The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-05 00:00:00

IRON LIGHTHOUSES.

An interesting illustration of the extended purposes
to which iron is applied in the present day was lately
given at Messrs. H. and M. Grissell's Regent a
Canal Iron Works. A cast-iron lighthouse ordered by
the Lords of the Admiralty was lighted up for inspec-
tion. The tower and internal fittings were manufac-
tured by Messrs. Grissell, the lantern and light appa-
ratus by Mr. W. C. Wilkins, of Long-acre. The light-
house is understood to be intended for the Falkland
Islands, and a similar one is constructing for Jamaica,
while another was sent some time ago to Bermuda.
The form of the present lighthouse is that of a frus-
trum of a cone, having a height of 47 feet from the
base to the balcony floor, and a diameter of 14 feet at
the base and 9 feet' at the top of the tower, where the
plates forming the balcony floor project beyond the body
of the tower, and form a parapet around the outside
of the lantern, the parapet being supported by 18 orna-
mental cast-iron brackets fixed to the shell of the tower.
Around the outer edge of the balcony floor a flange
4 inches deep is formed, which shields the connec-
tion of the ornamental brackets with the balcony
floor, and the whole forms a circular abacus 15 feet
in diameter as a capital to the tower. The shell of the
tower consists of 60 concentric plates 1 inch thick, with
flanges on the inside 4 inches wide, having holes to
admit i-inch bolts, drilled every 6 inches apart, both
in the horizontal and vertical flanges. In the centre
of the tower a cast-iron column is fixed for support-
ing the lighting apparatus of the Messrs. Wilkins, of
Long-acre, being a catoptric system of the second class.
having 15 improved argand lamps placed in the foci of
silver-plated and highly polished paraboloidal reflectors,
illuminating an arc of 225 degrees of the horizon ; upon
this column pockets are cast to receive the T iron joists,
which support the two floors of wrought-iron chequered
plates, there being an aperture in the floor to allow of
sufficient headway up each staircase. The staircase con-
sists of two stringings of wrought-iron, 5 .inches wide
and A inch thick, having pieces of 3-inch angle iron
rivetted on the inside, to which are bolted the oak
treads ; to each step there is an iron balluster Ouch
diameter, and fixed at the top to a wrought-iron hand-
rail 4 inch wide and 1 inch thick ; the staircases
wind helically around the inside of the shell of the
tower, and bolted at the top to the T iron joists which
support the floor. There are three rooms in the
tower, the first having a height of 16 feet 1 inch ; the
second, 15 feet 8 inches ; and the third, 15 feet 3 inches
from floor to floor of each room respectively. In each
room there are four windows, having a strong oak case-
ment each, 16 inches square and 1A inch thick, glazed
with polished plate glass 9i inches square. The en-
trance to the tower is by means of a doorway formed
plates, having. a
in the centre of one of the concentric
strong oak door opening outwards, as also do the.wm-
ahighhatv:onfglal
diameterdows The
oflanternthe
corners is
feet to the caves of the lantern roof, which terminates
form
rm
feeto f
overthe
in a cowl of peculiar construction. On the summit. of the
roof a conical pipe is fixed, in the inside of which is the foot-
step or pivot and the guide for the rod of the arrow vane,
and fixed to the rod of the vane is a large hollow
ball, having the conical pipe inserted into it on the un-
derside, the ball being free to swing round the pipe ; the
hollow ball is fixed to this vertical rod of the vane, and
is perforated on that side next to the feather of the
arrow, so that the heated air and gases from the bur-
ners may always rush through the perforations into the
partial vacuity created behind tue ball by the force of
the wind. The total height from the base of the tower
to the top of the vane is 67 feet 6 inches ; the height
from the base to the centre of the system of lights is 55
feet ; the total weight of tower and lantern inclusive is
nearly 50 tons.

DEVONPORT, SEPT. 4.
The Daedalus, 20, Capt. Wellesley, returned to this port
yesterday t d - from Portsmouth, where she was sent to land
her freight, at an expense to the country of a week's
pay and provisions to officers and crew, as the freight
might have been landed here, and forwarded by rail with
equal facility to that afforded at the eastern port.
The Leander, 50, Capt. St. Vincent King, discharged BATTERSEA-PARK AND IMPROVEMENTS. The Com-
her powder yesterday, preparatory to coming into har-
bour to refit for general service. missioners of Woods and Works having settled with all
the parties claiming compensation, the area of the pro-
The Prussian corvette Dantzic, Capt. Indebeton, has
arrived from the North Sea, having been out for the Posed park has been cleared, with the exception of the
purpose of trying her capabilities of steam power, and
British Flag beer-shop and a few small tenements, which
!
w
for carrying her heavy armament, which consists of 12 will be forthwith pulled down. The sum allowed to Mrs
68-pounders on the upper deck, four guns weighing 95 Wright, widow of the late proprietor of the Red House,
cwt., four weighing 60 cwt., and four weighing 52 cwt. was 11,0001. The construction of the Suspension-bridge,
each. Her engines are made by Mr. Scott Russell, who ' which had been stopped for some months, has been re•
attended the trial. Her tonnage is 1,100 tons ; her en- sumed. In addition to these important improvements
gines are nominally 400-horse power, capable of working the Commissioners of Works have directed their sur-
up to 1,200-horse power. Her armament has been sup- veyor
Ito proceed with the Thames embankment, ex-
plied by Mr. Ferguson, of London. She was built at Batter-
, tending on the Middlesex side of the river, from
Dantzic, from English lines, and in her past trials has sea to Vauxhall-bridge, about 400 feet of which has beenmark
proved herself to be everything that can be desired as a already formed. The embankment is to be 80
and
uet
man-of-war, and a first-class going vessel under steam e
• and the elevation will be 4 feet above high-fee
power. She has done with steam power alone, under The river wall will be of highly-temp
favourable circumstances, 12 2 10 knots clean off the ' granite openings, and an internal
shield of i
concrete.
s 100,000/
to thenorthern
a very superior and ingenious style. Her rigging is setalready
been. com-
up by Mr. Scott Russell's screw plates. These plates Suspension-bridge. On the Surrey side a v umber
of detached villa residences have
give more advantages than any other plates yet designed, menced*
as a boy can do the work when required without aappears that from 1845 there
chance of deranging them. In fact, in every depart- PUBLIC-HOUSES.—From a return to parliament which
was on Friday published it
51,567
signatures, Fo-
ment of the fitment of hull and rigging she is complete. have been 182 petitioonfs, with
Commons, praying that a law
Her topmasts, being fidded with the double wedge fide, rented to the Hoouse
can be sent down at a moment's notice. She has been drinks, during the whole of
hibit the sale o
might be passfedinttoxicclaotisengall public houses, and to pro-
supplied with coals from the Government depot, Forti-
tude. Her entire crew consists of 196 officers and men.with 612 802 signatures.
Sunday. For the decrease of intemperance 3,063 peti-
* d'
She has a first-rate crew. Her officers visite the dock- tions had been presented, ,
HEREFORD RAILWAY.
yard here ; most of them speak very good English, and OPENING or THEthe NEWPORT
oAND
. opening of the Newport, Aberga-
have been most courteously received by the Captain- —The da for Hereford
has been definitely fixed
Superintendent Charles Hope, R.N. The Royal George venny, and
was a source of great attraction to them, and they very for the 4th of
_.October, when a single line of rail will be
properly say the Dantzic is a Royal George in minia- 1
opened for traßi c.
ture. She leaves here to-morrow morning for Ports- DOWLAIS IRON w ORES .—We are happy to state that
mouth and Constantinople, calling at Gibraltar and the colliers of this place, after being out six weeks on
Malta. Capt. Indebeton and a portion of the officers strike, resumed their work on 'Wednesday. This result
dined at the admiral's house last evening. was brought about chiefly through the interference of
1 the shopkeepers, whose interests were materially affected
by the strike. A. donation was offered to every collier
who should return to his employment within a given
time, and the expedient had the desired effeete—Times•

WOOLWICH, SEPT. 3.
APPOINTMENTS.
Master John Tucker (b) (1841), formerly serving in

.