizontally, and within it are to be revolving dashers. "The construction of the inside movements, and the operating of the same," constitute the claim.

6. For a Safe for protecting account books, &c. from destruction by fire; Daniel Harrington, city of Philadelphia, March 2.

A firm enclosure is to be built of brick, or stone, extending from the cel lar up to the floor of the apartment in which the safe is to be used. The safe itself may be made of wood, and is to be suspended by pulleys and counter weight; sliding and folding doors of iron shut down over the safe, when it descends into the fire proof case, or well; these being of sufficient strength to prevent any danger from walls, or rubbish, falling upon them. and being so contrived as to be, to a certain extent, self-acting, covering the safe as it descends. The particular devices we cannot take time to er plain, but think them such as are well calculated to answer the purpose intended.

7. For Cutting and forming heads for barrels, &c.; Hiram Andrews, Canaan, Litchfield county, Connecticut, March 2.

Various machines are in use for cutting heading for casks, &c., but tha: described in the specification of this patent appears to be sufficiently new to justify a claim to invention. The heading is to be cut rounding by means of a concave, circular saw on a revolving shaft, within which saw there is a circular cutter, of somewhat less diameter than the saw, and in contact with it, furnished with teeth so formed as to give the proper bevel to one side of the head. A similar cutter on another shaft bevels the opposite side of the head, the latter being properly secured on a revolving platform, operating as a chuck. The drawing is very indifferently executed, affording but a general idea of the machinery, and is, therefore, not such as the law requires. The specification affords a good general description, but n more; and the claim is to "the combination of the several parts of the machine, and the placing them in the position which effects the object of cutting and forming heads for any casks of any dimensions." Such a claim we do not think good, as it does not designate any particular combinations, as characteristic of the machine, whilst several of the things combined, have been similarly arranged in other machines, for the same, or other pur poses.

8. For a Self-sharpening pick for dressing mill stones; Samuel Etheridge, Tecumseh, Lenawa county, Michigan, March 2.

This invention is claimed as applicable to stone hammers, as well as to picks for mill stones. The hammer, or pick, consists of two pieces of iron, embracing a plate of steel between them; to one of these pieces the handle is fastened, by passing through it in the usual way, and against this the other piece, or jaw, is to be forced by means of a wedge, so as to hold the steel plate firmly.

CLAIM. "What I claim as my invention, and not previously known, in the above described pick axe, and chisel, is the making of the point or cutting part a separate and distinct piece from the body; the manner of holding it between two jaws held together by a strap, with the key, or a screw; the manner of sliding it down and fastening so that it will not drive back again; and the making of the point of one thickness of steel between two of iron welded together, so that the iron will wear off faster than the steel, and thus constitute a self-sharpening point."

By turning to page 25, vol. xvi., it will be seen that the first member of the foregoing claim is in terms which cannot be sustained.

9. For an Instrument for perforating Wood; John B. Pell, city of New York, March 2.

This perforating instrument consists of a cylindrical steel tube, well polished within and without; it has at one end a cutting lip, and, if preferred, an entering screw, and at the other there may be a handle like that of an auger. The tube is somewhat smaller at the cutting than at the handle end, and the chips which pass into it are, consequently, not obstructed in their passage through it. Besides the perforating instrument, the specification describes and claims a machine for working and directing it, by means of a guide screw, and other appendages.

CLAIM. "What I claim is, first, the tube perforator which casts its cuttings through the tube or heart of the instrument, and bores without clogging with its own cuttings; and, secondly, the labour saving machine for giving a rotary motion to the [perforator, more advantageously than by a handle worked in the manner of a common auger."

10. For an improvement in Piano Fortes; Isaiah Clark, Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, March 2.

The patentee states that he makes an entire and distinct frame of iron, which frame is to bear the whole strain of the wire, or strings, and claims "the entire iron frame, made of cast or wrought iron, or any other suitable metal; also the sounding board, on account of its being attached to the said frame; and also the peculiar direction of the treble strings." The treble strings are nearly at right angles with those of the bass.

We did not suppose that there existed a single piano forte maker who was unacquainted with the fact that pianos had been made with entire iron frames, in France, England, and the United States; it appears, however, that we were mistaken.

11. For a Brick Press; Phineas Ball, Mount Vernon, Knox county, Ohio, March 2.

This machine is intended for pressing untempered clay by what is denominated the double-actioned joint levers; the main point depended upon appears to be the pressing of the brick clay in the mould by a follower on each side of it, one working up, and the other down. The general construction of the machine is shown in the drawing, but there are several particulars not so explained as to enable a workman to construct a complete machine. The claim is certainly broader than the invention; it is to the giving to the levers that double action which causes the material to receive an equal pressure from above and below; and also the invention of pressing the brick on the edge, or face; likewise the improvement in the art of making brick by pressing untempered clay; together with the general com