Nov. ro, r8gj.J E N G I N E E R I N G. 559 =

MACHINES AT THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. OPEN-SIDE PLANING CONSTRUCTED DY THE DETRICK AND HARVEY :MACHINE COMPANY, ENGINEERS, BALTIMORE, U.S.A.

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TilE INSTITUTION OF MECIIANICAL page of our present iHsuo, and we may, therefore, ENGINEERS at once proceed to the discussion .

Mr. Lloyd, of the firm of Hayward Tyler and (Concluded from paue 532.) Co., was the first speaker. H e said that the In-0~ the members assembling again on the Thurs- stitution was obliged to the author for the careful

day evening of the meeting, October 26, Mr. analysis of the working of different, pumps contained Borodin's paper on in the paper. I t was very difficult to obtain accu-THE WoRKING OF STEAM PuMPH ON THE Rus~IA.N rate r esults, and he wished to bear testimony to

Sourn-WESTERN RAILWAYS, the fairness with which the author had put his facts was read. This paper we print in full on another forward. Mr. Borodin had said in his paper that

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a Hayward Tyler pump, pumping against a head of 33 ft. to 46 ft., had lifted between 2465 and 3654 gallons per hour. This was equivalent to 90 lb. and 129 lb. respectively of water pumped per pound of steam ; the work done per pound of steam being 2953 and 5938 foot-pounds respec-tively. In his comparison of r esults t he author had stated that the economy of the Hayward Ty ler pump was very low, but he very fairly stated that t he pumps tried at Zabolotie, of the Hayward Tyler type, had become worn by use, also that the original pistons and slide valves had been replaced by others made on the spot, and it was quite possible that the original dimensions of the arrangement of the steam ports might have been altered, which would, of course, seriously affect the economy. It was also said in the paper that a pump of the same kind at another station worked much better. It might be ::;tated that the Hayward Tyler p ump is of the type which is devoid of flywheel or external moving parts, having the pump piston on the same horizontal rod as the steam piston . The author pointed out that these pumps are remarkable for their compactness, for the small space they occupy, and for the in-genious distribution of the steam by means of a slide valve arranged inside the h ollow piston of the steam cylinder. They need scarcely any founda-tion, and can be placed on a small fixed beam. Referring to these passages in the paper, Mr.

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Lloyd said that he had t o thank the author for his courtesy and fairness. At the same time he would state that for any comparison between pumps to be of a satisfactory nat ure, they should be of the same size and duty. H e could not tell from the statements made by the author which size pump had been used, but his firm had supplied in 1875 a 5 in. by 4 in. double-acting universal pump to the Russian South-\Vestern Railway. This would pretty well accord with the W orthington referred to in the paper, pumping against a lift of 112 ft. to 131 ft. The W orthington pump threw from 2223 to 8804 g~llons of water per hour, the water pumped per pound of steam being from 102 lb. to 152 lb. This would equal in work done per pound of steam 11,385 and 19,460 foot-pounds respectively. R eferring t o these fi gures, Mr. Lloyd pointed out that the Hayward 'ryler pump lif ted water only 33 f t. to 46 ft ., whilst the 'Vortbington pump, as stated, lifted water fr

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Nov. ro, r893.j E N G I N E E R I N G.

DINING AND SLEEPING PULLMAN CARS : WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. (Fo1 Desm-iption, see Page 569.)

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and afterwards stop, the pumps quietly. The pneumatic ac?um~la.~or is preferable to the steam, 1na.~m~ch .as 1t ehmmates the contingency of any vanat10n 1n the water pressure which might arise from some derangement of the steam-pressure ' reducing and regulator valve. ' U nless, however sufficient capacity is given to its reservoirs of ai; to prevent any appreciable difference in the air pressure on account of its movement, the advantages of the pneumatic accumulator will be neutralised.

"Provision must be made to prevent the presence of air in the wat~r pipes under pressure, for the reason that certa1n of these pipes, as well as the motors, are alternately open to the atmospheric as we.ll ~s the hydraulic pressure ; and, if air pockets ex1st 1n these, the abnormal increase i n the velocity of the water when suddenly admitted or r eleased under pressure creates a water-ram which is sure to prove disas trous, notwith~tanding the ' cush ion ' which the air might be s upposed to yield. In the writer's opinion, the velocity of the water under pressure in any of the pipes sh ould not exceed 5 ft. per second. "

Coming fr0m one whose experidnce has been so g reat and whose practice so successful, this paper r eceived a full discu3s10n, as it deserved.

"Hydraulic Appliances in B oiler Construction," by Signor G. Miglia rdi, of Italy, was read, and well r eceived. As th e writer has not the paper, an ab-stract cannot be presented. That evening, to vary matter s, a stereopticon exhibit was made in connec-tion with Professor Durand's paper entitled, ' ' Plan-ning and Equipment of M odern Ship and Engine Building Plants. '' The paper consisted in a presen ta-tion of the various problems involved in shipbuild-ing, and the author's view of what was a solution of them by suitable mechanical appliances, and arrange-ment of buildings to handle material as little as pos-sible. The lantern slides showed various tools and appliances, many of great size. Mr. Dickie showed in th is connection some of the practice of the Union Iron Works, especially t he hydraulic lifting dock.

In the absence of Mr. \Veir, th e author of a p aper on "Boiler Feed, " Secretary McFarland gave descriptions of the lantern views accompany-ing the paper, Mr. Weir having p rovided a very corn plete de.;cription of them. These covered the experiments in regard to corrosion in steam boilers, and the progress of improvement in regard to devices for feed water for boilers. The slides in-cluded views of the very latest devices of this kind, such as those on the Campania and Mr. Vanderbilt's yacht Valiant. The evening's enter-tainmen t concluded with a most interesting series of pictures of ice yachts by l\1r. Archibald R~gers, of Hyde Park, on the Hudson, N . Y., the well-known enthusiast on yachting matters, and who has r ecently built one of t he yachts which is to compete as possible defender of the America Cup this season . These views showed the standard forms of the ice yacht, together with some of t h e earlier types, as well as some beautiful views of winter scenery on the Hudson.

In r espect to Mr. Weir's paper, "Steam Engine B oiler F eeding," a few extracts will show its general character. The author started with t hese pro-positions :

"1. Every steam engine to p erform or transmit work must r eceive steam at a g reater pressure than that at which i t exhausts.

"2. The efficien cy of every steam engine depends: " (a) On getting the full initial, or boiler, pressure

on the p istc.n ; and "(b) On returning the feed water as near the

exhaust temperature as possible. '~ 3. E very cylinder of a compound eng ine is a

simple engine. " The first two, h e claimed, would be admitted by

every one ; and in r espect to the third, he said he had enunciated this twenty-two years ago, and i t was to-day at work in principle, as the follo~ing considerations will sh ow, in most of the steamsh1ps :

'' 1. Heating the f~ed water by the exhaust steam of auxiliary eng ines.

4( 2. H eating the feed water by the exhaust steam taken from the high and intermediate pressure cylinders of engines with two, three, or four cylinderA in succession. . .

'' 3. L eading the exhaust steam from aux1hary ongines to the receiver of the main engines.

' 4. In evaporators for producing fresh water from sea water by using exh~ust steam tak~n from one of th e high-pressure cyhnd~rs, and ~s1ng the generated steam in the low-pressure cylinder, or for h eating the feed water. "

E N G I N E E R I N G. After discussing this matte r at length, the auth or

summarised in th ese conclusions : 'll. The minimum expenditure o f every simple

engine is the amount of heat n eeded to raise the water at the exhaust temperature to steam at the boiler pressure.

'~ 2. No legit imate system has yet been dis-covered for r educing this expenditure in the simple engine- feed-heating b eing only admis3ible through some defective arrangement.

"3. Feed h eaters are n ece sa.ry in compound engines in or der that the feed may be r eturned at the exhaust temperature."

In r espect to corrosion in boilers, h e traced it thus:

'' 1. \Vhen the feed water contains only the constit uen ts of atmo3pheric air (oxygen and ni trogen), a coating of iron oxide is formed, and if this is allowed to r emain, ther d will be no fu rther act ion .

"2. When the feed con tains, in addition, car-bonic acid in solu tion, th e oxygen combines with t he iron to form iron oxide, which is acted upon by th e carbon ic acid and changed into ferrous carbonate. This is dissolved in the water and reduced by the oxygen in it to iron oxide, while the carbonic acid is liberated and is free to attack mor e iron oxide, and so on. All that is thus n ecessary to keep up the corrosion is a supply of oxygen in the feed water, a

Nov. I o, I 893] PULL1VIAN CARS AT CHICAGO.

TnE train of Pullman cars .which a.tt:acted.so.much attention in the Transporta tiOn ~:

570

E N G I N E E R I N G.

LC)CO~IOTI\TE~ 1 T THE \VORLD'~ CON. 'TRUCTED AT THE BALDWIN LOCO~IOTIYE \VORK , PHILADELPHIA, U.~.A.

(For Description, see Page uo9.)

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[N OY. I 0, I 893.

Nov. 10, 1893.] E N G I N E E R I N G. 57 1

PNEUMATIC GATE FOR RAILWAY CROSSING: WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. CONSTRUCTED BY THE BOGUE AND MILLS ~IANUFACTURING COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILL., U.H.A.

JN a. country in which express trains cro3s the streets of busy towns on the level without slackening speed, the necessity for some sure means of protecting vehicles and pedestrians from accident would seem to be most urgent, at least from an English point of view. In America. the advantages of rapid and cheap railway transit are, however, so fully appreciated that the people are willing to run a certain amount of risk rather than harass the companies by requiring excessive and costly precautions to prevent people getting into needless danger. Had there been in London one-half of the accidents at level crossing5 which have occurred in Chicago t his summer, such an outcry would have been raised as would have obliged the railways to spend enormous sums in providing bridges and sub-ways. As an illustration of what is considered a suf-ficient barrier to keep back the traffic when a train is approaching, we illustrate on the present page the Mills ~ir gate, which our readers may compare with the style of gates thought necessary here, even in quiet suburban roads. The gate is further interesting considered as a method of operating mechanism at a distance by means of compressed air.

Two examples are prP.sented in the figure, the upper having one bar only, and the lower two bars. Each of these bars is in two parts ; a main coun-terweighted portion that overhangs the road way, and a tail-piece, geared to the first, crossing the foot-path. When the line is free, and may be crossed with safety, these bars both assume a vertical attitude, but on the approach of a train they are put into the posi-tions shown. They are mauipula.ted by a. man in the elevated cabin, who is provided with an air pump, by aid of which he can accumulate pressure in a receiver. From this receiver pipes run to each standard or gate post, and by means of taps and valves the compressed air can be directed to and discharged from the bulbous "cylinder," if we may use that term, 011 each. In each of these vessels is a flexible diaphragm of can vas and indiarubber, connected by a rod, passing through a. stuffing-box, to a bellcrank lever. If compressed air be admitted to the left-hand side of the diaphragm (see Fig. 2) the piston rod is pushed out, and the upper member of the bellcra.nk comes dowu. In so doing it rotates the small bellcrank above, which has a. crankpin at its other end working in a slotted lever fixed to the spindle on which the bar turns. In moving along the slot the crankpin moves the bar through 90 deg. into the vertical position. It will be noticed that the bar is locked at each end of its traYel, and th~t 3:n. attempt to manipulate it by direct pres-sure w1ll f&ll, because t he pressure exercised by the slotted arm on the crankpin passes through the pivot of the bellcrank. The tail bar is on a separate bell-

Fig.2.

crank connected to the first by a link, and moving between fixed stops. Both the main and the tail bars rise and fall together.

When two bars are employed to cover the width of the road (Fig. 1 ), they are geared together by a chain and rod, the latter passing through a pipe under the roadway. The lower bellcrank (that to which the piston-rod is connected) is coupled by a chain to a segmental pulley on a shaft which carries another and larger pulley, which is geared, as already stated, with a similar pulley on the opposite side of the road. On the same pulley shaft is the crankpin to actuate the bars. Air is sent to the right-hand post to raise the bars, and to the left-hand post to depress them, there being separate pipes from the cabin to each. In t he case shown iu Fig. 2, air can be admitted to either side of the diaphragm at will. These gates are shown at the Columbian Exposition by the Bogue and J\fills Manufacturing Company, of 218, La Salle-street, Chicago.

OPEN-SIDE PLANERS AT THE \VORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.

THE Detrick and Harvey :Machine Company, Balti-more, Maryland, have an exhibit devoted to their new type of open-side planers. It comprises two of their standard machines, one to plane 36 in. by 36 in. by 12ft., weighing 20,400 lb., a.nd the other a larger one to take in 48 in. by 48 in. by 16 ft., this machine weighing about 45,000 lb. These planers, which are illustrated on page 559, have been in constant opera-tion since the opening of the Columbian Exposition, and have attracted a good deal of attention, the cut taken being so large for the size of the machine.

The name "open-side " indicates an important feature embodied in this type of planer, in that it ha~ but one post, this enabling it to be applied to a great variety of work. It is in no sense a "special , tool, as from the design it does the regular line of work of the two-post planer, and at the same time will take in castings that could not be planed on that form of machine. In order to obtain this open side for large work, the cross beam is supported entirely from one post. As will be seen from Fig. 1, the beam is a. right-angle casting, having a long scraped bearing on the post equal to l l times the overhang of the beam. This insures the beam against a.ny vertical spring, and gives the side head a separate bearing on this casting, so that the wear due to the movement of the beam on the post does not affect the efficiency of the side head. To overcome the horizontal strain, the beam is supported across its entire width by a brace, which takes a bearing on the

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back of the post, t o which it is rigidly bolted when the planer is in operation. This b~am is of a very heavy construction, and we were unable to detect the least vibration at the end, even on very heavy cuts.

The driving motion used is that known as the "Sellers spiral planer motion, " which for power, simplicity, durability, and smooth running qualities, is so familiar to engineers in the United States. As will be seen, the axis of t he pulley shaft is parallel to the table. This permits the machine to be conveniently located, economising space and giving a better arrange-ment of shop room. Motion is imparted to the shaft from the countershaft above, and then to t he angle shaft t hrough a pair of cut bevel gears. This shaft crosses the bed diagonally, the thrust from the motion of the table being received against a step bearing, the friction being lessened by steel and bronze discs running on one another. The lesser thrust during the quick return motion, which is usually made four to one, is taken up by collars on the oth~r side of the spiral pinion. On this shaft a. spiral pinion is keyed, which gears into a rack bolted to the table, six teeth being in contact at all times, giving a very smooth and uniform motion to the table. This pinion is, in fact, a. short piece of a coarse screw. Being pla.ced on the diagonal shaft, its action differs from that of the ordinary spnrwheel, as it also does from that of a. warm-that is to say, if the driving ~haft were at right angles to the rack, the pinion would be the ordinary spur; but if it were inclined to it, say, 5 deg, the teeth of the pinion would be required to be slightly curved, and would commence to drive at one side of the rack, shifting gradually to the other a.s it revolved. The same process takes place at any other angle, the sliding cross motion being more rapid the greater the angle from the perpendic11lar, until it reaches 90 deg. , when it becomes a. worm, and the teeth of the rack would then require to correspond with the angle of the thread. 'Vith the present arrangement, however, the teeth of the rack must be stta.ight, but may be placed at any convenient angle to the line of the rack . A 1 though the t eeth of the latter are straight, and those of the pinion curved, the surface of conta.ct and wear upon the rack is not limited to a small central portion of the teeth, but uniformly distributed over t he whole width of the rack. In this particular case the teeth of the rack are placed at an angle of 5 deg. to its .li?e of motion, to counterbalance any tendency the pm1on may have to move the table side-ways. The driving shaft revohres in long be:uinga at both ends of the spiral pinion; these bearings are cast in t he bed, lined with bronze, and connected by a trough surrounding the pinion. The oil placed upon them can escape only into this trough, and furnishes.

lubricating ma~crial for the pinion or rack. The post, as before stated, takes a bearing on the bed equal to one a nd a half times the amount of the overhang of the beam, ~nd being heavily proportioned, is amply strong to res1st the strain. The beam is raised and lowered by power transmitted by a friction clutch, a nd then. by a worm and wheel to a triple-thread screw actmg on a bronze nut . The bed is of great depth, and its length is 1~ times t hat of the table. The table is d eep and rigid, wi th broad V 's, and has planed T-slots and coned holes designed for the use of standard square head machine bolts.

'fhe machine will ~o all .t~e work of an ?rdinary two-post pla~er, and m add1t10n a great var1ety that would necess1tate a much larger tool of the ordinary type.. 'V~en engaged. on a casting with a large over-hanglDg p1ece, the we1g ht of the outside part is taken on a supplementary rolling table.

. L arge photog~aphs, one of which we. reproduce in Ftg. 2, ar~ exh1b1ted of a new open -s1de extension planer, des1gned to plane a greater width than the tooh previously mentioned, and yet possess the advan-tages of the open side. This s tyle differs from the standard m achine in having a long bea m, which is sup-p or ted at the end by an outside post on an extension b ed . This post is adjustable to and from the platen, and may a lso b e removed entire ly if desired. The sliding beam is then run back in the housina so that the end will not project beyond the en d of the brace and the machine is then ready for open-side work. '

A new duplex planer is something promised in the near future.

NOTES FROM THE UNITED STATES. PHILADELPHIA, Oc tober 30, 1893.

rTH J foundation is being laid for a r evival of bus i-n ess and a moderate ad,ance in prices by the accum u-lation of fund s in banks, which in New York City now reach 50,000,000 dols. in excess of the legal re-quirements - the largest ,olume of idle money known ia that ci~y for ten year3. The disposition of the financial question at \.Vashington this week is the second step in the way of a general improvcm P.nt; but the season is too far ad ,-anced for the inauguration of many of the enterprises that have been put into shape on paper, an d which it was intended to prose-cute. Building operations throughout the country are drawing to a close, but the winte r operations con -fined to inside work will be of larger proportions than last year. No ch ange has as yet taken place in the i ron trade; prices continue weak, and demand scatter-ing . Consumers intend to ma k e large purchases upon the first evidences of an advancing market. This intention accounts for the hardening tendency in billets and blooms, which showed itself this week in an apparent acl\ance of 50c. in retail lots. It is quite probable, however, that large supplies of both crude and finished materia.! can be had at quotations ruling for the past thir ty days. :Manufacturers and business men in all directions are, and will be, too anxious for orders to attempt to advance selling prices. The volume of business has not ye t improved, but prepara-tions have been made which will doubtless result in au expansion of trade during the coming week.

THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE. T o Tin~ EorTOR Ol

Nov. 10, 1893.] to point out that the introduction of smaller fast cruisArs n,ay not be the unmixed blessing claimed . The s tability of these smaller craft is proportionately less than that of the battleships, and with the same relative amount of damage would probably succumb just as quickly as the Terribles, which Mr. ~fcGlasson says ,, cannot be made invulnerable." 1\Iay I venture to ask, Can the smaller ships be made so? I fancy, when the matter is looked into more closely, the difficulties may be found greater tba.n t hose which obtain in the larger vessels.

The policy which excl ude.~ the Terribles in favour of any other type, not even omitting the swift oruisera armed with rapid nre and other guns, will require careful consideration before adoption on scientific grounds alone; whilst, at the same time, so long as great foreign powers continue building such structures with the heaviest ordnance procurable, accepting the r isks, necessarily one of the principal factors of actual warfare, so must the British N a.vy. This may probably be one of the reasons that shape the policy of the Admiralty Board . If ~Ir. i\IcGla-sson ohooses to wait until the millennium, he might, perhaps, witness the laying of the keel of "the good ship Arbitration," but in the unhappy meantime I fear the necessity of war vessel~ obtains.

To my mind another kind of inquiry than that just dis cussed is the etficiencr of the naval service itself.

The method of tratning and promotion might with ad-vant~ge be reconsidered. Again, the dissemination of in-formation among the officers of the .Beet should be insisted on. In this, as in many other respects, the e::\ample of the American service might with advantage be investi-ga.ted. Its system of training is such that the best results are obtained from the material available.

Yours, &c. , J . J. O'N RILL. ~underland, November 6, 1893.

RAILWAY TRA VE LLI NG. To THE EDITOR OF ENGINEERING. .

Sm,-Your corrAspondenb "J. T. B. " is alarmed at the d~cision of the Court of Appeal in the recent compensation case, where a solicitor's clerk recovered damages from a railway company on account of injuries received from the open door of a star ting guard's compartment. He apprehends that, in view of that decis ion, tho railway c )mpanies will be compelled to make the train wait till the guard hale relative t.o th is im ~ortant poi~t.

~ut tb 1~ a.lsoout.stde_the hall m W estmmster in which this qu~stion of v1t~l Impo~t fi rst saw the light of keen contentwn, tha t this ommpresent question sometimes

cr~ps up. It was once my misfortune to pass an e,ening wtth fr1ends, one of whom wa.s sufficiently unscr upulous to suggest that concre.te was all on~ a.!ld the same thing. H e wa~ a ma~ unbta~sed, unpreJudtced, and little in-t erested, but hts state~e~t was barely born before the keen eye of one of the m tntons of the concrete contingen t had ma~ke? him for its dearest own, and that unfor-tuna.t e vtcttm. rues to t~is day the unlucky hour when his pas~t~g a.l1us10n to th1s. necessary evil bad such a pre-JUdiCial e~ect on the httherto st ainless character of his moral purtty.

I am, Sir, yours obediently,

N b BLOGGS THR SRCOND.

ovem er 1, 1893.

Sm,-Mr. Lawrence .Hargra ... e's letter and illus trations of the above,_appearing in your issue of the 27th ult., NOTES FROM CLEVELAND AND THE

h~ve greatly mterested me, as a devote~ to mechanical NORTHERN COUNTIES fl tgh t. . He has thus, I thin~, undoubtedly contributed some The Cleveland Iron JII~l~~~~Roucn, W ednesday.

: oalueable (becautsle practlca.l)_and distinctly or iginal matter fairly numerous attendance ~n -c~~~dg:y h!~:rebu~asthae xper1men a aeronaut1cs moreover he has 11 k t d '

earned the gratitude of other ~orkers in that wide tho~geh mar t e wastmda. vBery epressed state, and httle business thinl . ,11 d 6 Id b . . was ransac e uyers were very backward and would

. Y peop e e . , Y most generously placmg h1s ex- , only purchase in small lots for d ' d r ~~:i.litt~~~f;~~~~nr;'klfii:; ;~~il,;~d;~rthf~~~~t~~~ ~=1';;'~~~ P;F~~er3 h;I~ but 6~v~1:~~d:~~. ';.t;m{;: tC:i,: ere y, t e other btrd bemg the r~tiring plagiaris t. I eh ants as a r~le w~re. '~ill in to d is )10Re1ron, u mer-helh~~o~~~dbbfs1e:i~1~ ~~~/~~~~1[~ ~~~~~~~~i~~e;~:h ibality_at 340 4~d ., and a fewgparcels 1chan~!d tt~:d~~~~ his ingeniously designed flying model~. 1 N ts fr~c~4 3nde or tdwo buyE'rs ~nd~avoured to obtain My little exper 'e b t 1 , . 0 a ~. ., an were not m cltned to offer more

in$ with vari~us t~;~:-;;t ~~ldel :~i~~/!~da :!~~ir::O~b- The{~ wer; ~o quot~ti~ls for forward deli very. The lowe~ Wltb many encouraging results-enables me to recogni;~ qua 1 lesNo P4Jgfwered a.Ir y steady, and w~re repf)rted rather

scarce. o. oun ry was put at 33s. 6d., and grey forge

573 at 32s. 6d., both for prompt deli very. 1\liddl~sbrough warrants were weak a nrl quiet at 34~. 3d. cash buy~rs. L ocal hematite pig iron was i!a id to be a shade easier, mixed numbers being put at 43s. for early delivery, but some firms were not dtspo~erl to accept less than 43s. 3d. Spanish ore was q uietish. Between 12:; ~d . and 12s. 6d. was mentioned for rubio. 'fo-day affairs were very quiet, but what slight change there was in the market was not for the worse. Prices were, if anything, a. shade fi rmer, but they were really nob quotably altered. Middlesbrough warrants advanced to 34s. 4d . cash buyers, and this was about the only change. Almost everybody spoke most discouragingly of the early future.

The Make and D isposal of Cleveland P ig I ron. - Tbe ironmasters' returns for October, issued a day or two ago, &how the make of Cleveland pig iron to have been 116,099 tons, or 2781 tons more tha n the make of the previous month, the total for September being 11~,318 t ons. Tba make of other kinds, including hematite, spiegel, and basic pig iron, was 113,826 tons, or a. decrease of 3164 tons as compared with the previous month. The total make of all kinds was 229.925 tons, agains t 230,3(18 tons for September, being a decrease of 383 tons. 'Ibe make of Cleveland pig in October, 1892, was 1700 tons more than last month, and hematite, spie~el, and basic pig were also 5500 tons more. There were then 94 furnaces in blast, compared with 85 at present. This is four furnaces less than in September las t. :r.fakers' stocks a.nd stores amounted to 93,528 tons, as compared with 106,962 tons in September last, showing a decrease of 13,434 toas. Tbe quantity of pig iron in public stores was 1215 tonE~, compared with 2065 tons las t month; and in Connal 's stores 8R,077 tons, the total quantity in makert~' stocks and public stores being 182,820 tons. Furnaces were damped down at Bolckow, Vau~han, and Co.'s works at Laclrenby, at Clay-lane, at Sir B. Samuelson and Co.'s Newport W orks, and at the Conc;etb Iron Works.

llfam.~factu?erece~tly been entered into at prices which must leave ex ce~dmgly small , if a~y, pr~fi t, just in order to keep works gomg. . The fo~lowmg prices a re generally mentioned, bu t busmess. m1gh~ be done at less: Iron ship-plates, 4l. 13s. 9d. ; 1ron ship-angles. 4l. 12~. Gd. st eel ship-plates 5l. ; and s teel ~hip-angl es, 4l. 153.-alll~ss the customary 2i_per cent. d1scount for cash . Heavy sections of steel ratls are 3l. 12s. 6d . net a.t works.

The F uel Trade. -F~el is doar. On Newcastle Ex-change 14~. has been patd for best Northumbrian steam coal ~ o. b., a~d several sellers a sk more. Blastfurnace coke 1s be~~mng rather scarce, as little is being produced, and here 1t 1s generally quoted 13s. for delivery at Cleve-land works.

.c::===== = FRENCH FISHPLATES - The Steel \Vorks Company of

France has j us t obtained an order for 60 t ens of st eel fish-pla tes for the F rench State Railways. The contract was taken at 7l. 8s. per ton.

GUN TRIA~S o~ H.l\I. S. " R ESOLUIION. " - Tbe first-class battlesh1p Resolution, which was built and engined by Messrs. Palmer and Co., Jarrowon -T yne, aft er testing her above-water torpedo gear on the previous day got under w~y on Wedne_sday, the ~s.t inst ., from Spith~d for the tr1al of her mam and aux1ltary gun mountings As soon as a. cle~r offing was obt~ ined outside the Nab 'Lightship,

th~ test1~g of her ma_chme anq 6-pounder and 3-pounder qmck finng guns, which are dtstrtbuted on the military tops ~nd superstruc~ure, wae begun. ]i~verything passed over m t he most sat1sfactory manner . In fact, it may be observed that the armament~ mountings_. and hydraulic

~ystem on board th~ R esolutton are p1emsely the same as m the Royal Sov~re1gn and Ramillies (see page 241 ante), and that ~be testmg, tbo?gh ueces~ary and expedient as a. precautwn, was practtcally a mere matter of routine.

T~o rounds were subsequently fired from the 6-in. quick-fi~mg guns on the broadside on the main and upper decks wtth

, H.NI.S. "VICTORIA:'' ARRANGEMENT OF BULKHEADS AND WATERTIGHT DOORS.

JWvt. l. I.Siu\4 Ho.t rh-

S e-c k - - I

D

Nov. 10, 1893.] E N G I N E E R I N G. 0 . ...

NOTICE AGENTS FOR "ENGINEERING." AUSTRiA, Yienna : Lehmann and Wentzel, Karntnerst rasse. CAPE TowN : Oordon an_d Golch. EDINBUnau : J ohn .Menztcs and Co., ~2, Han_ove~-~treet. F RANCE, Paris : Boyveau a nd Chevtllet, L1 bram e Etrang~re, 22,

Rue dG la Banque; M. Em. Terquem, 31bla Boulevard Ha.u ma.nn. Also for Advertisem ents, Agence Ila,as, 8, Place de la Bourse.

The New Cunarders "CAMPANIA" and ., LU-CANIA ;, and the WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION OF 1893.

(See below.) . Qs~w Berlin : Me srs. A. A her and Co. , 5, Unter den Lmden. ' Leipzig : F. A. Brockhaus.

Mulhouse : H. Stuckelberger. GtAsaow : William Love, . I NDLA Calcutta : Thacker, Spmk, and Co. ' Bombay: Thacker and Co., Limited.

ITALY : U. B oepli , Mila n, a nd ~ny post office. Ln""ERPOOL: Mr . Taylor, Landmg tage. M.ANCIIE TER.: J ohn Ileywood , 143, Deansgate. Ngw souTu WALKS, Sydney: Turner and llenderson , 16 and 18,

Hunter-street. Gordon a nd Ootch, Oeorge- Lreet. QCEE.~SLAND ( OUTII), Brisbane : Gordon and Gotch.

(NORTIJ), Townsville : T. Willmett and Co. RoTTERDAM : H . A. Kro.n~er a nd Son .. SOUTU Al'STRALl.t\ 1 Adela1de: W . C. R:tgby. UNITED STATES, New York: W. li. W1ley, 53, Ea3t ~Oths~re~t.

Chicago: H. V. H olm es, 44, La ke 1de BUlldtng. VICTORIA bhLBOURNB: l\Iel vi lie, Mull en and Slade, 261/264, Collins-

street.' Qordon and Gotch, Limited, Queen-street. NOTICE TO A!IERICAN SUB CRIBERS.

we be"' to announce t hat American Subscr iptions to ENalNBERING may no'~ be addressed either direct to the publisher, ~la. C. R.

Jou~so~, at t he Offices of this J ournal, Nos. ~5 and 3G, Bedford-streeL trand London, W.C., or to our a~cred1ted Agents for the United tates ' Mr. W. H . WtLEY, 53, East l Oth- t reet, New York, and Mr. H . 'v. Holmc , 4-1, Lake ide Building, Ch icago. The prices of ub cription (payable in advance) for one year a re.: For thin (foreign) paper edition ~ 1l. 1~s. Od. ; fo r t h1ck (ordma.ry) paper edition, 2l. Os. 6d., or tf rem1 t ted to Agents, 9 dollars for thm and 10 dollars for t hick.

ADVERTISEMENTS. The char~e for adverLisements is three shi~l~ngs fo~ the first f

576 documents destined for public perusal. In the

c~se of the Victoria collision, a large weight of ~ate~ found its way in a 'fery short time into the 1nter10r, and p~ssed for a considerable distance fore and aft. A very great depression of the bow was observed within three or four minutes of the collision.

Mr. White consider~ the cause of failure to close the door a, hatches, &c., is to be found in the vory short time before the collision that orders were given to make the attempt. Mr. vVhite does not attribute this failure t o any shortcomings on t he part of the officers or crew of the ship, he would be travelling outside his sphere were he to do so, but he quotes the statement of Captain Bourke that, under ordinary conditions of drill, three minutes were required t o close the doors, &c. From the evidence, it appeareci. that the order to close the doors was given about one minute before the collision ; so the doors evidently were not closed t o any large extent . The result of this is clearly shown in t he illustrations we publish, where the large spaces undoubtedly flooded are evidently more than sufficient t o account for the loss of the vessel.

L ike Mr. White, we are not concerned to in-quire whether there was any laxity on the part of the officers of the Victoria. Such an accident as this during peace time, sad and serious as it is, is altogether dwarfed in importance by the serious-ness that would follow such a disaster during b~ttle. The vital question, therefore, is, What is the v ulnerability of our warships during actual fighting ~ It is evident that if all, er nearly all, the watertight d oors shown are necessary for fighting the ship, subdivision ag practised is little good as an answer to ram or torpedo, t o say nothing of damage from shot or shell below the line on t he ship's side to which water r eaches, which, of cvurse, is a different thing to the draughtsman's "wa.ter line." To answer this ques-t ion in a manner to satisfy public doubt requires a public and independen t inquiry, which should certainly be something more than a depart-mental committee. There is no doubt that, logically or otherwise, public confidence in the present manner of settling designs of ships has been rudely shaken by racent misadventures. This mixt ure of naval architects' and naval officers' de-signs appeara to be a compromise which does not lead to good results ; at any rate, neither division appears satisfied with the influence of the other-speaking, of course, of the two bodie3 at large. Nominally, and as a matter of procedure, the con-structors have no voice in the matter; they are the subordinates of the naval officers on t he B oard, and have simply to do as they are told. Practically, however , they are able to get a great del.! of their own way, the extent varying with the ratio of strength of character between the representatives of t he two parties . . This . H Pull, devil pull, baker," method of setthng affaus does not aiways lead to harmony of design, and it makes the onus of responsibility so uncertain in its inci-dence that there is always an excuse for either p:uty. According to some persons, constructors are all pedants, and according to others, naval officers are all blockheads. Although these are fool ish views, t.hey represent t~e extremes .of tw o parties, and t he public would hke. to form 1tis own opinion to which side the balance 1n?l~es.

Tu return, however, to Mr. \Vhite s repor t, we fi nd that when the Camperdown had cleared, the Victoria continued to settle by the bow and increase her heel to starboard. F or nine or ten minutes these movements continued to proceed gradually and steadily. Then came a 1 urch. to sta.rbo1.rd, which commenced suddenly, the slup fell over on her side, and turning bottom up, finally sank by the head at an angle 20 deg. or 30 deg. ~o t~e vertical. At the instant the lurch began the V10tor1a was steaming slowly ahead with both screwd, her helm being hard-a-starboard.

By reference to our illustrations it will be se.en how large a part of t he ship was flooded of necess1ty by the blow. This space extends over all the mess deck up to tho thwartship armour forwa:rd, only t he extreme forward part of the ve3~el bemg free. The space is divided by a bulkhead wtth two water-tight doors, but this bulkhead appears to have b3en injured by the blow, or at any rate suffer~d when the Camperdown swung sideways, wrenchmg open the rent still further. The water flowed also around the a rmoured breastwork of the turret, and flooded the cabins forward on this deck. On the

E N G I N E E R I N G. lower deck there is more subdivision, with longi-tudinal bulkheads, the central one apparently pre-venting the water going to the port side, and thus gtving the ship the obser ved list to starboard. Reserve coal bunkers are at t he side here, and are divided off by longitudinal bulkheads. As the stem of the Camperdown did not get as far as these bulkheads, it was to be expected that they would have stopped the flow of water to other parts of the deck, had their doors been closed. Pre-sumably they were not, and the question arises whether they would be closed in action, a fact which naturally would depend upon whether coal were re-quired from these bunkers. Probably it would not be.

So far we have dealt with t hat part of the ship which would be freely open to damage by gun-fire, and it is to be presumed that, so far as regards this part, the ship had received no \'ital injury, but we now proceed to the portion beneath the armoured deck. Here we do not find the same conditions of longitudinal subdivision; a fact d ue, no doubt, to the exigencies of design of the ship as a fighting engine. There is, however, a thwartship b ulkhead, close upon which t he spur of the Ca.mperdown entered, penetrating deeply into the carpenter's store, but not far enough to destroy the foreand-aft bulkhead which separates that compartment from the other par t on this level, namely, the capstan engine room. The destruction of the thwartship bulkhead here admitted water to the torpedo flat, which extends right across the ship. The capstan engine room was also flooded, owing to openings being unclosed. The large space aft of this was also flooded subsequently, also on account of doors being left open. Other spaces at this level may also have had water admitted to them, but of this there is no sure evidence. On the lower level we find a large compartment devoted to carpenters' stores undoubtedly flooded, whilst an adjoining wing compartment was probably opened up. The submarine mine compartment was possibly filled with water.

Four minutes after the collision the bow had sunk 10 ft . This change of trim continued, and two minutes later the men were called away from the forecastle. Th e ship was listed to starboard until there came a lurch, the ship fell over on her side, and fi nally sank by the head at an angle of 20 deg. or 30 deg. from the vertical. The ve sel was still steaming ahead slowly with both screws. Immediately before the lurch the water was washing into the open turret ports nearly 100 ft. from the bow and 14 ft . above the original water-line. This would bring the upper deck r ight forward 13 f t. under water, or 23 ft . below its nor mal position. Nearly half the length of the ship would then be submerged, the after part being lifted considerably. The rising of the water at the turret and its flowing through the ports a llowed it to pass into the redoubt, but, apart from this, the armoured door in the oblique bulkhead was open, and water was thus passing into the battery, and accumulating on the starboa.rd side, whilst the two 6-in . gun ports on the starboard broadside were noted to be just awash.

Without going further into details, it will be evident that in such condition of change of trim, by reason of the vast quantities of water that had entered forward, t he conditions of stability, due to the design of the vessel at anything like her normal load water-line, must be entirely changed ; in fact, one hardly expects a ship to be stable with her fore part under water and her stern in the air. How much longer the Victoria would have floated had she not turned over is an open question, but it would be absurd to let conditions of stability, when a ship is in the condition the Victoria was when she t urned over, govern

Nov. 10, 1893.] although io England and \Val~s the proportion just exceeds one per mile. Still in cotland the number of locomotives is only equal to . 59 per mile. In Ireland there is but one locomotive to every four miles of rail way, and, curiously enough, this pro-portion has remained constant for many years, the number of locomotives growing in the same ratio as the mil~age. In Scotland, too, there has been little change, while in England there has been an increase in ten years from . 92 to 1. 04 locomotive per mile. J ~ all countrie~ the traffic has been steadily growmg, but only In the case of Scotland has this traffic been overtaken without a more than proportionate increase in the number of locomo-tives. It results that in Scotland each locomo-tive earns a larger amount now than in past years, and more than the locomotives in other part~ of the count ry. .The_ year 1883 was a period of marked prosperity In trade throughout the country, and consequently the railways found it easier to earn a large amount for each locomotive. Following that year there was depression, and , although we have since had more activity in most industries, the average amount earned per locomo-tive has not recovered the level of 1883, except in the case of Scotland. It seems reasonable to assume that the locomotives in 1883 were worked for exceptionally long periods. The companies certainly continued to add to their stock, not-withstanding shrinkage in traffic, but not until 1888 did the total receipts recover the 1883 level, and by that> time 1200 more locomotives were working for the same earnings. It is really the necessity to be prepared for abnormal in-creases of traffic, not only temporary but for extended periods, that tends to a larger number of locomotives being ordered than is absolutely necessary for ordinary working. Each locomotive in the United Kingdom in 1883 earned 4714l. 5s. for its year's work; but three years later, when the condition of trade was dull, the earnings ha.d dropped by nearly 400l. By 1889, when there was an improvement, the sum recovered to 4629l. , while in 1891 something like the total of 1883 was again touched (4647l. 15s.). Last year the t otal was 4503l. The same general result is brought out when the figures for England alone are considered.

A verage Earninos of L ocomotives. -

Eoglaod S ;otland Irela.nd Uaited Kingd

om

I

.. ,

1883. I ,

477!.2 4380.4 4455.2 4714.2

1886. 1889. 1891.

4351 4662. 1 4657.8 4182.6 4485 4633.8 4202 6 4362.4 44St.1

432~. 7 4629.3 4647.8

1892.

4490 6 4660 4360 6 4503

In 1883 the total for locomotives in England and Wales was higher than for the kingdom, having been 4774l. 5s. In three years there was a drop of over 400l., with a partial recovery to 4657l. 15s. in 1891. L'lst year th& total again declined, and was 4490l. lls. 6j., nearly 300l. less than in 1883. In Scotland there have been fluctuations, but they have not been so decided, nor has the ultimate result been backward. It is true t hat in 1883 the total was much less than that for English locomo-tives- 4380l. 83. - and that there was a drop of 200l. in three years ; but since then there has been a very decided improvement, and each locomotive now earns 4660l., nearly 300l. more than in 1883, 170l. more than the locomotives of England, and 310l. more than the locomo~ives of Irela11d. They have in cotla.nd little more than half the number of loc .>motives existing in England per mile of raH-wp,y (.59 against 1.04), but their receipts are corre-spondingly le3s- 2748l. against 4680l. per mile of rail-way open. Pro ba.bly the sudden increases of traffic, due to holidays, are less pronounced, and therefore there is less need for a large reserve. In Irel~nd the position is liko that in England, although the fluctuations are not pronounced. In 1883 the earnings were more than in Scotland, 4455l. 5s., and dropped 2507. in three years, steadily recover-ing to 4481l. in 1891. Last year, however, the total again receded t.o 4350l. lls. 6d. - 100l. less than in 1883. Of cour3e cheaper fares and fewer first and sec')nd class passengers have had much to do ~ith th~ result, but against these must be put

t~~ ~ncreasmg tendency to travel, and the possi-hihttes, therefore, of more duty for each locomotive.

J\IY EXPERIENCE AS A JUDGE AT THE \VORLD'S FAIR.

IT was on Saturday, J\I~y 13, that I received official notice from the Secretary of the R oyal

E N G I N E E R I N G. Commission of my appointment as one of the judges for the Chicago Exhibition. My preparations were speedily made, and the 18th found me on the Allan liner N umidian, bound for Quebec. Aa I was not expected to meet my colleagues in the 'Vhite City he fore June 15 - so I learned from a telegram that reached me at Moville- I was not particularly anxious for a rapid passage, provided, of course, that we should meet neither ugly seas nor the trail of a cyclone.

In this I wa~ gratified beyond expectation, and on the appointed day, I was able to present my credentials to Mr. John Boyd Thacher, chief officer of the Bureau of Awards. I was received with much kindness and affability, and was told in a tone of deprecation that the work of the judge~ would not begin before July 1. I w~n not sorry for the delay, because I wanted to study, for my own purposes, certain sections of the Exhibition that would not come within my purview as judge.

On July 1, I again appeared at the Awards Department, braced and eager for work ; but again I was told that the members of my com-mittee would not be summoned to organi~e before July 15, the fresh delay being due to the opposition raised against the system laid down for granting the awards. This postponement was disappointing and unfortunate, as it entailed an unprofitable ex-penditure of time- of time limited, in my case, by long-standing engagements as well as by arrange-ments for final departure. I t was not only un-profitable and regrettable, but also disquieting and ominous, as it spoke of discontent and opposition that might indefinitely retard all action. Di:;cordin us magnae dilabuntur came unbidden to my mind.

During this critical period, the 4( single judge " system was subjected to a scathing criticism by a few commissioners, some leading exhibitors, and other interested parties. Its deficiencies and un-practical character were described in communica-tions to the chief local papers, and its abolition urgently demanded. This drastic measure, how-ever, could not be carried without an Act of Congress ; and, as the Washington machinery has no inconsiderable moment of inertia, it was evident that, if awards were to be made at all, they must be given, at least ostensibly, on the objection-able system.

Accordingly it was with more than a 30npyon of impltience and anxiety that I awaited the dawn of July 15, the day fixed for the preliminary meet-ing of the judges in my section of the Liberal Arts. 'V e met at midday in the Assembly Hall, and were called to order by Mr. John W. Hoyt, ex-Governor of the State of Massachusetts. All storm signals were gradually lowered, and nascent difficulties yielded to the suavity of the Governor's manner, his winning deference and diplomatic tact. Within less than an hour, we had our full complement of officers, and were ready to embark on our novel enterprise. But before adjourning it was decided that we should meet three times a week to receive reports, discuss difficulties, and give mutual help.

These tri-weekly sessions soon revealed the com-plex nature of our undertaking ; for the few that attempted to make a start with their work had nothing to give but accounts of perplexity and en-

t~nglement that baffled their efforts. These ac~ounts were laid before the committee usually with an earnest and sometimes pathetic appeal for counsel or co-operation. It happened but very rarely that an impulsive member would infuse his superfluous energy into a philippic, making the c1mmittee-room ring with his grievances. Dr. Bi.inz, our distinguished chairman, ever mindful that we were in a free country, interfered with such orators only when their vehemence carried them centrifugally away from the subject of discussion, or hurried them into a paroxsysm of infelicitous temper which sought relief in uncongressional phraseology. Indeed, it required no ordinary pro-ficiency in the management of deliberative assem-blies to guide successfully these initiatory debates. Our able chairman was assisted on all occasions by General Eaton, whose conciliatory ways and great experience were invaluable, and by such men as Principal Fol well, Judge Schinn, and Professor Gore. Order was at last evolved from this Colum-bian chaos, and the judges finally set out on their various circui ts with determination, if not with alacrity.

It was very soon found that the only way to accelerate business, or even to advance at all satis-factorily, wae to form small groups and examine the

577 exhibits together. This soon. became the c_ommon system followed in my com11'!1~tee, and _to It I at-tribute the despatch and efficiency which charac-terised that body. Of course such a method of working was unollicial. It was neither suggested ~y the instructions issued nor contemplated by their framers. But the letter of the law was inva~iably observed, for every exhibit assi~ned to _a particular judge was seen by him and hiS assoc1ates,. and a brief report written out on the form supplied for that purpose, and then signed by th~ judge to whom the exhibit in question had been 1ntrusted.

All these reports were read at our triwee~1y meetings. I n most cases, they were passed with but little discussion. It sometimes happened that objections were raised, which led to their being referred back to their authors for ampler details, or even for reconsideration. A few instances did occur in which a judge declined to reconsider h~s award, maintaining that he had carefully examined th_e merits of the exhibit, and saw no reason for modi-fying his conclusion. Of course, the co~mittee in all such dilemmas finally accepted the Judge's decision. It had no alternative; for every duly appointed member held from Congress a man-date which made him a Columbian judge, and invested his decisions with finality. There never was question of submitting his reports to any one, howevor eminent, or to any body of men, however competent, for approval or emendation. He was to examine the exhibits assigned to him by the Bureau of Awards, and formulate over his sig nature the conclusion he would come to regarding their merits. He h&d plenary powers, and was amenable to no Exposition tribunal. If his find-ings were to be challenged, it ehould be by the world at large, and not by any committee. Under the Thacher system, pure and simple, the existence of these Boards was indefensible. There were many of us who were fulJy alive to this fact, and to the irregularity of our proceedings. Yet no objection was ever raised, because we Eaw in these committees powerful levers for good. On the one hand, they would be a check on prodigality, whilst on the other they would secure careful analyses of the points of exce1lence of each re-warded exhibit. Besides, an abstract of each report being publicly read by the Secretary, a sentiment of amo11' p1opre would naturally be awakened, which, in turn, must lead to felicitous results. I may say that there were just a few members of my committee who appeared to be pretty easily satisfied as to th~ ingenulty or novelty, value or excellence of an exhibit; but fortunately there were many who assumed a befitting stan-dard for themselves, and who sought at the tri-weekly meetings to restrain every tendency to ex-travagance in others by an unrelenting though courteous severity.

Thanks, then, to the modification introduced, a working system was early adopted, which greatly facilitated inspection, and tended at the same time to secure for the World's Fair an honours list of the usual average value of international expositions.

I am here speaking of what was done in my own section of the Liberal Art.a ; but I know that a, similar course of action was followed in other de-partments, and with equally fruitful results.

The end of August was fast approaching. I had been on my daily rounds for nearly six weeks, and that, too, in the fiercest of the dog-days. During that sweltering period, little was done to attenuate the hardships of judicial life on the shores of Lake Michigan. Our \Vestern members were the first to relieve its monotony by their afternoon social in the Minnesota Buildin~. Our Oriental colleagues, the Japanese, followed with a most refreshing five-o'clock tea. But it was reserved for the Board of Lady Managers to show, in their brilliant reception of Wednesday, August 23, how happily grace and elegance ma:r ~ield the po.wers of .oratory and poesy for the alleviatiOn of worr1ed offictals and vacation-less judges.

The da:y !allowing this memorable event, I paid my last v~s1t to J ackson_Park. It was Illinois Day, but, d~spite the swarmmg crowds, I succeeded in threading my way to the Administration BuildinO' where I found the chief authorities engrossed with the despatch of business. I at once introduced the official nature of my visit, referred briefly to the

ex~iration of ~y _time, and effected my departure amidst appreciative assurances of the services rendered to the Exhibition by British judges.

As I had some r eason to b elieve that. about this time, the favourite steamers would be rather crowded ,

I had taken the precaution to secure a berth in the Campania for September 2. The Campania! W hen-ever I chanced to mention that 1 had selected this boat for my homeward passage, my s tatetnent in-variably elicited an expression of regret from my friends. I expected congratulations. I got instead a dole of commiseration. One said she rolled fear-fully, another that she vibrated awfully, whilst a third assured me that after this trip she would go into the dry dock for repairs. Yet none of my well- meaning informants had any experience or authentic knowledge of the ship's perform-ance when battling with the wind and waves. I, therefore, did not allow myself to be intimidated by such unsubstantiated reports. I had every confidence in the Cunard Line, and was determined to form my own opinion of the Campania as a grey-hound of the Atlant ic. I am glad to-day that I did so, were it only to be able to say how unfounded were those disparaging statements. The Cam-pania left New York on Saturday morning at 10.15, and reached Queenstown at 8 A.M. on the follow-ing Friday, having made the passage between Sandy Hook and Roche's Point in 5 days 13 hours 55 minutes, thereby breaking all previous east-bound records. She then steamed up to Liver-pool in ten hours, not to lie up for repairs, but to reload for a fast passage westward . It is true there were vibrations, but they were not noticeably unpleasant, except forward or astern. I suffered no inconvenience, nor did I hear a single cabin passenger refer to them deprecatingly, though I took the trouble to discuss the subject with several fellow-passengera, three of whom were Colum bian judges. As to her rolling qualities, I have nothing to say, as no opportunity occurred of judging them. We encountered no adver~e winds, no angry billows, not even a. little swell by way of variety.

Such a homeward trip on a palatial vessel was indeed a pleasant ending to the experiences and wanderings connected with the work of a judge at the Chicago Exhibition. M. F. O'R.

LONDON SOCIETIES. No. XLI. RoYAL INSTITUTION-continned.

D.a. TYNDALL'~ researches into the obscure phenomena of heat, helped by his skill in creating in others definiteness of conceptions, even though at the expense of delicacy, drew the attention of engineers more forcibly to what was always in their minds-namely, the want of what may be called '' storage of heat " until required as energy in their machines.

His experiments on radiation and absorption by gases and vapours excited hopes not as yet realised, that the solution of the problem might perhaps be found here.

Those who have walked through any of our great factories where m1.chinery is extensively employed, will have been sufficiently impressed with the aid which the mighty power of heat renders to ntan. Every wheel which revolves, ~very chis~l, and plane, and saw, and punch wh1eh forces Its way throuah solid iron, as if it were so much cheese, deriv:s its moving energy from the clashing atoms in the furnace. The motion of these atoms is com-municated to the boiler, thence to the water, whose particles are shaken asunder, and fiy from e~ch other with a repellent energy commensurate w1th the heat con1municated. The steam is simply the apparatus through t~e intermediary. of whi?h the atomic is converted 1nto the mechanical motwn .

Is the mechanical effect of steam due to 1ts b t . d " t , b power of heat a. sorp wn, an can s earn e

made to hold to carry, to convert a larger amount of heat per pound of coal consumed, or . if . not " steam n will any other vapour bo more efiecttve 1

To th~se questions Dr. Tyndall's e?Cperiments gave one decided answer : The absorpho~ of h~at by a vapour is dependent on the complexity of Its structure. Therefore air and the elementary gases can only be economicall~ used a~ heat starers and converters 'when used In machines. of .enormous bulk as compared with the steam eng1ne, 1n propor-tion to the amount of work to be done.

By a series of experiments he went on to the s?lu-tion of the foll owing remarkab}~ and at fir~t s1ght utterly paradoxica~ ~roblem : To detormn~e the absorption and radtatwn of~ gas ot vapour wtthout any source of heat external to the gaseous body itself. ' . . d b th When air enters a vacuum 1t 18 heate ~ . e stoppage of its motion ; when a vessel conta.ming

E N G I N E E R I N G. air is exhausted by an air pump, chilling is pro-duced by the application of a portion of t-he heat of the air to generate 'Vis viva. The heating in the first case may be called "dynamic heating, " and the chilling in the second case "dynamic chilling." Further, the radiation of a gas which has been heated dynamically is ''dynamic radiation, " and the absorption of a gas which has been chilled" dy-namically" is '' dynamic absorption. " Placing a thermo-electric pile at the end of the experimental tube, the latter being exhausted, the gas to be examined is permitted to enter the tube ; the gas is heated, and if it possess any sensible radiative power, the pile will receive its radiation, and the galvanometer connected with the pile will de-clare it.

Proceeding in this way with gases, Professor Tyndall found that the radiation thus manifested, and which was sometimes so intense as to urge the needle of the galvanon1eter through an arc of more than 60 deg., followed the exact order of the ab-sorptions which he had already determined.

After the heat of the radiating column of gas had wasted itself, the air pump was worked at a certain rate, the rarefied gas within the tube be-came chilled, and the face of the pile turned towards the chilled gas became correspondingly lowered in temperature.

The dynamic absorptions of various gases were thus determined, and they were found to go strictly hand in hand with the dynamic radiation.

In the case of vapours, Dr. Tyndall pursued the following method : A quantity of the vapour, sufficient to depress the mercury column 0.5 in., was admitted into the tube, and this was heated dynamically by a.llowjng dry air to enter till the tube was filled. The radiation of vapours thus determined followed exactly the same order as the absorption which had already b3en measured.

The dynamic absorption of the vapour was ob-tained by pumping out in the manner above de-scribed, and it was found to follow the same order as the dynamic radiation.

In t hese experiments the air bore the same rela-tionship to the vapour that a polished silver surface does to a coat of varnish laid over it. Neither the silver nor t he air, both of which are elements, or mixtures of elements, possesses the power of agi-tating in any marked degree the luminiferous ether. But the motion of the silver being com-municated to the varnish, and the motion of the air being communicated t o the vapour, molecules are agitated which have t he power of disturbing in a very considerable degree the ether in which they swing.

By strict experiment it was found that the dynamic radiation of an amount of boracic ether vapour, possessing a tension of only 1 012 ~00 000 I I I of an atmosphere, is easily measurable.

With a. tube 33 in. long the dynamic radiation of acetic ether considerably exceeds that of olefiant gas, while in a tube 3 in. long the dynamic radia-tion of olefiant gas considerably exceeds that of the ether.

Aqueous vapour was subjected to a special examination, and Dr. Tyndall found it a common fact for the aqueous vapour contained in the atmo-sphere to exercise sixty times the absorption of the air itself. The further he pursued his attempts to obtain perfectly pure and dry air, the more did the air approach the character of a vacuum, thus pointing to the possibility of determining the tem-perature of space by direct experiment.

Scents of various kinds were examined. Dry air was passed over bibulous paper moistened by the essential oils and carried into the experimental tube. Small as the amount of matter here enter-ing the tube is known to be, it was found that the absorption of radiant heat by those odours varies from 30 to 372 times that of the air which formed the vehicle. The absorption of terrestrial rays by the odour of a fiower-bed may exceed in amount that of the entire oxygen and nitrogen of the atmosphere above the bed.

To comprehend radiation through the eart~'s atmosphere we need therefore to affix defin1te physical ideas, both to the term atmosphere and the term radiation. The elementary atoms of oxygen and nitrogen may be figured. as s~a.ll sp~1eres scattered thickly in the space wht.ch Immedtately surrounds the earth. They const1tute about 99.5 per cent. of the atmosphere. Mixed with t hese atoms are others of a totally different character , viz., the molecules or atomic groups of carbonic

[Nov. IO, 1893 . acid, of ammonia, and of aqueous vapour. In these substances diverse atoms have coalesced to form litt le systems of atoms. The molecule of aqueous vapour, for example, consists of two atoms of hydrogen, united to one of oxygen, and they mingle as little triads among the monads of oxygen and nitrogen, which constitute the great mass of the atmosphere.

These atoms and molecules are separate, but in what sense 1 They are separate from each other in the sense in which the individual fishes of a shoal are separate. The shoal of fish is em braced by a common medium, which connects the different members of the shoal, and renders intercommuni-cation between them possible. A medium also em braces the atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, and aqueous vapour. Within our atmosphere exists a second, and a finer atmosphere, in which the atoms of oxygen and nitrogen hang like suspended grains.

This finer atmosphere unites not only atom with atom, but star with star; and the light of all suns, and of a.ll stars, is in reality a kind of music propa-gated through this interstellar air. The atoms must not only be figured as suspended in this medium, but they must also be figured as vibrating in it. In this motion of the atoms consists what is known as heat . '' What is heat in us," as Locke has perfectly expressed it, ''is in the body heated nothing but motion. "

This motion communicated to the medium in which the atoms swing, is sent in ripples through it with inconceivable velocity t o the bounds of space. Motion in this form, unconnected with ordinary matter, but speeding through the inter-s~llar medium, is radiant heat, and if competent to excite the nerves of vision, is then called light.

Aqueous vapour is an invisible gas. Vapour was permitted to issue horizontally with considerable force from a small boiler. Dr. Tynda.ll illuminated the track of the cloud of condensed steam by the electric light. What was seen, however, was not vapour, but vapour condensed to water ; beyond the visible end of the jet the cloud resolved itself into true vapour. A spirit lamp was placed under the jet at various points, the cloud was cut sharply off at that point, and when the flame was placed near the efflux orifice the cloud entirely disappeared. The heat of the lamp completely prevented precipi-tation. This same vapour was condensed and con-gealed on the surface of a vessel contajning a freez-ing mixture, from which it was scraped in quantities sufficient to form a small snowball. The beam of the electric lamp was, moreover, sent through a large receiver placed on an air pump. A single stroke of the pump caused the precipitation of the aqueous vapour within, which became beautifully illumi-nated by the beam, while, upon a screen behind, a richly-coloured halo due to diffraction by the li ttle cloud within the receiver fiashed forth.

The waves of heat speed from our earth through our atmosphere towards space. These waves dash in their passage against the atoms of oxygen and nitrogen, and against the molecules of aqueous vapour. Thinly scattered as these atoms are, we might naturally think meanly of them as barriers t o the waves of heat. vV em ight imagine that the wide spaces between the vapour molecules would be an open door for the passage of the undulations; and that if those waves were at all intercepted, it would be by the substances whichform99.6per cent. of t he whole atmosphere. Dr. Tyndall, however, has proved that this small modicum of aqueous vapour intercepts 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 times the quantity of heat stopped by the whole of the air in which it is dif-fused. No doubt was entertained that the aqueous vapour of the air which filled the Royal Institution theatre during the delivery of the discourse* ab-sorbed 90 or 100 times the quantity of radiant heat which was absorbed by the main body of the air of the room.

Looking at the single atoms, for every 200 of oxygen and nitrogen there is about 1 of aqueous vapour. This 1, then, is 80 times more powerful than t he 200; and hence, comparing a single atom of oxygen or nitrogen with a single atom of aqueous vapour, it may be inferred that the action of the latter is 16,000 times that of the former.

This was a very astonishing result, and it natu-rally excited opposition, based on the philosophic reluctance to accept a result so grave in consequences before testing it to the uttermost. I t was urged that the result was on the face of it improbable ; that there were, moreover, many ways of accounting for

- - --- ----

* Royal Institution Proceedings, vol. iv., page 6.

Nov. 10, 1893.] E N G I N E E R I N G. 579

H.:\l.S. u VICTORIA:" ARRANGEME T O:E' BULKHEADS AND WATERTIGHT DOORS. ( '~e Page 575.)

RF.' !!'he vari.uus cmnpartm.ents ar~ ti;rU.ed, to (AA...

s8o issue , ~hen we sh all give f urth er d etails of t his very satis fact ory p er forman ce. The b oilers through-ou t worked excellen tly , a s did t h e r est of the m achinery.

THE ATL~tNTIC R ECORD : Q u EENSTOWN v. SouTHAMPTON.

The. two n ew Cunard st eam ers Camp ania and Lucan1a h a ve b een breakina each oth er 's r ecords again , the on e hom ewards ~nd the oth er t o the west. The Campania in h er voyaae h om ewa rds last week m a intained t hrough out t h e

0 whole voy age

a m ean sp eed of 21. 28 knots, but on t h e four th day out sh e averaged abou t 2Hl knots. The time taken on the voyage of 2812 naut ica l miles was 5 days 12 h ou rs 7 ~inutes, an improvem ent of 2! hours on h er prevwus run a m on th ago, a nd n early 1t h ours b etter than t he record of th e Lucania a for tnig ht ago. The runs to n oon of ea ch day were 47, 491, 490, 491, 505, 495, and 293 m iles. This is the second round voyage on which r ecords have b een r educed b oth ways , the Lucania havina a for tnight ago, complet?d a splen did performan~e ; but n ow t he Campanta h as co.vered the d ouble voyage in 11 ~ays 1 h our 30 mmutes net ste!l.ming t ime, as agatnst 11 days 3 h ourJ 15 min utes, the best r ound

voyag~ of the Lucan ia. T wenty-fhe or thirty ye:us ago th1s would h ave b een r egarded as a good record fo r h alf the voyage. The Lucania in h er outward trip ~as at t h e same t ime excelling the Campania's prevwus westward run, finishing t h e t rip in 5 d ays 12 h ours 47 minut es. durina wh ich she cover ed 2780 nautical miles, the d aily ru~s having b een 481 542 536, 490, 535, a nd 196 miles to Sandy H ook. ' Th~ !llea.n SJ?eed is, ther e fore, 20. 93 knot s . The passage 1s 68 mmutes b etter t han the L ucania's run a mont h a!So, and 36. minutes b ett er than the Campania's hme a fort~tght. ag~ . I t is in teresting, if not im-p ortant, to 1nq u1re 1f, according to presen t arrange-m en ts,. passengers get t h e full advantage of these splen d 1d runs , and t h e fact t hat the Paris cr ossed to the west with t h e Lucania, a nd t h at h er

~ondon passengers spen t less t ime on t he JOUrney, sh ould be n oted, m ore especially as t he vessel from Southa mpton was n ot running on the ocean at th e same speed a s t he Lucania, and t h ere -fore n ot at th e sam e expenditure for fuel. The P aris p assengers left L on don on the S aturday m orning at 9.40 A. M. , and the Lucania's ordinary passengers at 11. 30 A.l\I.-1 h our 50 min utes la t er-but the Pa.ris arrived at 6 P.M. on t h e succeeding F riday evening, and the Lucania at 9 P .M. , three h ours l~ter. N either vessel was in time to p ass Q uaran-tine before sunset, and both had t h er efore to lie in N e w York Bay unt il Saturday m ornina the Paris la n d ing her passengers in N ew York at 9.' 45 and th e Lucania at 11.12 in t he for en oon. Of course th e Lucania p assengers wh o went 'liia Queenstow~ d id not leave L ondon until 8. 20 on Saturday night , about eleven h ours after the P ar is passengers. The mails also went with this t rain. B ut n ot only does t h e journey via Q ueenstown invol ve m any changes from t rain and boat, b ut an addit ion al exp enditure of 3l. 6s. for fi rs t a nd 50s. 6d. for secondclass passen gers for r ailway fares t o Q ueenstown, instead of 29s., 21s. 9d . , or 16s. 6d. for fi rst, secon d, and third to Liverpool. T he wai t of t h e Lucania in the M ersey for t he transfer of passengers from t he train at a d istan t station, an d again at Q ueenstown for t h e S unday m ail t rain, make it difficult, if not impossible, to get up t o Q uaran tine in N e w Yor k Bay before sun-set on the F riday, whereas if the vessel could leave Q ueenstown earlier in the day, passengers migh t be able to land at New York on Friday nigh t , j ust as t h ey ar e lan ded at Liverpool on the r eturn journey. Of course wi th the m ail contract a rearrangem ent is very difficult . The P a ris and New York, on the oth er h and , a re quite able, if worked at t h eir best, to arrive at Q uarantine befor e s unset on Fri day, a n d when t h e n ew st eam ers are p ut on t h is is t o b e t he arrangement each week.

' VELSH v. N ATIVE CoJL FOR SouTH AFRICAN L OCOMOTIVES.

T he Railway Commissioners of Sou th Africa ar e 1naking an effor t to wor k all t h e locomotiYes in t h e colonies t h er e with n ative coal, and it is anticipated that wh en t h e W elsh coal n ow und er order is con-s umed, t h ere will b e n o need to order more. F or some years native coal h as b een used on some of the locon1otives, but t h ese only in t h e vicin i ty of t h e coal drifts, w hi eh ar e for t he m ost part situated far in t h e inter ior. Welsh coal was used on the lengths of r ail way r unning from th e ports of Cape T own, Port E lizab eth , &c. T he q uestion is really

E N G I N E E R I N G. on e of econ omy, and wh en this is o n the sid e of n ative industry, an additional incen tive is found. F or the y ear ending June last 27 ,000 ton s of ' elsh coal were got, at a cost of 34s. 1ld. p er t on , d eli-vor e? ~n the colon y, an d .30,000 tons ~t 28s. 10d., but 1t IS n oteworthy t hat m t h e last s tx months of ~he fiscal y ear t~ t;, qu an t ity was only h alf t hat got 1n t h e firot s1x m on t hs . From native d rifts s it uated close to t h e Ea~t L ondon line, t h e coal cost 20s . per ton , but quite lately a m ost satisfactory and cheaper f uel h as b een found in t h e Viljoens Drift, si tuated in t h e Transvaal near th e border wi t h t h e Orange Free State, 80 miles sout h of P re-toria, and 960 n or t h -east of Cap e Town . The dept h of t h e mine f rom su r face to coal bed is 89 f t. The t h ickness of t he seam averages ab out 10ft., and h as developed sufficien tly to fall back upon 170,000 ton s with ou t extending further . The r oof supp or ts ar e 60 f t . squar e pilla rs of coal, a nd the wor k ings a re lighted by electricity. I t may b e ad~ed .t hat un~erneat~ t h e coal seam there is clay,

~h1eh Is made 1nto bncks for J ohannesbu rg b uild Ings. The coal is in som e par ts m ixed wit h sand-

ston~, b ut in th e sout h ern portion of th e seam it is unmtxed, t h e seam being 12 ft. thick. The price charged for V iljoens Drift coal waCJ last year 11s. per t on of 2000 lb. I t is ther efore clear t hat the price i:~ much less than other n ative coals, as well as th~t of W elsh coal , so that the latter is only n ow be1ng used sout h of B eaufort Junction, 500 miles from Cap e T own. The 22,000 tons order ed for t he y ear for t h is length , at 25s. 3d. p er ton , a nd t he 4000 t ons at 3 1s. 6d. for the western section , m ay b e t h e last Welsh coal used. The r elative efficiency of the n ative coal i:~ an important p oint, and the con sumption of Vilj oen s Drif t coal is as 1~ to 1 of W elsh. Trials were m ade wit h an eigh t-wh eeled locom otive and a fully load ed goods train , an d it

wa~ fo~nd that the mean consumption of 24,862 tram miles was 90.27 lb. , which, wit h the price at 123. 7d. p er t on, works ou t t o 6. 82d . per t ra in mile . Other tests were made with t h e same engin e and load to tes t t h e r elati\'e cost of V i ljoens against Cyphergat, another n ative coal r ecently largely U3ed , and n ot only was t h e actual weight of coal used less, but the price being m uch lower, the r esult worked out at 3. 79d. p er t rain mile against 7.44d. The consumption p er t rain m ile in the latter case was 60. 02 lb ., bu t in the longer trials it was g reater. Tests two or t hree years ago sho wed that over a long d istan ce in South Africa the consumption per t rain m ile was 34. 74 lb. of Welsh coal. I t seems, t herefore, t hat a great Eaving must r esult, since t h e V iljoen s coal can be got at least a t hird of the price of ' Velsh coal. I n deed , a n official repor t states t hat t h e change will m ean a saving, at t he lowest estimate, o f 32,000l. p er annum. The N atal Government use n ative coal, got at D un dee, super ior in quality t o V iljoens, t he consumption being as 1~ to 1 of W elsh . The price is Ss. 6d . per ton, but when a larger q uan tity of V ilj oens is t ak en by the Cape rail ways th e price will b e r educed , t he proposal being to r ed uce the price with increase in t he quan tity r equired.

HYDRO-OXY GAS. THE question of keeping gas up to the required

standard of illumination is one that now engagE's the attention of gas engineers. As long as t here were abundant supplies of cannel coal the matter was easy enough, and 16, 20, or 25 cand les were at tained with-out much difficulty. But now the supply of cannel is lessening, and, as a consequence, the price is rising steadily. The primary cannel of '\Vigan is partly worked out; t he Curley cannel of North \Vales can only be obtained with difficulty; in Scotland several old seams have d isappeared; it is to Der byshire and Yorkshire t hat t he gas works have now to look for the most plent iful supplies. Naturally the owners of these cannel beds take advantage of their posi tion t o get the best p ossible prices. On the other hand it is the policy of gas companies to reduce their pr ices, although this is a stat ement which does not fi nd much popular accep tance. I n most instances there is a clause in their Acts enabling them to increase their dividends as t he price per 1000 ft . is reduced, and once t hey have managed to get below the line at which this augmenta-t ion commences they are ver y loth to repass it. \Vhen shareholders have received ll or 12 per cent . for two or three years t hey are a p t to resent a return to 10 per cent. Quite apart, however, from shareholders' int erests, no gas manager likes to have t o raise the price of his commodity to the public; there is a. strong feeling of hostility arising against municipal monopolies which some

Nov. 10, 1893.] the coal to be carried farther than at prcsen t, and instead of the process being stopped when 10,000 ft. have been extracted from a ton, 10 o.r 20 per cent . more gas, of lower quality, may be obta1n~d! and then raised to the required quality by the add1t10n of t he new materiaL The Corporation of H uddersfield lll.s laid down plant for the proclucti~n o! hydro.-oxy gas, and the results of t he first fortn1ght s rworkmg g~ve, according t o the statement of ~lr. \\ . R. H errmg, t heir manager, an increase of .)~ candles for 5. 96 per cent of hydro-oxy gas used. Other towns and com-panies have the matter under consideration. ~he fa~t that the use of petroleum vapour ~s an e~ncher 1s becoming widely diffused, and that 10 one 10s tance, a t least , oxygen has been found to ~i~plify and i!f1-prove the puri.fica~ion _of gas,. and 10Ct~lentally to 10-crease its lummostty, 1s suffic1ent to ra.1se a presump-t,ion in favour of the claims put forward for the new process of combining the two gases. T hose who a rc interested in the matter can see the manufactu:e and the results in alisbury-square, and form thetr own opinions.

The installation for the production of hydro-oxy gas a.t Huddersfield is being laid down in insta-lments. Eventually it will consist of an oxygen plant, and four bays of oil gas retorts~ capable toget~er of a. daily make of 200,000 cub1c feet of oxy-oll gas. The oxygen plant, ~rected ~y Brin's Oxygen Company, comprises two sect10ns, wbtch can be worked together or separately and will produce 30,000 cubic feet of oxygen per d~y. Only one bay of t he oil plant is con;-plete as yet ; it will produce 50,000 ~eet. per. day. In 1t t here are fifteen cast- iron retorts, 8 m . 1n ch ameter and 7 ft. long, having 5! ft . of heated lengt h betw~en the walls. They are set with a fall of 1 10. towards the back, and the oil is fed into them through 2-in. iron pipes a rr:r.nged in duplicate, pass-ing through the front CO\'e~d terminating about half-way along the retorts. The oil is supplied to these feeds by syphons cl.rrying floats so arranged that any back pressure., caused by stoppage in t he feed pipe or p ressure m t he retort, r atses the float and sbuts off the oil supply. The bottom and hottest retorts are used for crack ing the residuals from the upper retorts. The oil is cracked a.t a low red heat, and the oxyaen admitted t o the vapour soon after it leaves the retort, and whilst it is still warm ; the two gases go through the condenser together. Two met ers, coupled together, insure t hat the tw? gases shall be in such proportions t hat the oxygen ts 15 per cent. of the oxygen-oil gas.

NOTES FROM THE NORTH. GL.-\SOOW, Wednesday.

E N G I N E E R I N G. sBr : month, anc! 42~. 6~d . per ton one month, with a call. 'l'wo lots of 500 tons of Cleveland and 500 to?s of qumberland hematite iron were done at ab:>ut hst pnces. The closing settlement prices were-Scotch iron, 42s. 6d. per ton; Cleveland, 34s. 3d. ; Cumberland and Middlesbroug~, respect ively, 44s. 4~d. and 4~s. 3d. per ton. To-day s forenoon market was active, some 15,000 tons of ~co~ch, 5000 tons of Cleveland, and 2000 ~ons of h~ma.ttt~ Jron being dealt in, generally at firm pn~es. Bus~ness m the afternoon was ra-ther idle, bub prtces cont1nued fi rm, 423. 2~d. per ton cash being obtained for two lots of Scotch iron. The following are some of the quota-tions for No. 1 special brands of makers' iron : Gart-sherrie and Summer lee, 49s. per ton ; Cald~r, 50s. ; .Colt-ness, 553. Gd. ; L angloan, 56s.- tbe foregomg all sb1pped a.t Gla!:gow ; Glenga.rnock (shipped at Ardrose~n), 49a. ; Shotts (shipped at L eith), 51s. ; Carron (sh1~ped .at Grangemouth), 5~s. Gd. per ton. L ast weeks shtp men ts of pig iron from all Scotch ports amou~ted t o 3820 t ons, as corn pared with 5813 tons . 10 the corresponding week of last year. T hey 10cluded

~70 tons for Canada, 630 tons for Italy, 834 tons for Germa.ny, 556 tons for H olland, smaller qu.an-tities for other countries, and 1171 tons coastwJse. 1'he number of blast furnaces now in actual operation in Scotland is 53, as compared wit.b 7~ at this time last y~ar. There are 20 working on hema.ttte tron ore, 32 are makmg ordinarv iron and one is making basic iron (at Glengar-nock). Two f~rnaces have been put out of blast ab Carron \Vorks and one has been damped down at Summerlee Works~ I t is reported t hat in several cases the stocks of special brands in makers' bands are rather scarce. T~e stocks of pig iron in M essrs. Connal and Co.'s pubhc warrant stores stood aL 328,611 tons yesterday after:noon, against 329 328 tons yesterday week, thus show1ng a. decrease for' the week amounting to 717 tons.

and the width being increased to 8.0 ft. r. Ma~~ e~t~ mates that in the event of the piers. bemg. sunb ob t rock, the cost of rebuilding the bndge . w1ll e a ou 80,000l. It is said that the Edinburgh eng10eers, Mes~? Blyth and Cunningham, thoroughly approve of r. Mason's plan.

Glasgow Copper Markct.-Copper was firmer last Thurs-day, and changed hands both inside and outside the market at an advance of 2s. 6d. per ton, and at th~ same price, 42l. 6s. 3~. per ton,. in both cases. There were no official transactiOns on F rtday, but 50 tons changed hands in the afternoon a.t 42l. 6s. ~d . per ton cash, with buyers re-maining a.t that price. One lot of copper changed hands, 25 tons, on ~Ionda.y forenoon at 42l. 15s .. t~ree mont~s, sellers wanting 1s. 3d. per ton more. A stmtlar quanttty was sold on Tuesday a.t 42l. 12s. 6d. three months.

Spani~h Iron Ore Im ports at Clyde.-The landings of Spanish iron ore at the ports of Glasgow an~ Greenck during the month of October show a very sen ous falhng off, owing chiefly to the ~lowing out of a. bout on.e-half . of the Scotch iron fnrnaces, m consequence of the htgb prtce of coal. Only ten steamers arrived from Bilbao, &c., with 16,096 tons-a. decrease of 32,927 tons as contrasted with the imports in October last year. For the ten months the imports show a falling off to the extent of 157,556 t ons. The imports in 1891 were smaller, but for the first five months of that year there were the strike and lock-out of the Scotch iron furnacemen. The returns, specially com-piled, were as follow :

Month. Ten Months. Vessels. T ons. V easels. Tons.

1893 . . . . . . 10 16,095 20! 327, 99G 1892 ... ... 3-l 49,022 306 485,552 1891 . . . . . . 23 32,880 16-t 218, 1-t8 1890 . . . . . . 10 13,950 292 425,725 1889 ... ... 30 43,579 279 393,4t4

From th~se fi gures it \Vill be seen that the imports for the ten months show a falling off to the extent of 157,556 t one.

Copper Ore Imports at Glasgow.-The landings of Spanish copper pyrites at Glasgow for. the m~nth of October 1893, amounted to 3523 tons, bemg an mcrease of 178! tons over the receipts for the corresponding month last year. For the ten months the landings show an in-crease of 10,066 tons over those for the same period in 1892 and 3829 tons over those for the t en months in 1890, whi~h showed an exceptionally heavy import. The pyrites were chiefly for the Tha.rsis Copper and Sulphur Company's Glasgow works. The returns specially com-piled were:

Month. T en Nionths. V essels. Tons. V essels. Tons.

1893 2 3523 28 49,010 1892 1 1734 23 38,944 1891 3 4583 30 43,160 1890

1889 3 4457 3 3043

29 45,181 35 43,734

F i1tished I ron and Stcel.- There is a fairly active condi-tion of things ruling at most of the finish ed iron works, the makers of ua.rs being in most cases able to keep full shifts going. Home users are t aking the great bulk of the current production of manufactured iron, the shipping demand being slow. Common bars are quoted at 5l. 5s. to 5l. 12d. Gd. , and besb bar~ up to 6l. 2s. Gd. per ton. The makers of sheets lately held a m eeting, a.t which they re-solved tu continue the prices on the basis of 7l. 7s. 6d. per ton for iron singles. Last Friday the Lanarkshire makers of steel held a. meeting, at which it was agreed to advance the price of steel plates for shipbuilding purposes to the extent of 2s. Gd. per ton. It is stated that the highprice of fuel was the cause of the price being raised. Tube-makers are reported t o be getting busier.

A Proposed Railwa!J L i1tejr01n Fort W illiam to ~nvcr'vif: -A survey is now bemg made of the route from ort lia.m to Inverness, which has for its objeco th.e construc-tion of a line in three sections from Spean Brtdge to the Highland capital. As ail present proposed,