The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-10-15

were being moved, but they were distributed
over the wire rope at about 100 yards apart,
both on the outgoing and on the return rope.
The boxes are of stout sheet iron and are attached
by a bent bar to a A-shaped block of wood, which
gives sufficient FRACTIONAL hold upon the rope that
no amount of swinging than can be given to
them by the wind can dislodge them. The posts
over the five miles number about 123 ; they are
at varying distances apart, in some cases within
100 yards of one another and range up to about
in one instance 400. The inclination of the
rope at different parts of the line is very evident,
in one case l in s, and in order to follow the I'M
dulations of the ground over which it travels
one of the posts is $50 feet above the ground at
this particular point the rope alters It's course at
direct right angles. The arrangement of getting
the boxes round this corner is very ingenious,
and for which Mr.. Hodgson deserves great credit.
Here the posts supports two strips of L-iron,
which serve as channels or guides for disc rollers
on the box block to run in. At the running on
end the rollers ride up a slight rise of the rails
and the block leaves the rope, the momentum
given to the box carries it over the rise, when it
runs down a second incline by Its own gravity,
taking the bend or curve of the rails as 1t travels,
and finally lodges itself upon the rope again to
be carried on TO its destination. On the occasion
we refer to a mishap, that of the breaking of one
of the gear wheels occurred, which caused the
stoppage of the machinery, and thus somewhat
disappointed the party, who were specially in
vited to witness It's working but the Easter
HOLIDAYS and the Volunteer Review coming so
shortly after induced Mr.. Hodgson and the gem
tlemen connected with him to strive TO get an
other wheel fitted in time for the arrival of the
amateur army upon the ground on the following
Monday. In this they were successful, and we
had the pleasure of witnessing one of the most
perfect trials that could possibly be accomplished
with such a length of rope. The boxes are sup
posed to hold about u cwt. each, and can be
placed upon the rope as fast as they are filed,
and rs the rope is always travelling it takes the
boxes away as soon as they are hooked on. The
weight is divided over and between many points
of support, thus giving the rope little chance of
fracture, the movement of the rope causing the
strain TO be constantly shifted. With the plant
erected it is estimated that about 240 tons of
minerals could be moved in a day Of ten hours at
Il very nominal cost. The system has been tried
and is at daily work in France and other parts
of Europe, but in most Of these cases the line is
straight, and therefore few, if any, difficulties
had to be overcome but on the Brighton Downs
every conceivable obstacle that could possibly be
imagined is found, and it is a matter of congrat-
ulation TO Mr.. Hodgson, to whose personal ener-
gies and those of Mr.. Bevington. the resident
engineer, this success is due, that such a task
has been accomplished. As a system of cheap
transport we can fairly it TO large
manufacturers, and even to brewers IN the neigh
borhood OF railways or water carriage, as an
endless supply of barrels could be moved and
deposited at any point without in the least inter
fering with existing roads, and at a much less
cost than is now accomplished by horse labor.
We understand that the line is to continue at
work for the next month or so, and can be seen
on application for cards to Mr.. NJ. Beale, at the
London Office, 81, G-reshamstreet. The plant
was supplied by Messrs. Robey and Co., Of Lin
coin, and Messrs. Easton and Amos, of South
wark, and erected under the superintendent of
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures Magazine.