Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-05-12
From the Brattleboro' Eagle.
An Important Invention.

The City Government of San Francisco,
California, year or two since passed an or.
dinance directing the grade Of many Of the
principal streets to be raised from one to
eight feet. II accordingly became neces-
sary to raise to like extent the buildings
abuttng on these streets. Many Of these
buildings are large brick blocks and ware
houses, erected within a comparatively short
period. and as yet are not consolidated like
those That have stood series of years
Hence great difficulty was experienced in
raising such buildings 10 their required ele-
walton by ordinary means. Aside from the
vast power requisite, and, for furnishing
which, the old machinery was entirely made
quate, the constant liz llity TO Jerks or Jars,
which would crack and weaken the walls,
rendered different and more powerful APP
paratus desirable.
These difficulties have all been overcome
by the application Of Hydrodynamic pres
sure The idea originated with Mr.. Edward
Il. Steen, son of Joseph Seen, Esq. Of this
village. but for the past four years resident
in San Francisco, and member Of the firm
George Gordon g. Steen," proprietors of
the Vulcan Iron Works in that city. Mr..
Stcen is the inventor and manufacturer Of
the Hydrostatic machinery, the following de-
scriptlon of which, and of its mode of opera
ton, we copy from the Alta Californian Of
January 18th.
"The difficulty of lifting brick building
en- mdsse will be appreciated when the inn
mense weight TO be raised and the steadness
and equilibrium to be maintained are taken
INTO account. The walls Of the building
have to be lifted at once, and with precise
equality. There must be no jar or vibration.
The power must be equal to overcome any
contingent addition to its weight from the
friction of adjoining brick buildings, which
are generally more or less matted in with
hard set moratar to the walls ia process OF
being lifted. There must be centrallza.
ton Of power applied from one source to eve
ry part Of the building, with the same a.
mount Of force used, or in the moment OF
applying it, it would raise one portion Of
the wall faster or slower, or sooner or later,
than the other portions, and would inevitably
crack the building.
All these desideraid, are achieved in
Messrs. George Gordon g. Stems Hydros-
tatic machine. The power is applied to the
structure to be ruised by a number of mas
sive presses, each weighing 1000 lbs, u
tributed at short spaces under the walls ~
holes cut in the brick work. The presse.
are connected with each other, and with q
central battery of pumps, by n copper pipe
Of very small bore and great thickness.
With few buckets of water on the pump
well, the force of one man on the pump
cranks is equal to the raising of several hun
bred tons of brlckwork; and the power car
be multiplied to any extent so as to raise
an entire block of buildings, by adding to
the number of presses and frightening the
pipes.
AS the well known property of water un-
der pressure is to work with elasticity, there
is consequently no jerk or jar. The piston
of each press is constructed to lift 30 tons
which II does without motion pcrceptible tC
the eye or the touch; in fact, so smoothly
that glass of quicksilver exhibits no vi.
bration If placed on piston head, while il
enormous power is sustaining and raising the
weight placed upon it.
Thu machinery, which promises to be Of
great service IN raising buildings now below
the grade, was arranged, constructed, the
soundness of each part tested, and the whole
set TO work, without previous experiment
the estimates Of strength and power, and the
distribution and equalization of the hydraul
&c forces, having been entirely ascertanet
by mathematical calculations based on the
the experiments (reduced to prac;lce) of Sir
Robert Stephenson AID other eminent en-
gineers.