The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-16 00:00:00

ECONOMY OF FUEL,

A saving in the consumption of fuelin large establishments
must always be an object of great importance to the manu-
facturer; and to attain this desideratum, the attention of
many scientific men have been from time to time directed.
We were, on Friday last, highly gratified by witnessing the
operation of an invention for this very purpose at the glass-
works of Messrs. Kirkwood and Stephen, at Raishill, near
Prescot, in this county. This improvement in the applica-
tion of heat is the invention of Messrs. Flude and Carson, of
Liverpool, who have obtained for it a patent for the United
Kingdom, for France, for Belgium, America, Scc. Such
was the obvious utility of this invention when first mooted,
that Messrs. Kirkwood and Stephen suspended their works
some time back for the purpose of making the necessary im-
provements on the premises previous to its introduction in
their works. Having erected a powerful steam-engine, and
made other necessary preparations, they re-commenced their
labours on Friday last. We were cresent, and had the plea-
sure of meeting several scientific gentlemen who had assem-
bled at the works, and who, with ourselves, were perfectly
satisfied that the expense of fuel was altogether obviated,
inasmuch as the coal employed was converted into coke—a
more valuable commodity than the original fuel itself. An
improved construction of the furnaces employed in this in-
vention offers another and a great advantage over the old
method, by causing the removal of the fuel from the interior
of the works to a subterraneous receptacle; the flame from
the furnace being discharged ,through a central opening in
the floor, strikes against the circular arch of the furnace, and
is reverberated down on the tops of the crucibles. During
the operation of pot-setting, it is well known to glass-manu-
facturers, that it is next to impracticable to retain suf-
ficient hen t in the furnace; but by this invention the
heat held by the furnace is very intense, so mucliso that
the body of the flame resembles a volcano, and the
surface of the arched furnace presents an appearance of snowy
whiteness. '1 he principal part of this invention consists of a
complete cokeing apparatus, situated beneath the glass-house,
under the most perfect control—enabling the firemen to di-
minish or increase the heat at pleasure, The scientific ar-
rangement of the air flues connected with this apparatus, is
such as to ensure a very powerful self-acting blast of hot air.
'1 he areas of these flues are so regulated as to convey the pre.
ciao quantity of atmospheric air necessary to afford, by its de-
composition, the-amount of oxygen requisite to acidify theun-
combined carbon, and inflame the carburetter] hydrogen
given off by the ignited coal,—the result being attended with
the most perfect combustion, producing a vivid and brilliant
flame. These are advantages which are sufficiently obvious
to practical men without further explanation.
We were informed that the time hitherto occupied in the
process of founding, is much shortened by the adoption of
Messrs. Flude and Carson's patent; and that, from the cir-
cumstance of the furnace being subject to no fluctuation of
heat, the men are enabled to work, if necessary, up to Satur-
day evening. The principles of this invention appear to be
admirably applicable to all descriptions of furnaces in which
intense heats are required. In this opinion, we are strongly
fortified by the unqualified approbation bestowed on the in-
vention by the operative glass-blowers themselves, who hail
it as an era in their art.

As we before observed, the inventors, Messrs" Flude and
Carson, have obtained patents for the United Kingdom,
France, Belgium, America, &c. &c.; and such is the high es-
timation in which it is held by all scientific men and practi-
cal manufacturers, to whom this useful discovery has been
made known, that numerous applications have already been
made by parties desirous to avail themselves of its advantages.

CAUTION TO Ls Dias.—A few nights ago, as a lady was
walking up Park-road with her reticule hanging on her arm,
two thieves came behind her, and snatching it forcibly from
her arm, ran away.

THE WAREHOUSE QUESTION.

TO ALDERM.eiN BYRE EVANS.

Sitt,—Two days' absence from home has prevented me
from replying, as promptly as I should otherwise have done,
to the remarks which fell from you, in your place in council,
on Wednesday last, in reference to a question which I had
asked through the .Albion, and which was suggested by the
melancholy fire at that time raging. Nut having the honour
of a seat in the Council Chamber,—an honour I am not
ambitious to obtain, so long as a blind adherence to the dog-
mas of a certain political creed, rather than a moral or intel-
lectual qualification, is the test by which men are now elevated
to power to legislate on matters of great local, as well as na-
tional, importance,—no resource is left me but to avail my-
self of the public press to rebut some of the ingenious, but
spurious, statements which you there put forth. Ido not
complain, that you make those statement where I could not
answer you face to face, and which I should assuredly have
done, bad I possessed the opportunity. Your cause required
all the aid you could give it, and you did right to avail your-
self of any assertion that you supposed had militated against
your favourite scheme. I admire an open, straightforward
antagonist, who possesses a mind expansive enough to grap-
ple with difficult questions, and displays his independence by
fearlessly propagating the opinions he has conscientiously
fanned. I cheerfully acknowledge, that I believe you to be
actuated by a desire for the public good : and I acknowledge
also, that you are an antagonist worth grappling with. But,
while I make this admission, I must tell you, that I believe
you to be mistaken in many of your views, and that your
ardour occasionally outstrips the bounds of discretion. I will
not yield one jut to you or any man breathing, in a desire to
see this great town daily progressing, and its improvements
effected on a bold and magnificent scale, commensurate with
its present importance and its future greatness. I think its
geographical position, in the centre of the kingdom; its at-
tached capabilities as the inlet and outlet for the whole of the
foreign, and nearly all the coasting trade of our manufac-
turing districts, with their two millions of population; the
impossibility of forming a rival port between the Clyde and
the Severn : these, and a hundred other reasons, are, to my
mind, conclusive evidence, that the rising importance of
Liverpool cannot be fully comprehended ; that projects, com-
mensurate with her future wants, can scarcely be toogigantic ;
and I dread nothing so much in this respect as seeing her
mighty interests confided to feeble hands, and her affairs
directed by little minds. I wish to see every fetter removed
that retards her progress; every measure introduced that can
facilitate the operations of her commerce, and place her at
the head of the seaports of the world. But lam anxious to
see all this effected upon strict principles of justice, so that
her prosperity may be based on a stable foundation. Identi-
fied as I am with her welfare, my own prosperity being irrevo-
cably bound up with hers, I would rather see her stationary,
and all .my bright views of her increased greatness clouded
by disappointment, than she should be benefited at the ex-
pense of one principle, or gain pecuniary advantage at the
cost of rectitude. 1 have before asserted, and here repeat it,
that, if the measure you contemplated be carried, as you
originally proposed, however advantageous it might be, it
would be a most unjust proceeding to every holder of ware-
house property in the town, uncalled for by necessity, and
not capable of being defended, either on the score of policy
or justice.
1 contend, that, if you attempt to carry it, you will entail
a most unnecessary and vexatious expense on the holders of
warehouse property, as well as upon that corporate fund of
which you are one of the recognised guardians; that the ad-
vantages you propose are not worth the struggle; and that,
if it is ester carried at all, which I am sure it never will be in
its original shape, it must be at the cost of the port of Run-
corn; and ultimately, at the recognition of the rights of the
lord of any manor, on the sho:es of the Mersey, to erect
docks when and where he pleases, without the authorities of
Liverpool having power to levy any dock-rate whatever.
When I look at the reasoning in your speech, I am really
astonished at its puerility ; and, could 1 find time, or the pa-
pers afford me space, I should hardly need to invoke any
Titan or giant to aid me in demolishing the Municipal Ju-
piter who launches such harmless thunderbolts.
You state, in answer to my question respecting fire, that,
in the warehouses proposed to he built on the margin of the
docks, no such fire would have happened, because there
neither pipes nor candles would be allowed; and you instance
the warehouses in London as a proof of this. You might
just as well say, that, because four men are healthy, a
fifth cannot take a fever; or that none of the four could
possibly take it. Why, Sir, I hardly need tell you, that
one-half of the bulk of the import into Liverpool is cotton ;
and if you add to this, saltpetre, tallow, hemp, tar, turpen-
tine, brimstone, palm and olive oil, independendently of
molasses and spirits, I am satisfied that three-fourths of the
imports into Liverpool would, according to your scheme, be
excluded from the proposed warehouses. For what, then, are
they required? Most of the West. India merchants have
their own warehouses, and I suppose you will not attempt
to make it compulsory on any man to warehouse on the dock
side, Tea cannot be warehoused there. The whole of the
indigo of the port would not fill one large warehouse. For
what articles, then, I ask, are these warehouses to be built ?
Your story of the mop and bucket is really amusing. Imo..
gine a warehouse on fire, and blazing splinters and showers
of sparks flying over the rigging of a crowded dock, and a
man "amusing" himself with a " mop and bucket," whilst
the burning rigging, according to your own graphic des-
cription, "falls overboard." Where will it fall to in our
docks but upon the adjoining vessel ? You state, that " you
never knew a fire engine do any goad in your life." Where
was Mr. Walmsley when this libel on the efficiency of our
Fire Police was uttered ? Depend upon it, that if you build
your warehouses as you propose, and a fire occurs, your mop
will be like Dame Partington's in her combat with the At-
lantic, and the man who "amuses" himself on the deck of
any ship in that dock must be of the salamander species.
The insurance upon the London warehouses is low because
they take in no American cotton. If they did, most assu-
redly the rate of insurance would be trebled. 1 contend,
that, in almost every instance, fires do not originate in the
building, but in the articles they contain ; and I have not
that faith in fire-proof buildings which some have, for I am
satisfied, that if the contents of a fire-proof room take fire,
the expansion of the metal necessary for its construction
awnou, if
he archesldlie:fatal itstobe heavily
stability
loaded,and the
destroying the lateralconnecting bond;
d
rods expand, it is very probable that the horizontal pressure
will force out the side walls. In London they can slake out
their fires with fresh water, and the salvage is worth some-
thing. They have a floating engine in each dock, and plenty
of room for it to move about. The last time I was at the St.
Katherine's Docks, there were not a dozen square-rigged
vessels in them ; and it is a very different thing to talk about
moving a vessel in many of the London docks, where a fri-
gate might sail about without running foul of anything, and
to remove a ship in the Liverpool docks, where they are con-
tinually crowded.
The probability is, that if you carry your scheme, it will
end in the exclusion of all warehouses at the dock side from
floating policies. Why do you not at once issue a tariff, and
state what you really intend to be warehoused ? for I cannot
help thinking, that, if you will wall in the sheds on the west
side of the dock, and make them double their present width,
get them bonded, and let the revenue-officers make longer
time, so that ships may not be converted into warehouses for
the accommodation of consignees, it will be found that you
have every thing that you at present want.
No one has yet said a word about spontaneous combustion,
against which no law can be effectual; and, as I find that
chemists were deceived in their opinion of the articles in the
Roberts-street warehouses, I am warranted in concluding,
that we are yet ignorant of the chemical qualities of many
articles of import.
You assert, that your new plan will prevent pilferage. I
deny it. A very few days ago an account appeared, in the
Times, of a gang of plunderers who have long and systema-
tically carried on a scheme of successful pilferage at the St.
Katharine's Docks. At present, the warehouse-keepers are
liable for pilferage, if they do not take proper care; but, if
your plan be carried into execution, and the Dock Trustees
become warehouse-keepers, the Dock Estate must be liable
fur all plunder.
If I am rightly informed, the charges for warehousing and
insurance, taken together, are in favour of this port. A bag
of Orleans cotton, value £lO, costs, in Liverpool, for
Specific insurance
Warehouse rent, at id. per week 3s. 3d.

3s. llid. total charge.

IN LONDON.

Insurance 2d.
ss. 3d. Warehouse rent .

ss. sd.
Leaving a balance of Is. sid. per annum on a single bale of
cotton in favour of Liverpool.
You assert, that it will facilitate the discharge of vessels.
Mr. Thornely, some time ago, in his place in Parliament,
moved for some returns on this subject. I subjoin them:
'rhe returns are from the sth of January to the sth July,
1837, and are given
From the Liverpool Docks.
From the London Docks.
From the St. Katharine Docks.
From the London West India Docks.
In Liverpool, during that time, there were 1,319 vessels,
which occupied, in discharging, 8,359 days, being an average
of 6i days.
In the London Docks 350 vessels, which occupied 2,131
days, being an average of 6 1-10th days.
In the St. Katharine's Dock, 223 vessels occupied 1,087
days, being within a mere fraction of 5 days each.
And in the West India Docks, 51 vessels occupied 256
days, being exactly 5 days each
The average tonnage, too, is greater in Liverpool than in
London. .

But, Sir, I object to your plan, because I assert that a
public body has no right to trade with the funds which it
holds only in trust. The St. Katherine Docks were com-
pleted within the estimate of the architect; and to this day,
with all their superior facilities and management, they have
never paid more than 22 per cent! The moment a vessel
enters there, an immense staff is waiting, ready to pounce
upon her, like so malty hungry vultures; and at what cost ?
Statements were made by Mr. Bushby, Mr. Harboard, and
others, some time ago, of the London charges, which have
remained uncontradtcted to this hour ; and you must either
overthrow those statements, or abandon the project of con-
testing a bill in Parliament which you can never carry. This
system of trading the Deck Trustees will never be permitted
,to enter upon.
As a lessee of the Corporation, I assert, that, after I have
paid them a high price for laud for warehouse purposes, the
elevation of which they approved of, they have ❑o right to
sanction a scheme of which is ruinous to their lessees, and
which will have the effect of throwing every warehouse on
the Corporate Estate into their own hands as they till out of
lease : and 1 strongly advise every person not to renew the
lease of a single warehouse until this question is satisfactorily
settled. _ _

I have already extended this letter beyond its contemplated
limits, and have left many points untouched. Let the Dock
Trustees, before they expend one shilling on anything else,
enclose the whole of the land westward of the Salthouse
Dock, which is the centre of the town, and where there are
thirty acres of available space, which ought to be occupied by
something better than timber and building yards. The
whole of this space only produces £2,000 a-year ! You have
mentioned a plan of mine for building warehouses on that
ground, but you have not stated the whole facts. I proposed,
that the whole space should be sold to a public company,
who should be at liberty, out of their own subscribed funds,
to carry their own plans into execution; and I merely sent a
rough sketch to a friend, who is a member of the Dock Com-
mittee, to show how it might be done. You are quite at
liberty to publish the letter which accompanied that plan, if
you think proper to do so.
Where Mr. Walmsley got his sixty warehouses a-year
in Liverpool, for the last few years, I am at a loss to know.
He may tell that to the marines, fur the sailors will not be-
lieve it.

And now, sir, a word in conclusion. When men are pressed
for sound arguments, they often forget themselves, and begin
to call names. You stated, " that Mr, Holme was ' a terres-
tiat animal.'" I do not, 1 confess, quite see the point of
this witticism, nor its connexion with:, the argument; but
I have no doubt that my own obtuseness is the cause of my
not comprehending its meaning.
I have, certainly, never porpoised in the St. Lawrence,
and until 1 am better informed, I must conclude that you used
the elegant simile in contradistinction to your own flounder-
ing eccentricity as an amphibious animal, just as a skilful
painter brings out his figures by a dark background. No
wonder that, at this stage of the comedy, you should call but
for tooter. Naturalists tell us, that within the arctic circle
there is a certain " animal" bred, which is sometimes very
ferocious, but is occasionally tamed, and that, when brought
into a southern latitude, he cannot exist without water. Whe-
ther the " animal" which exhibited on Wednesday last is of
the same species, I cannot undertake to say, but must leave
it to eye-witnesses. To use your own introductory phraseo-
logy, " I do not mean any thing offensive.' "
As every newspaper in the town has published, or will pub-
lish;..the-Couricil. proceedings, in which 1 am made to appear
very cosisniessnasly; and as this is no pasty question, but one

involving the property of men of all parties, I should certainly
feel obliged to those who can afford space, if they will let the
bane and antidote go together.—l have the honour to remain,
sir, your faithful servant, SAMUEL HOLME.
Seel-street, Oct. 13th, 1833.