The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-03-16 00:00:00

NEW LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE.

• Yesterday, at the Exhibition Rooms, in Postoflice-place, the
model of a lucondhtive engine, on a new principle, extremely,
simple and ingenious, was shown gratis to the public. There
are three improvements over the locomotive engine now in use,
embodied in it. The term locomotive applied to the invention
is incorrect; for it is not in the moving power that the improve-
ment consists, but in the carriage wheels. The first improve-
ment is to decrease the friction of the axles of the carriage
wheels in their sockets. To attain this, instead of the whole
weight on the axle resting in a socket, and thereby creating a
friction in that socket in proportion to the weight on the axle,
and the rapidity of its revolution, it is made to rest on the cir-.
cumference of another wheel which is revolved by it, and the
weight of the carriage thereby removed ten to another axle.
But as the circumference of this second wheel is ten times at
least the circumference of the axle which rests upon it, it fol-
lows that the second wheel will only turn round once in its
socket, where the friction is removed to, to the axle of the first
wheel revolving ten times; therefore, by that,.the friction in
the socket is reduced nine-tenths. • But the principle is carried
still further ; the circumference of a third wheel is made to rest
upon the axle of the second, and thereby the whole of the fric-
tion in the socket is removed to the axle of the third wheel; but
as the circumference of the third wheel is five times greater
than the circumference of the axle of the second, it follows that
the axle of the third wheel will only turn once in its socket,
where all the friction lies, to the axle of the second wheel turn-
ing five times. Therefore, 50 revolutions of the wheel on the
rail will only produce one revolution of. the axle of the third
wheel in its socket, where all the friction is; and, therefore, if
the friction of a railway carriage wheel axle in its socket be but
say one pound, by the ordinary construction, the friction of a
carriage wheel axle in its socket, in a, carriage constructed on
this principle, can be but the fiftieth part of a pound..
The second improvement is in the construction of the. springs
to prevent concussion, which is rendered impossible. .The pull
also, instead of being fixed is placed on a spring, which prevents
any jerk at slatting. . •
The third improvement consists in having only two wheels to
each carriage instead of four; the mode of connecting the car-
riages by a slide thiough grooves in the carriages, keeping them.
perfectly steady as iron fotir wheels. The advantage secured by
this is, the prevention or all friction upon the rails, when the
rails are not in a straight line; .as the mode of connexion will
allots the carriag'es to adapt themselves to any circular line.
By the toesent construction of carriages upon four wheels, the
axles are fixed to the carriages, and adapted for moving in a.
perfectl straight line; when the line of rails, therefore, becomes,
circular, the friction on the rails and on the edge of the carriage
wheels is tremendous. All three. improvements appear very
valuable, and we do not doubt, when the inventions become
known, they will be ado•aed generally in the construction of
our railway yarriages.. The improvement we first noticed need.
not be Ceithried to railway carriages alone, but may be equally
applicable to all revolving machinery, the axles of which have
touch friction in their sockets from the weight of the wheels, as
in a fly• Wheel of a steam engine, or have much stress upon them
creating friction. We should imagine the additional cost of
adopting.this.principle to heavy revolving wheels would more
than be repaid in the saving of the tallow required to lubricate
the axles.

. .
TARTAN DRESSES FOR THE QUEEN,—A few days ago the
Messrs. J. and D. Paton, manufacturers, Tillicoultry, received
an order from, Sir Henry Wheatley, keeper of the! Queen's
privy purse, to furnish three dresses of tartan for her Majesty's.
own use. As no. particular patterns were commented upon
they found themselves left at liberty with respect to these, and
came to the conclusion, that, at least, two of the stresses should
he compOsed of national "sets," The Royal Stuart, as being
that worn by her Majesty's ancestors, while kings of Scotland,
was at.once fixed upon as one; and the Forty-second, or Black
Watch, as the other. Still, there was a third, and it was re-
solved, in very good taste, that a new one should he formed
for the occasion, which should be called " 1 ictoria Tartan,"
in commemoration of her Majesty.—Stirling Observer.
A MonEaN GiouANNI.—An American paper gives the fol-
lowing account of a modern tiiovanni, who bids fair to be as re-
nowned as the mighty Don, if fate does not Consign him to the
penitentiarY. Having been put in gaol for Marrying 13 wives
he made his escape. and was seen three or four days afterwards
by a gentleman. The gentle Man, anxious to secure the reward
for his apprehension, invited hint into his house to dinner. and
then slyly slipped out to pursuit of a constable; but great was
his horror on his return to find that the culprit had absconded
with his wife!
A phrenologist remarking that some eons clad e organs
of murder, and benevolence strongly and equally developed,.
"Doubtless," was the reply of an individual present, "those are
the pet sons who would kill one with liiiidness."
STEAM, VERSUS 11ORSES.-74, would require twelve stage-.
coaches, carrying fifteen passer; ge,-s each, awl one thousand two.
hundred horses, to take one hundred and eighty passengers two
hundred and forty miles in twenty-four boors. at the rate of ten,
miles an hour.' Ode locomotive steam-engine will take that
number, and go. two trips in the same time, consequently %OA;
sin' the Work ot., two thbusnod four hundred horses! Again, its
would require thirty mail-coaches (six passengers each,) and

three thousand horses,. to take one htindred passengers and mail
two hundred and forty n"tilea in twenty-four hours, at the rate. ..
of ten raqes au hour., One locomotive steam-engine will take
that nunib-er., atid gitwo trips in the same time, cimserinently
will do the ,ivork of six thousand horses.
A Dunkirk Journal asserts, that a cloth, merchant of Abbe-
ville has taught a drake to sing several airs;,.. and,, encourageA
by success, is nom proceeding to teach a tut key to take part iA,
it by_
With the (pack intisiCital: