The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-28 00:00:00

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL
ENGINEERS.

At the meeting, held May 26, Sir J. Rennie (President)
took the chair. The paper read was " A memoir on the Re-
sistances to Railway Trains at ditr,erent velocities." By W.
Harding, Assoc. C.E. It commenced by describing several
series of experiments which had been made by different per-
sons with a view to determining the resistacce at various ve-
locities ; some new experiments made by the writer on
broad gauge and atmospheric lines being Koren in detail.
Great difference of opinion on the amount of r..sistance pre-
vailed in 1837, when a committee of the British Association
examined the subject and reported upon it. Notv, ithstand-
ing this, it was found, in 1845, that the estimates ta!ren by
some engineers of the resistances per ton at high velocltie*
exceeded those acknowledged by other engineers by as mticirr
as 300 per cent. It appeared that the same low estimate of
resistance was advanced by the advocates of the broad
gauge before the Gauge Commissioners. It became,
therefore, a matter of great interest, both in a theoretical
and practical point of view, to determine which of
these two estimates (differing thus widely) was
correct ; and the inquiry was stated to have
been facilitated by the application of two novel and
direct modes of measuring resistances recently afforded
to engineers by the atmospheric railway apparatus, and the
application of Morius' dynamometer, to determine the trac-
tive force required in propelling railway trains, as used by
Mr. Scott Russell in his experiments. In arranging the vast
number of results afforded by experiments, the author pro-
ceeded on the folloWing principle:—He collected together all
the results of experiments which exhibited uniform velocities
maintained on a calm day, and on a line free from sharp
curves; these results he calculated and projected in diagrams
and he s'.owed that between these results their subsisted the
most satisfactory agreement and consistency. lie argued
that the tact of the agreement of so many experiments made
by different persons with different objects on different lines
of railway during t:,e last seven years, the resistance being
measured in no less th four different ways, leads almost
irresistably to the conclusion that the increase of res:stance
with the velocity was such as these various experiments in-
dicated. The result was that the resistance per ton to a
passenger train of, say 30 tons, at a speed of sixty miles per
hour, would be upwards of 50Ibs. per ton, instead of 181bs.
per ton, or nearly three times as much as had been estimated
by some engineers. The author in pointing to the re-•
sults of 'these experiments, stated that he desired not
to express any opinion in the papers on the advantages of
the atmospheric system, or upon the other practical points
referred to ; and then proceeded to apply to the experimental
facts a formula expressing the law suggested by Mr. Scott
Russell, which appeared to afford results closely agreeing:
with the experiments. The paper concluded with some re-
marks on the application of the experimental results ex-
hibited, which demonstrated the great increase of resistance
with the velocity (it being with a light train four times as
much as 60 miles an hour as at 10), to the calculation of the
power of the locomotive engines, to the propelling power
which, he contended, must be provided in the atmospheric
system beyond that which had been calculated upon as
necessary to the questions of gauge and of gradient , on all
these points the law which at present appeared to be esta-
blished had, he stated, the most direct and important
bearing ; and the doctrires and modes of calculation till
recently in use, as regarded propulsion on railways, would,
he believed, require great modification. The paper was
illustrated by several tables and diagrams. A gas-
burner of a novel and ingenious construction was
exhibited. The principal feature of novelty was the
introduction of a stream of air to the centre of the flame by
means of a hollow button in the middle of the burner. The
air passing up through the hollow stem of the button was
heated and passed out by two series of fine holes around the
periphery, and impinging it with more force with the flame
of the gas curved it outwards in the shape of a tulip, while
the oxygen of the air mingling with the carburettic hydrogen
gas produced a very perfect combustion. The flame was
quite white down the top of the burner, and it was very
steady as was amply demonstrated by the excellent light in
the theatre of the institution, where these burners have
been used for some time. It was stated that in comparing
the consumption of these burners with that of the concentric
ring burner, and trying the power of the two lights with
the Photometer, the new burner gave a better light with a
saving of rather better than one- third of the gas consumed.
It was, we believe, called the " universal burner," and was
introduced by Mr. M‘Neil. The paper announced far June
9th (the next meeting) was " A Description of the Iron
Swing-bridge over the Wensum, near Norwich," by G. P.
Bidder, M. Inst. C.E.
THE

FATAL COLLISION ON THE
ME lISE Y.
LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.—Upon making inquiry at the
Northern Hospital this morning s% e learned that most of the
sufferers by the late collision on the river are going on as
well as can be expected. Three of them are so badly injured,
and have had so many bones fractured, that little or no hopes
are entertained of their recovery. They can scarcely survive
the next twenty-four hours.

The Ramble': was Boated across the river last night, and
is now lying in the Clarence Dock-basin. She will be hauled:
up on the gridiron to-day, and the necessary repairs will be:
done to her immediateiy. The Sea Nymph has been hauled
up to one of the southern graving docks, where workmen are-
engaged in repairing her injured stein. It is thought she:
will again be ready for sea in the course of a fortnight or
three weeks. The Rambler may probably be ready for sea.
about the same time.

Many rumours are again afloat to-day as to the causes
which led to the lamentable catastrophe, but the public will
do well to forbear from giving credence to any of them until
the inquests in Liverpool and at the Magazines shall have
first taken place. It is sincerely to be wished that the jurors
may be men of practical maritime experience, and that all the
evidence will be placed before them which can in any way
throw light on the melancholy disaster.
The inquest on the two dead bodies now lying at the
Northern Hospital will be held before Mr. Curry, the borough
coroner. but, as yet, no time has been fixed for commencing
the inquiry. We have already stated in our first edition that
the inquest on the thirteen bodies lying dead at the Maga-
zines will commence before Mr. Churton, the Chester coroner,
on Tuesday next.
It is probable, from what we have just heard, that the in-
quests on this and the other side of the water will be opened
on the same day (Tuesday next), and that, in all probability,,
they will last several days.—Liverpool paper.