The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-04 00:00:00

IMPROVED STEEL-HEADED RAIL.

The Scientific American states that it is generally
conceded by railway engineers that Bessemer steel
rails will wear about sixteen times as long as com-
mon iron rails. If such be the fact, it is a matter
of the utmost importance that railway companies
renew their roads with steel rails or steel-headed
rails as soon as those already in their tracts are worn
out. Some of the first engineers in the country
have expressed themselves in favour of steel
headed rails, provided the steel head could
be welded perfectly to the iron ; as in Ame-
rica the weather is so intensely cold in winter that
rails made entirely of steel are very liable to break.
It is well known to all that until quite recently
steel-headed rails have proved a failure, because it
is such a difficult matter to heat a rail pile composed
of iron and steel according to the usual mode of
piling ; as the iron requires about double the heat
to bring it to a welding state that steel does, con-
sequently either the iron is not heated sufficiently
to weld, or the steel is over-heated which destroys
its properties altogether : in either case the rail is
unfit for use. Generally the iron is not heated hot
enough to weld to the steel, and the result is that
in a few weeks the steel cap separates from the iron,
and the rail is rendered worthless.

S. L. Potter, Superintendent of the Wyandotte
Rolling Mills, claims to have discovered a plan by
which a pile can be made of iron and steel, and dis-
posed in such a manner that the iron will receive
twice as much heat in the furnace as the steel ; con-
sequently they are both brought up to a welding
heat at the same time, without injuring the pro-
perties of either, and a perfect weld is secured.

A section of the file about five inches by four
inches—having been previously rolled or hammered
from ingots seven or eight inches square—is intro-
duced into the side of an ordinary rail pile, and
charged into the furnace with the steel toward the
flue, thus protecting the steel with the iron from the
extreme heat. As it passes over the bridge from the
fire chamber, the heat passes through the iron to the
steel ; and it has been proven by actual experiment
that the two metals are brought up to a welding
heat at the same time time. The pile is then rolled
on edge, working the steel in the head. In the
first passages through the roughing rolls a portion
of the iron on either side of the steel is worked down
in the lower part of the head, allowing the steel to
form the head.

More than fifty different pieces of rails made after
this plan have been subjected to one hundred blows
from a two thousand-pound steam hammer, literally
crushing them, without impairing the weld in the
least degree. Some of these rails are now in the
track of the Michigan Southern and Northern In-
diana Railroad, Michigan Central Railroad, and
Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and have thus far
given entire satisfaction. This plan is peculiarly
adapted to re-rolling, as the old rails can be rolled
into flat bars, then formed into a pile of the iron
and steel. The old rails can at a very moderate
c3st be converted into a steel-headed rail, one-third
of which being steel, and two-thirds iron, that will
be as durable and much less liable to break in cold
weather than an entire steel rail. If it be preferred
a T-shaped piece of steel can be used instead of the
square piece, and the same result obtained.
This invention is patented in the United States,
England, France, Prussia, and Belgium.

A Deceiving Horse.
-- -
"And what are you doing with the Oliver horse, sir ?"
"Nell, anything and everything; hack him and hunt
him, and so on."
" And can he jump at all ?"
" Yes, that he can ! He is a good flying-fencer ; and
nothing I over put him at yet has either turned him or
troubled him."

" Come, sir, now I'll tell you what I'll do. lie had
hardly pace enough over the flat, though lie would last
for ever. You send him up to my place, sir, for a month
or two, and we'll see if he can't pull off a steeplechase
handicap, or a hurdle-race. If he does, we'll divide it ;
and if ho don't, I'll stand you harmless for the wear and
tear of his teeth."

"So bo it. When will you have him ?"
" The sooner the better. I suppose there's not a deal
to get off him, for he never carried much flesh !"
N-o-o—he's just in good hard-working condition."
The speaker who made this handsome proposal was our
old friend Dominie, the trainer ; while the other " party "
to the dialogue was a country gentleman, who dearly loved
a bit of racing, if there wasn't too much to pay for it. The
Oliver horse had been rather a sore subject in this way ;
as he had run second, third, and fourth for a year and a-
half all over the country, until his very travelling bill
was something considerable, but without even the set-off
of a solitary " fifty " to be placed against it. However,
another such a chance at no cost was not to be resisted ;
and the worthy owner, Mr. Wilson, left the Stand in
which this conversation took place, determined to start
the bay off again for Thisley Downs the very next morn-
ing, as he only was " eating his head off " at home.
Tho Oliver horse certainly did not look in a likely way
to accomplish this extraordinary feat; and his "hard-
working condition" had a good deal of literal truth about
it, for he was little better than a bag of bones, as he had
been by no means pampered on his return from that un-
profitable tour in the provinces. Still he would, of course,
be all the readier to go on with ; and the odd man of the
establishment was soon hunted up.
L 4 Here, Jack, I want you to take the bay horse up to
Mr. Dominie's again. You had better start the first
thing to-morrow morning. How long will it take you ?"
44 Be I to walk with 'un ?"
" 0, yes ; go right across the country, you know."
" Well, a couple of days—leastways we shall have to be
out one night on it."

,
" The deu-te you will ! Then I'll tell you what you
must do. Get on with him to-morrow as far as Penty-
bwywn, and ask my friend, Mr. Carre, to give the horse a
birth for the night, while you can put up in the town.
You know Mr. Carre ; he keeps the hounds there, and we
have got a puppy of his here now. One good turn de-
serves another."

"Yes, sir; and be I to take any clothes for the horse,
or anything of that sort ?"
"No, no ; Mr. Dominic will find all that. Only put on
an old stable-bridle to lead him with."

" Very well, sir," said Jack, who would have preferred
a rug to ride him with ; but started next day as directed,
and arrived in due course at Pentybwywn. Mr. Carre's
place was a good two miles out ; and at the close of a dull
dark November day Jack led old Oliver up to the stables.
" Mr. Carre at home ?"
" Well, he has not got homo again yet. What may you
want with him ?"

"I was to leave this hero horse from Mr. Wilsou's

Mr. Wilson of the Fogge House."
"Oh, ah ! I know ; him as has got ono of our Dori-
monts. Well, you can leave him with me, and I shall
take precious good care of him you may be certain. Would
you like a horn of ale before you start again ?"

Naturally Jack would like a horn of ale, or two, or
three, if it came to that, before ho went in search of his
own quarters; soon after which the squire came in from
shooting.
" Anything fresh, Evans; since morning ?"
" Nothing particklar, sir ; Mr. Wilson, as has got Har-
mony at walk, has sent a horse in."
" That's all right—very much obliged to him, I'm sure ;
just, too, when you'll know where to put him."
And the Squire went in to dinner ; and Evans, who was
huntsman, and foreman, and all that sort of thing, pro-
ceeded to make his arrangements for the morrow before it
got quite dark
The Squire was an early man, and in the kennels by
times the next morning, when Jack again turned up.
"Morning, sir."
" Good morning to you ; and what may it be you
want ?"
"For Jack's "personal " was not very prepossessing ;
and Mr. Carre had too many hangers-on from the town to
give much encouragment to any of the sort.
" If you please, sir, I come from Mr. Wilson with that
horse last night, and "

" Yes, yes, I heard of it. And how is Mr. \Vilsc n, and
Low is Harmony, eh ?"

11

"Measter is tidy, thank you, sir, and the little bitch as
at as butter."

" That's all right. Well, give my compliments and best
thanks to your master, and " —as Jack still hesitated—
" here is something for yourself."
" THANKEE, sir," said Jack, with a very marked em-
phasis on his words ; for he had really got more than he
expected, however open he was to handling a half-crown
or two. Still he readily put it down to his care of the
puppy ; and went on to ask of Evans where he should
find his horse ?

" Your WHAT ?" said the Squire, utterly eclipsing
Jacli's own emphasis of expression.
" The horse, sir—the horse I brought here last night."
" Yes, yes, we know all that ; and what then ?"
" Why then, sir, I be to take 'un on this morning to Mr.
Dominic's, at Thistley." _

" What in the world were you going to take him there
or ? Dominic has no want for flesh."

" No, sir, not as I knows On ; but they voing to put
'an to work again."
Evans looked hard at the Squire, and the Squire looked
as hard at Jack.

"By Jove ! my man, I'm afraid we've put 'un to work
Lgain in a way you hardly bargained for. Here, do you
link you should really know your horse now if you saw
Um?"

" In course I should, sir," said Jack.
And the Squire led the road to the boiling-house. lie
took up a leg of beef as he got there. The Oliver horso
had a white heel, and Jack turned deadly pale. The
Squire said nothing, but beckoned him out into the pad-
dock, where, under the elms, amongst other relics, was
the head of a horse evidently fresh slaughtered. The
Squire commented on this in a low ominous tone of voice.

" Once more, I say, young man, give my best thanks
and compliments to your master. I am afraid there has
been rather a serious mistake hero ; but we were very
short of flesh, and you were not over explicit as to what
you wanted of us. However, it will be a satisfaction to
your master to know that ho will never drop another
teener over this poor beggar ; and so, anyhow, we havo
saved him some money, and you some trouble."

Jack got through his message as best he might ; but he
was in want of a situation on Saturday ; and Hamlet-in
with five-and-sixpence to pay, was delivered by the
carrier in the course of the week, with a parchment label
round her neck, embodying Mr. Wilson's " best compli-
ments and thanks."—Tales and Traits of Sporting L

PRYOR v. THE YORKSHIRE CONSEBVzt-

TIVE ASSOCIA7IO.Y.

At the Hertford assizes on Saturday the proprietors of
the I orkshine Post and Leeds Intelliyencer were sued with
an action for libel, published on the 18th October, 180.
Chief Justice Bovill presided; and Mr. Sergeant Parry, on
opening the case, said that the plaintiff, Mr. Felix Prior,
was a gentleman of largo fortune, residing at Digswell
House, near Welwy. Five years ago he purchased a stud
of racehorses, and in June, 1865, he purchased a yeal 'jug
colt at Mr. Blenkiron's sale at Eltham, which was after-
wards named The Rake, and which was at present a great
favourite for the approaching Derby. It appeared that
The Rake had won two races, ono the Althorp Park Stakes,
Northampton, and the ether the Middle Park Plato at
Newmarket. The last race was run in the month of Octo-
ber, 1866, and on the Saturday before the race a trial
took place upon the heath at Newmarket, in order
to test the qualities of the horse before the actual race.
took place. On the 18th of October, after the horse had
won the Middle Park Plate, an article appeared in the
defendant's newspaper, signed " Observer." It stated
that " the manner in which the Rake was worked before
he ran for the Middle Park Plate had given rise to more
dissatisfaction and strong language than any (Wept
that has occurred at Newmarket since the un-
fortunate Taragona affair." Sergeant Parry read the re-
mainder of the- libel, which was to the effect that there
had been a "flash" trial, at which Mr. Matthew Dawson, the
trainer of the Duke of Newcastle was purposely invited
and that ho was deceived as to the weights, and Nv"s,
consequently, made to appear a much more moderate
animal than he really was, and was so described to the
Duke of Newcastle. The statement went on to allege
that the result of this proceeding was that the plaintiff'
Mr. Pryor, had been enabled to get a largo sum on the
horse for the Derby, and that, when the real facts could
no longer be concealed, Mr. Matthew Dawson was told
.
that the trial had only been got up for the purpose 0.1,
throwing dust in his eyes. Although the defendants Ilan
inserted an apology, and admitted that there was not the
slightest foundation for those charges, Mr. Pryor felt
that it was due to his own character and to his friends to
go into the witness-box and state upon his oath that the
charges were false. He did not ask for damages. 311.'
Pryor was then examined as a witness, and, detailing tb°
facts as they had occurred, he declared that no foundation
existed for the charge made against him. Mr. Montagn
Chambers, for the defence, offered an ample apology fo
the misstatement, and consented to accept a verdictagai°
his clients, with £25 damages.
Chief Justice Bovill briefly addressed the jury, observing
that it was most serious libel, and expressing a hope tll`
the apology would have as wide a circulation as the article
complained of, and the jury returned their verdict for the
amount agreed upon.
Sergeant Farry subsequently stated that, as the action
was not instituted by the plaintiff from pecuniary motive!
the amount of the verdict would he given to the liertford
Infirm' y.