The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-10 00:00:00

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL E NGINEER& •
On Tuesday, ielety 7, (Witliein Eiee
dent, in the chair,) the paper real was " On the aPPfo
cation of Water Pressure, as a Motive Power:r
,
working Cranes and other kinds of Machinery, U• 1„
Nr. W. G. Armstrong, F.R.S., Assoc. lest. ":„ t 0
The object of the paper was to direct atteutte,:.
the advantages of a more extended application of Firs
draulic pressure as a motive power, and to point
as.:
illestr
oLf
the means of attaining this desirable end ;
jug the arguments by descriptions and drawing9the
the engines on this principle, already erected, since to
year 1845, when the author first designed a crane,
be worked by the pressure of water from the street
water-pipes, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
red I°
The principle of these engines, as applied
cranes, was described to be very simple. le -f
to lilt a weight, the water, under
about a hundred feet head, or more, being admie a
through a slide valve into a cylinder, eivrtete,
force on a piston, whose rod was connected wit;
the hoisting chain, so arranged by push), over
several putties, as to increase its length of travelre.
to the requisite duty to be performed; the piston
weight
ceding front the pressure therefore raised the vve!ght
to the height required. The lowering of the weight
was accomplished by a reverse action, and the crane
_f
was turned in either direction by a similar action!a
a entailer cylinder, whose piston rod was connected
a pressur.etteed
with a rack, working into a circle of teeth, fixed to
base of the moveable frame of the crane. d to
The action of these machines was describe
ces
be very smooth and steady, ingenious tlPPliatjoid
being adopted for obviating the shock that sc°o6
otherwise be caused by the sudden closing °f, .oe
slide valves, and all the different operations °Aei
under the perfect control of a few regulating ban,"eed,
In cases of a great diversity of power being requirbet
separate cylinders were used, so arranged, asetsee
their action could be combined, according to the
required. The speed of working had no other limit
than the size of the supply pipe.
Al usion was made to the advantage of ereP'seteein
hydraulic pressure in mercantile docks, for hois9ll
heavy weights, for whipping light
goods out of shies,
and for opening and shutting dock gates, svilos
bridges, and sluices. Its fa le
cility of transmission, i
safety, and constant readiness for use, resdered it Pe,
culiarly suitable for these purposes. It would gene,
rally be preferable in such cases to employ stelot
power to force the water, rather than to be depend or
upon town water-works ; and a tank upon a tower's,
upon an eminence, would form a convenient magi,
zinc of power, enabling the engine to act continuees
with an uniform load. Large air vessels had tis
io
elevated
been successfully employed, instead of an eel'''.t
tank.
Hydraulic pressure might also, in many cases, be
advantageously employed for purposes requiring c°l).:
tinuous rotation. There were many natural sasll".it3„
tions where mountain streams might be arr%
or surface-water be impounded on elevated gr°lll
and be conveyed by a pipe into a neighbourl
valley, where great mechanical efficiency 'night eie
derived from a small supply of water, by the s,
of water-pressure engines. In mining opers6°-(1
also, the danger wit' inconvenience of undergrotle
steam-engines might be obviated, by substituie:
water-pressure engines, conveying the water dle
the shaft in pipes, and returning it to the surface,
the action of the pumping engine above ground.
such cases the water was merely the vehicle for V°.
'slitting power into the mine.
A water-pressure engine had been lately very ti,-
cessfully applied by the author, in South Hetton 11°°
liery, for the traction of waggons upon an enecleer;
ground railway. Similar engines had also urd
erected in the lead mines at Allenheads, for liftaj7,
ore, and other purposes. Reservoirs were there
formed upon the neighbouring hills, and pipeS were
carried into the mines to supply the engines, "
expended water flowing out by a level. Other erli
gines of the same descrption were also in course °
erection, for surface operations, at the same play fh:,
such us crushing ore, and raising minerals from 1"
shafts.
In their general character, these engines Wie.drea
similar to reciprocating steam-engines. The Saito
valves were balanced by equal pressures on opPc's";
directions, and were constructed to open very 5134°
ous water passages. The liability to concussion, °be
the closing of the eduction port, was obviated by t
application of relief valves, which were lifted by the
r
compressive action of the piston, causing it to set: °,
an instant as a pump, in forcing back the opP°9l°"
water into the supply pipe. In cases where the en;
gines had been applied to hauling, or winding, fclu
cylinders placed diagonally in pairs, had been used'
In other cases, two cylinders had been applied, tue
uniformity in the motion of the column being males
tamed by a loaded plunger. The winding englii-t
were reversed by a slot link apparatus, similar to tbs
of a locomotive engine, and which was worked by
the pressure of the water, acting under the control
of a valve. The regulating and reversing valves were
r 0
each placed at the mouth of the shaft, at a distils—
from the engine, the operation of which could tbo', be directed with great accuracy and safety.
The drawings which accompanied the paper gr:
representations of an hydraulic crane, for shiPfanif
coals at Glasgow; hydraulic platform cranes, at the
railway station, Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; hydraei
hoisting machines, at the warehouses of the Alber
Docks, Liverpool ; a water-pressure engine, f°rcil
crushing mill at Allenheads ; a similar engine,l
118. o
at the same place, for winding; and numerous detall,
of all these machines.
At the monthly ballot the following eandidst
were duly elected :—Messrs. J. G. Appold, C. Clark'
AV. Crossley, J. Freeman, F. H. Johnson, J•
Jones, R. W. Kennard, and A. Ogilvie, as associates'
The paper announced to be read at the next meetielf
Tuesday, May 14th, was " Description of the Navy
gation at Newry," by Sir John Rennie, M. Inst. IJ°

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS'
BRISTOL, MAY 9. te
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The market did not present qua
so firm a character as yesterday, nor was there by an) mes
the same amount of business done. The only variations we
a,
have to notice are—Midland (50/. Shares), 231h—S°ll
Devon, s'g.

LIVERPOOL, MAY 9. so STOCK EXCRANOR.—The transactions to-day were, 0,
follow :—London and North -Westsrn, 101%—Ditto,
Quarters, 2 dis. Ditto, Fifths, 18s. 9d. dis.—Alid'B"l
Halves, 281/2 c. dis.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, CONSV
341 i c.—Ditto, Fifths, 101/8 dis. —South-Eastern and DOC
11,72 c.—Ditto, Consol. (No. 3), 13%.
BIRMINGHAM, MAY 9.
Sir STOCK EiCTIANGE.—The transactions to-day were--- 0
mingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley, gid,.....1,013°,,
--and North. Western, 101 Shrewsbury and Birmingham (
91A, dis.—S 'nth Staffordshire, 41,Q dis.

YORK, MAY 8.
STOCK EXCRANGE.—The transactions to-day were 11-. d,
low :—Great Northern, 5/. 18s. 9d.—York and North
!and, 15,4—York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Newcastle D'
tension), 7.

GLASGOW, MAY 8.
Srocir EXCNANGE.—The only transaction to-day 101:i
Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, 43—Glasgow, Dumfries, 3-
Carlisle, 3%.

THE DIRECT EXETER, PLYMOUTH, AND DEV°III:
PORT IZAlLWAY.—Yesterday the case of Dr. William idaht
of Exeter, referred back by the Vice-Chancellor Sir JiLnig''
Bruce to the Master in Chancery, Sir William Home, to
view his decision' which declared Dr. Hall liable as a c°l tributory under the Act, came on for consideration. fir.
H. Terrell appeared for Dr. Hall, and Mr. Roxburgh for that
estate. The facts in Dr. Hall's affidavit were to the effect
that he had been induced to attend a meeting at the office c'i
the solicitor and pr, jector of the company, Mr. Floud,!.
Exeter, but that he had refused to have his name on the
prospectus. This, however, was done, and on his
r, region;
strating it was withdrawn. He had had no shares, 9,
t
paid 50/. uuCer protest to avoid litigation. The Vice-Chancel,
fur had decided that, assuming the affidavit to be true, '' n f
Hall was not a contributory liable within the meaning °f
the Act His Honour the Master, after animadverting on t
fact of the affidavit made by Dr. Hall not having been rea
or produced before him on the day when he gave his decision f
against Dr. Hall, and which was based upon the evidence °f
the secretary and solicitor to the company, who depose
Dr. 11:.11's attendance at the meeting in question, and
payment of money under protest anti other matters, ordere
that the whole case should be re-opened before him, in order
that he might review his decision.
[ADvERTisEmEKT.-j--There is no remedy equs• h
Holloway's Pills for the cure of Dropsy.--Mr. James Switnd
;
tO
of Oxford-street, Manchester, suffered for years from a dr°
sical complaint, his body and legs were swollen to a nh„r',;(
alarming extent, and no hopes whatever were entertained
his recovery. He was for some time in the hospital, bes
having taken every variety of medicine usually prescribed I„
such cases, yet all proved useless, and he was pronounced inc,nrci
able. Holloway's Pills were then resorted to, which soon bad
the effect of improving his health and reducing the swellings so
that now he is perfectly cured of that direful complaint y
taking these wonderful pills.— Sold by all Druggists and at Po'
fessor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London.

BIRTHS.
OF A SON.
On the 4th inst., at Cople Vicarage, near Bedford, the wife
of the Rev. E. Havergal.
Herbert
On the 6th inst., at Leigh, the wife of the Rev.
S. Hawkins.

On the 4th inst., the wife of W. Wilberforce, Esq,jllll'
OF A DAUGHTER.
;
On the 6th inst., at Warley Barracks, Essex, the wife of
Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie.
On the Bth inst., at Lampton, near Hounslow., the lady of
-Major hip Jones, Prince Albert's Hussars.

MARRIED.
On the 7th inst., at Marylebone Church, Richard Ashton'Esq., of Gorstage-hall, Cheshire, to Louisa, daughter of the
late Sir John L. Kaye, Bart., of Denby-grange, Yorkshire's
On the 7th inst., at St. Thomas's Church, Ardwick,
Rev James Pelham Pitcairn, B.A. James
, youngest on of Sir,;
Pitcairn, Inspec:or-General of Hospitals Dublin, to Ernly'
only child of H. Turner, EN., of Dover terrace,' Manchester.

At Avisford, StIS3eX, on theNEL
7th inst., aged 73, the 12,8611
lic!bella Anne Bryd&t:s, eldest daughter of George, first Nsii:
qtms of \Vaterf)rd, and widow of the late Sir John W.'
Brydges, Wooton-court, near Canterbury.
Oa the 6th inst.. the Rev. IL formerly
Fellow F. Coxe, M.A.,
Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, aged 39. Robert
On the 6th inst , in 13esbomugh-street, Pimlico,
Moore, &q, late of Guernsey, aged 82.

L.-!radon: Ptint3d and Published by WITIDO YOUNG:i°f
!: ;.,o. 112, Printer, at The Sun Office,
•t!..:,,1nd. tit 0), er.y,let. Savoy ln ttw OVA' °
ALLlalcul,. Friday, May 10, 1850.