The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-23 00:00:00

( BRAT'S TRACTION _ENGINE.

Yesterday the first ordinary general meeting of
the proprietors in this undertaking was held at the
offices of the company in Pall-mall East : Mr. H.
1). Davies in the chair.

The following report of the directors was read by
Mr. Hanson, the secretary :
" The interval which has elapsed since the formation of
the company has afforded opportunity for acquiring much
valuable information of a practical kind on many subjects
connected with Steam Traction on common roads, which
nothing short of actual experience could have supplied.
Whilst it may be a subject of regret that the operations
of the company during its past year of business should
have been on a somewhat limited scale, and although it is
true that had the company possessed a good stock of
engines and waggons equal to the various kinds of work
required of them, it might alreedy have done a large and
profitable business; yet it may on the whole be considered
a decided advantaee that there should have been some
delay in the manufacture of the requisite number of en-
gines, inasmuch as from the actual working of those which
the company have had in use, many latent defects have been
discovered and remedied, and several improvements have
been designed, which, if applied to a much larger rolling
thestock, railway
subject
wouldto m
hive involved a costly expenditure. As when
locomotive :,y derangements
first came
prailct
Aoeprerati operation
was it
Brayinsepa-
rable
,fsr
admirableo rur:n novely
inventionapplication
made
e the use
,o f' te au i p
of steam
e .teerau
, so,i
whenpractically
available on common roads, many similar difficulties occurred.
But whilst it must be admitted that, owing to the novelty_
of the invention, errors have occurred in the construction of
the subsidiary parts of the engine,- the recurrence of which
will be obviated by the experience now acquired, yet it is
gratifying to be able to state that the engines, notwith-
standing these defects of construction, have never under
any circumstances failed from want of power to draw the
heaviest loads which have been placed behind them. It is
also only an act of justice to the patentee to say that in no
instance have the traction wheels (in which consist the
peat merit of Mr. Bray's invention) become out of order.
It is obviously impossible within the limits of a report •
like this to give even a summary of the numerous applica-
tions of an important nature which have been received
from all parts of the country and from abroad, from menu-
facturers, colliery owners, contractors, and from persons
engaged in trade of every kind, desirous of using traction
engines, nearly all of which have been obliged to be
declined for want of sufficient plant. But two or three
instances may be given to indicate the kind of business
offered to the company. A firm who are extensive lime
manufacturers now deliver their limns by a circuitous route
of 20 miles, for which they pay upwards of .X 1,200 a year
for carriage. If taken in trucks by traction engines the
distance by road would be only 10 miles, and all shifting
from carts to railway trucks would be avoided. A large
colliery proprietor, who now delivers 500 to COO tons of coal
a day by carts, would gladly employ two traction engines
and trucks as soon as the company can place them upon
the read. A lime manufacturer in Kent has repeatedly
urged the company to send him an engine and
trucks upon hire, to remove the large quantities of
chalk which he is in the habit of burning.
A general contractor having to move several thou-
sand tons of ashes, offered the contract to the
company, but it had to be declined for want of sufficient
rolling stock. This gentleman having seen the engine at
work, felt great confidence in its powers, and by way of
testing it to the utmost, couple.' seven or eight of his wag-
gons together and then locked the whole of the wheels, but
the engine drew the train thus locked without difficulty : the
contractor stating, when he saw it moved, that no forty of
his horses could have stirred it. Large ship owners have
applied for the use of engines and trucks to move their ma-.
rine machinery from London direct to the ship for which it
is intended (in some cases, even as far as Southampton), in
order to avoid the risk, trouble and expense of the various
changes necessary if sent by any other means : since the
ti action engine can be backed into the manufactory
where the marine engine has been made, and quietly draws
the load away to the ship destined to receive it. The com-
pany have also'llecuived proposals of an encouraging nature
from two of tho leading railway companies, one of whose
managers has expressed himself so far in favour of steam
power fur delivering the goods from the depots, as to say,
that if steam traction were no cheaper than horse power,
he would prefer to use the traction engine, on account of
the inconvenience attending the employment of a large
number of horses. The growingnecessity for steam traction
on the road has produced the natural results which always
attend the law of demand and supply. Thus, since the for-
mation of the company, several patents for traction engines
have made their appearance, nothing, however, in the opi-
nion of those best able to judge, hate been or can be devised at
all approximating in value, simplicity, or practical utility, to
Mr. Bray's patent wheel. This stands alone as the first
and essential point in all traction engines ; and it is believed
that the simplicity and mechanical skill of the contrivance,
which enabled the inventor to overcome the only obstacle
that had hitherto battled the attempts of traction engine
makers, is destined to produce the roost important commer-
cial results. At the same time, the whole system being
still in its infancy, the directors wish it to be understood
that, whilst holding Mr. Bray's wheel to be all important,
they are prepared to treat liberally with any one having
a substantial improvement to offer in other parts of the
engine, whether such improvement be patented or not.
The object of the company should be to make and sell
the best, and nothing but the best, traction engines that
can be produced; and possessing, as this company does,
the only wheel that can be applied to the purpose, all other
improvements ought naturally to be incorporated with it.
Whilst thus stating their conviction of the great value of
Mr. Bray's invention, after full opportunity of judging of
its merits, the directors are gratified in being able to report
that the patentee has met the proposal of the board to re-
model the arrangements at first made between him and
the company (by which he was entitled to a proportion of
the profits, according to the capital raised, and to an equal
dividend with the shareholders, whatever that might be),
in the most liberal spirit ; so that that which was previously
a great obstacle to the necessary increase of the capital no
longer exists. The original patent, and a second one for
improvements, are now absolutely the property of the
_company ; and the inventors have no further interest,
beyond the dividends on their present shares, what-
ever may be the capital raised or the dividend
paid. In dealing thus fairly with the company, Mr. Bray
has, in fact (unlike many patentees), best consulted his
own interest ; for now the public, to whom after all inventors
must look for the means necessary to carry out on a large
scale their inventions, however good in themselves, will
be better able to, appreciate the pecuniary advantages to be
derived from a. connection with this company ; and the
directors, "being thus relieved from the original engage-
ment^with the patentee, will be enabled to carry on the
bhsiness of the company on a fair commercial basis, unfet-
tered by the imposts usually attaching to-patent rights.
The directors refer with much gratification to the Govern-
ment report on the subject of this invention, as given in
evidence before the committee on dockyard economy,
which being- based upon actual work performed by the
engine during four weeks' constant trial, affords the meat
satisfactory testimony of the true value and economy of
steam traction; since it will be seen that the saving in
Woolwich dockyard from the use of two of those engines,
ono only being kept in regular work, is estimated at £682
per annum. The company not having a sufficient number
of trucks to work even one engineprofitably, its business, so
far as relates to the hire of engines, is necessarily restricted
at present to transactions with such persons as possess
trucks of their own. These are often ill-adapted to the
work, and the charge also in such cases being made by the
day and not by tonnage, produces only £4 per diem for
each engine employed. It is proposed at once to increase
the numer of waggons and trucks from three to thirty,
and to build seven more first-class engines of different
sizes, in addition to the five already in stock. This
will enable the directors to have six engines and
waggons in constant work on very advantageous terms.
The outlay required for additional engines and trucks will
be about £7,500, but further capital will be required to esta-
blish a permanent depot and for other objects in connection
with the company's business. But for all useful purposes it
is not considered necessary to raise the paid-up capital
above the sum of £25,000. The sale of engines may always
be reckoned on as the source from which the principal part
of the company's profits will be derived. It is impossible to
form any estimate of the return that may be expected from
this branch of the business, as the demand from abroad,
especially from our colonies, bids fair to exceed the expec-
tations of the most sanguine, when once the company shall
be in a position to show the system in regular work at home.
Independently, however, of this chief source of profit, the
income that will be earned by the rolling stock, when thus
augmented, will, it is believed, be not less than £5,000 per
annum ;—so that, after allowing the largo deduction of
nearly 50 per cent. for repairs, replacements, drivers' wages,
&e. there would remain from this source alone a net re-
venue of nearly £3,000 per annum. In realising this result,
the obvious policy of the company will be to reduce the rate
for hiring, and increase the plant, in order that the advan-
tage and economy of using steam power, as against horse la-
bour, for drawing heavy loads may be made as apparent as
possible. With such prospects open to the company it is
hoped the proprietors will authorise proper steps to be
taken for raising the requisite capital by the issue of a fur-
ther allotment of shares."
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, took occasion .to refer to the recent action
in which the company ko,d. been defendants, observ-
ing that it was in their ease somewhat a misfortune
to have too good a defence, as it had led to the jury
stopping .the trial at the close of the plaintiff's case,
leaving the matters of account to be le
arbi-
tration, thus depriving them of the opportunity nity of
setting themselves right with the public. When
the facts came to be known, the wonder would be,
not that the engine failed,butthivfaast ittatren by nagetito
do the work it did. The engine
the
plaintiff, Mr. Avers,
as an advertisement to draw
attention to his equestrian troupe, and was used
for a purpose for
which it was ne er intended.
only calculated for
Mr. Myers applied for the engine to add
a low rate of
drawing heavyspeed,
The engines of thew ceoigmhptasnaytwere
when
ntractions of his travelling circus this was
taondthwe
stated to him, and the company distinctly declined
to insert any clause in the agreement rendering
them liable for legal consequences in the event of
its failing to do the work to which Mr. Myers pat
it. Three hundred gallons of water were requisite
to work the engine and tender, but Mr. Myers made
no provision for keeping up the supply, depending
entirely upon the water he found in the ditches and
ponds on the road side; and as that source failed,
the summer being unusually dry, the tubes were
burnt out, and the safety valve, which was
filled in with lead to prevent explosion, was burnt
away. But the object of the plaintiff was to evade
the claim of the company against him by setting
up a counter claim, as was obvious from a letter, in
which he said he was afraid he should have to
" advertise" the engine as a perfect failure.
The Hon. REGINALD CAPEL seconded the motion.
Mr. THOMPSON (an engineer) said he had seen
the engine used by Mr. Myers a
seenclingandde-
scending an incline of 1 in 6 atMalvern, drawing
a number of carriages with the greatest ease.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
A vote of thanks to the executive officers, and a
similar compliment to the chairman, concluded the
business.