The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-11 00:00:00

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

PREMIUNIS SESSION 1851-52.

The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers have
awarded the following premiums:-
1. A Telford medd, in silver, to Captain Mark
Fluid), Assoc. Inst. C.E., for his paper " On Railway
Accidents."

2. A Telford medal, in silver, to Braithwaite Poole,
Assoc. Inst. C.E., for his paper " On the Economy of
Railways."
3. A Telford medal, in silver, to Colonel Samuel Colt
(U. S. America), Assoc. Inst. C.E., for his paper " On
the Application of Machinery to Manufacture of Ro-
tating Chambered.•breech Fire-arms, and the peculiari-
ties of those Arms."

4. A Telford medal, in silver, to Frederick Richard
Window, Assoc. Inst. C.E., for his paper "Oa the
Electric Telegraph, and the principal improvements in
its construction."

5. A Telford medal, in silver, to Charles Coles Adley,
for his paper entitled " The History, Theory, and Prac-
tice of the Electric Telegraph."
6. A Telford medal, in silver, to Eugage Bourdon
(Paris), for his " Description of a new Metallic Mano-
meter, and other Instruments for measuring Pressures
and Temperatures."
7. A Telford medal, in silver, to Pierre Hippolyte
Boutigny (d'Evreux), for his " Description of a new
Diaphragm Steam Generator."
8. A Telford me +al, in silver, to George Frederick
White, Assoc. Inst C.E., for his" Observations on Arti-
ficial, or Portland Cement."

9. A council premium of books, suitably bound and
inscribed, to John Baldry Redman, M. Inst. C.E , for
his paper " On the Alluvial Formations, and the Local
Changes of the South-Eastern Coast of England, from
the Thames to Portland."

10. A council premium of books, suitably bound and
inscribed to Willi©m Thomas Doyne. Assoc. lost, C.E.,
and to Professor William Bindon Blood, for their paper
entitled "An investigation of the Strains upon the
Diagonals of Lattice-Beams, with the resulting For-
mulas."

11. A council premium of books, suitably bound and
inscribed, to George Donaldson, Assoc. Inst. C E., for
his paper, " On the Drainage and Sewerage of the Town
of Richmond (Surrey)."
12. A council premium of books, suitably bound and
inscribed, to Professor Christopher Bsgot Lane, Assoc.
Inst. C.E., for his " Account of the Works on the
Birmingham Extension of the Birmingham and Oxford
Junction Railway."
13. A council premium of books, suitably bound and
inscribed to William Bridges Adams, for his paper, " On
the Construction and Duration of the Permanent Way
of Railways in Europe, and the Modifications most
suitable to Egypt, India, &c."
Notice—lt has frequently occurred that in papers
which have been considered deserving of being read and
published, and have even had premiums awarded to
them, the authors may have advanced somewhat doubt-
ful theories, or may have arrived at conclusions at vari-
ance with received opinions. The Council would, there-
fore, emphatically repeat, that the institution must not,
as a body, be considered responsible for the facts and
opinions advanced in the papers, or in the consequent
discussions; and it must be understood that such papers
may have medals and premiums awarded to them on ac-
count of the science, talent, or industry displayed in the
consideration of the subject, and for the good which may
be expected to result from the discussion and the in-
quiry, but that such notice or award must not be consi-
dered as any expression of opinion on the part of the
institution of the correctness of any of the views enter-
tained by the authors of the papers.

SUBJECTS FOR PREMIUMS, SESSION 1852,53.
The Council invite communications on the following
as well as oth, r subjects for premiums:—

Wy
1. On -the principles upon which the works for the
improvement of river navigation should be conducted,
and the effects of the works upon the drainage and irri-
gation of the district.
2. The construction, improvement, and maintenance
of natural or artificial harbours and docks, with the
forms and action of large sluices for clearing away de-
posits by the use of backwater, or by directing the natu-
ral currents.

3. The selection of sites for the construction of docks
on the course of tidal streams, with reference to com-
munication with railways, and with inland navigation.
4. The selection of sites for, and the principles of, the
construction of breakwaters and of harbours of reatge;
illustrated by examples of existing works.
5. The forms and construction of piers, moles, or
breakwaters (whether solid, or on arches), seawalls,
and shore defences; illu-traced by examples of known
constructions, such as the Cobb-wall at Lyme Regis, fim
6. The best system of forming artificial foundations,
showing the ration of pressure to surface, and the soil
fait calculated to sustain heavy structures: illustrated
by the best examples in modern practice, and by accounts
of the failures of large works.
7. The relative value of various kinds of natural
stone available in Great Britain for the purposes of con-
struction; with experiments on the law of increase of
the crushing force, of short blocks of stone, with their
diameters.
8, On brick and tile making, and; the capability of
introducing new forms for engineering and architectural
processes most useful to emigrants
laws of the strength of cast and wrought iron,
rws.ith the
apnu,dr purposes,
soTes
tehtslee,
under the various conditions of tensile, compressive,
transverse, tortional, impulsive, and other strains; with
examples illustrative of the co-efficients employed by
boyr
eminent practical authorities in the construction of works.
10. The construction of girder bridges, whether of
trussed timber or wooden lattice; of castlron, trussed
or p ,
complaoiunilliortrciaonmgbuilnacitdionw;itohf w
wrroonugghti.t t iron,.iroti lattice work;
h
or of plate iron rivetted sides, with cellular top and
bottom.
i. The construction of suspension bridges with
rigid platforms, and the modes of anchoring the stay-
chains.
12. The comparative advantages of iron and wool,
or of both materials combined, for the construction of
steam-vessels, with drawings and descriptions, the me-
thods for preventing corrosion, and details of the ar-
rangements for the compasses in iron ships.
13. On the changes that have been introduced within
the last fifteen years in the lines of ships and steam.
vessels; and an examination of the effects produced by
the new law of measurement for tonnage
14. An examination of the circumstances which appear
to limit the maintenance of higher speeds than are now
attained by steam-ships in deep sea navigation; and an
inquiry into the causes which have hitherto prevented
the asserted high speeds of steam navigation on the
American rivers, from being arrived at in England.
15. The best method of external condensation, so e‘
to permit the employment of salt or hard water, and
16. a The results of
increased
furnishing pure water for the boiler; with a description
m a r
ibn boilers Ie
andrs and
other of
steam of various systems of evaporating, refrigerating, &c.
m atan ea
reussseure, forof
tubular
engines, noticing particularly the difference in weight
and speed in proportion to
the horse power and the
tonnage, with details of the most successful means for
avoiding smoke in furnaces of all descriptions.
17. The best methods of reducing the temperature of
the engine and boiler room of steam-vessels, and of pre-
venting the danger arising from the overheating
base of the funnel.

wheels,and steam when p
o w eappliedr,io
dteope vessels
edent
ofof
thei d identical not is
18. The relative efficiency of the screw propel! and
cemer
distribution of the work-
ptoancindslege,of sails.
19. The results of the application of steam power° and
screw propellers to the conveyance of coal, aa,
with 2 o.the
hsystem sailingarrangement
aod vessels.dis compared
shops at the principal repairing station of a
railway,
the repairs and mi,tAitenanee of the locomotives, for
pas-
senger, and other carriages, &c.
21. The construction of locomotive engines speaii,u„,
adapted for steep inclines, with accounts of experiments-'
demonstrating the comparative value of large and
3131
engines, under various circumstances.
22. Improvements in the construction of railway car-
riages and waggons, with a view to the reduction of th
gross weight of passenger trains; also of railway wheels,
axles, bearings, and breaks, treating particularly of their
ascertained duration and their relative friction.
23. The results of a series of observations on the flow
of water from the ground in any large districts, with
accurately recorded rain gauge registries in the same
locality, for a period of not less than twelve months,
24. The conveyance and distribution of water for the
supply of towns, the sources from whence it may be de-
rived, noticing the relative permeability of different rocks
and soils and their actual capacity for retaining and de-
livering water. A description of the different modes of
eollectieg and filtering; and an account of the advan-
tages
or disadvantages of the high service constant sup-
ply system, with notices of the best forms of large valves
and of the best method of jointing pipes of large dia-
meter,
to resist considerable pressure, and the precau-
tions to be observed in laying the males through mining
distr.'
fete. where the ground liable is to sink.
25. The
des__, comparative duty performed by the various
descriptions of steam-equines • for
raising water, for the
supply of tow
the depth and length
or for the drainage of mines; noticing
heigh of the underground workines, the
surface hi
the sea, the geological for-
mation, t of the
n, the eotiti,„;,,
26. The - ---j
of streams, &c.plified by accoun drainageta and sewerage of large towns, exem-
with regard to the of
the systems at present pursued,
level and position of the outlet!, the
form and dimension;
emanations from 1:1(e)ef. the sewers, the prevention of
whether in a liquid or solid ,
the disposal of the sewage,
solid form, and of the arrange-
MOMS for connecting
the house-drains with the public
sewers.
27, Una viltriniug gni ventilating buudiugs.