The Express.
London, England, 1850-10-30 00:00:00

tiny workbox. The next moment you see the
crane performing a somewhat similar operation at the
other end of the building: for instance, a casting is
complete, and the cover requires removing: the crane
g...n.tty miss a it, turns it over, the sand is knocked out
by the' workmen, and the cover is ready for the next
moult/ that is prepared. The duty which " the
crate are called on to perform is equally onerous.
The iron used is melted in a couple of cupolas outside
the shed, from which it is removed in immense ladles,
which are inlaced on a railway carriage end run into
the shed at both ends; here it is picked up by the
s ark scrag, and bring the metals in
travelling cr. \nee, and as these run up and down,
tenever there is a mould fitted
larp" the cvreasealsi.
,‘
is neither delay, nor confa-
for its reception. And in all this vast and
complicated work th'Cs'
sion, nor accident, buts verything proceeds with sin-
t
gular regularity. This pi, •rative would be incom-
plete if I did not be-e menu°. .1 that in consrquence of
the weight of the girders the a.void is partially de-
stroyed every time a casting takett. Place, and that the
sand has to be re-fashioned and ma.iipulated with as
much care as though for the most minute descrip-
tions of machinery. By this process from thirty to
forty girders are produced daily. In the bolt hour I
spent in this part of the foundry, I ws. 4 fortunate
enough to see no leas than four completes. is and al-
most throughout every stage of the process. Of the
boxes I have described in which the moulds are D laced
there are no less than 270 tone in use. Afte; they

have been removed from the moulde the girder' are

taken into the open air end trimmed, wheel' they are
ready for being lowered into the boats on the canal,
and despatched for the purpose for which they are
designed.
The columns are produced in another part of the

establishment, from 40 to 60 are cut daily; the mode
is very similar to that which I have been describing ;
it is the same with the foundation-pieces, connecting
pieces, and other necessary adjuncts. There are
enormous fitting-shops in which the work is going on
with great rapidity; here the whole of the columns,
bare, and connecting pieces are turned, bored, and
faced to fixed gauges before leaving the works, and
with so much minuteness is this carried on, that at

the time I visited the place, when more than ball the
work wan completed, not a single piece had been found
so far defective as to require the aid of the chiml. In
fact, every portion of the building will be turned out
ot the foundry in such a state of completeness, that it
will be put together with the utmost ease and facility.
"fhe connecting pieces to which I have referred form
part of the columns, so that at every gallery one of
the former is inserted in the column, and to these are
fixed the girders which support it ; little, therefore,
has to be done on the ground but to lift the columns
and connecting-pieced and girders into their places,
and put in the bolts and wedge,.
There are relays ot men working day and night;
everything, in short, appears to be pushed on with
marvellous rapidity. At the time I visited the works,
the business of constructing the framework of this
mighty fabric had been going on about six weeki ;
in that time nearly the whole of the castings had
been made and delivered, and it was expected that
the whole would be sent in by the middle of next
month, a striking proof of the wonderful resources
possessed by the proprietors of the works.
As I knew something of the loose habits of the men
throughout the whole of this mineral district, I was
anxious to ascertain how far the work had been de-
layed from that cause: accordingly I put a question
to one of the partners (Mr. Cochrane). He said, "We
reasoned with the men, and it succeeded." I was

somewhat startled at this, certainly, never having
heard of these men being open to much in the way of
conviction produced by reasoning, se I asked Mr.
Cochrane to be so good as to explain. He replied
"We told the men that the work in which
we were about to engage must be completed within a
certain time ; that we had given a pledge, and that so
far oar character and credit were at stake; that it was
a matter in which the nation at large shared concern,
and that it was to their interest as well as our own
that we should fulfil the contract. And this suc-
ceeded, for the men have only ' made ' one day since
they commenced."
I have deemed it proper to mention this fact in
justice to all employed at these works ; it affords a
convincing proof how much may be done by kindness
and geed usage. Some of the partners here I know
to be liberal, noble-minded men—men whose dispo-
sitions lead them to the side of philanthropy, and who
would be sure to treat kindly all whom they employed.
Teat monster nuisance, the truck system, is practically
unknown at these works ; the men are all paid in
money on a Saturday ; rome of the best moulders
earn as much as 365. per week; the average earnings
of the workmen throughout is about 3e. 61. a day ; and
of the boys, le. 3d. The working hours are from six in
the morning until six in the evening, allowing an
hour and a half for meal.; night-work corn= nces
at six, and terminates at six in the morning, with
the same allowance for refres:ment. The workmen's
rules were shown to me, and they appeared very fair
to all parties; • fortnight's notice must be given on
either side ; a workman striking another is fined 26.6 d.,
to the sick box; and for swearing or using violent
language he is fined a similar sum, which is devoted
to thememe purpose. There is a " Sick Club"connected
with the works, to which every person employed is
compelled to contribute ; the partners. take share in
the management, and are annual donors to the extent
of 501. The weekly payments are divided into three
classes, according to the earnings of the men; in the
first ten weeks of sickness a member receives fie. per
week ; in the succeeding six weeks 7s. ; for the
following five weeks 65.; and for soother five weeks
ss. The other classes are in proportion. On the
death of a member in the first class hie widow receives
61. ; of the wife, the sum of 31. The parsons em-
. ploytd at works of this clascrip'.ion are generally im-
. pt evident, so that a club of this kind must have been
productive of much usefulness.
In the course of my ramble through these works,
I remarked in one of the large sheds a very interest-
ing process of manufacture; it was that of water-
pipes of the largest kind, which are now being
brought into general use in London, Manchester, and
other large towns. In one pit alone, 11 feet wide by
24 feet in length, twenty-four 30-inch pipes are daily
dried and east in 16 hours. By means of a new dry-
, tag process, invented at these works, the pipes made
here are free from joints, and are consequently so
much more secure. One of the partners (Mr. Slate)
took much trouble to explain to me the whole of the
interesting operation, but on refiecion I despaired of
divesting it of sufficient technicality to interest the
general reader. Some idea, however, of the magni-
tude of the works in this department may be gathered
from the fact that, taking into account the various
sizes, upwards of a mile length of iron piping is cast
here daily.
But this letter has already en'ended to a greater
length than was intended, I must therefore reserve for
my next a notice of the works of Messrs. Fox, Hen-
derson, and Co., who have the credit (and justly) of
having developed the magnificent idea of Mr. Futon.

PROPOSED Pam Essay. —To the Editor of the Ile-
press.-81r,—A clergyman of the Church of England, with
the approbation of his Royal Righneu Prices Albert,
proposes to give a prise or prises of 100 Onus in amount
for the best essay or essays on the following subject. "In
what manner the union of all nations at the grand exhibition
in 1851 may be made the most conducive to the glory of
Ood in promoting the morel welfare of mankind." As this
proposer of tha.prine is very desirous that fall scope should
be given for the diethadon of a subjoin whisk appears to him
of the highest importance, end that the candidates and the
public: should have security for the strictest Impartiality Is
the award, he is anxious, memoir to the final arrangement,
to avail himself of the opinions of the leaders of the public'
mind, and would, therefore, be extremely obliged by say
r smoothes from the editor of the Swims or his corn-
' epostlente which might enable him to present the propceition
to the public in a form must celcalated to accomplish the
°West he has in view. His wish is to remain at present,

CE I ANoxyagove.

MI CABE OF CRUELTY TO LASCARB AT SOUTH-
ARFREPFL—The coroner of Southampton has received in-
elmeseitme from the Secretary of State for the Home Do-
t* furnish him with the evidesee adduced at the
Mtlelirn the bodice r 4 the two Lasesr seamen who died on
heard the ship, New Liverpool, in Southampton Docks, and
for whose deaths a verdict of manslaughter *as returned last
week against the captain of the ship.
LOSS OF THE TUO STEAMER POIvERVIA.—Thin
steamer, which hes been for • long period engaged In towing
lighters, de., about Harwich Harbour, being required at
Dom, wee ;teaming her way thither ander the (barge of •
Dover pilot, when, tinder eiraimstancre sot yet elicited she
struck upon the Long Band, and ultimately suck is deep
want at abpnt 9 p.m. ow Saturday loon The crow
its uP Sunday morning end ham into Ottore).one,