a

MARCH 23, 1900.] SOl\IE IlVIPORTANT COl\I~IERCIAL

CA ES OF 1899. FROM the numerous cases under the h~ading

"Commercial Court.," which are to be found .1n the Law Reports, it would seen;t tha~ as a tr1b~nal for deciding abstruse q.uestwns 1n the vanous departments of commercial law, t~e Co~rt estab-lished by Mr. Justice 1\'Iatthew IS commg more and more into favour. No statut~ w~s. passed t.o lay down a code of procedure. : a J udiCwus I?Odl-fication of the rules of pleadmg, coupled w1th a strenuous effort on the par t of litigants (or their leo=al advisers) to avoid quibbles and legal tech-

ni~alities, has recently e~abled the merc~ant to see his cause set down, tned, and finally dr~posed of with a rapidity almost unprecedented 10 the a~als of our judiciary. The q uerelous may ask, Is speedy justice found to ~e satisfa~tory ? \Ye are tempted to answer Res ~psa ~oqttr~t,w :.and to refer to the columns of the digests w luch are filled with the dicta and opinions of our two com-mercial judges--the founder of the Court, and Mr. Justice Bigham.

To compare th.e Commercial Court with th~t of a lay arbitrator 1s not our purpose. Suffice .1t to say that while the hearing of a c~use before either of these tribunals comes on without delay, the decision of a judge can always be reviewed without difficulty in the Court of Appeal. Some say, no doubt, that the chief advantage of a reference is the finality of the award. But on the other hand it might be ~sk~d, which is bette1~-an unright.e?us decision whiCh Is final, or an unnghteous deCislOn which can be overruled 1

With these few words we pass on to consider some of the more important cases heard in 1899. The summary, however, does not claim to be com-plete, as there are many. cases which owiug to their length and complexity could not be ade-quately reviewed in the present article. Nor are all the cases under review chosen from among the decisions of the Commercial Court . There are others, which, owing to the important principles of la\v involved, have been thought worthy of notice.

The principle that part payment of the purchase money obviates the necessity for the agreement in writing prescribed by the Sale of Goods Act, 1893, is sufficiently well known. Nevertheless, the question sometimes arises as to what constitutes part payment. Thus in t he case of N orton v. Davison ((1899) 1 Q.B., 401], it was decided that where upon an oral contract for the supply of goods, it was a term of the contract that a sum of money which had been overpaid to the vendor upon a previous sale of goods by him to the purchaser, should be retained by the vendor on account of the price of the goods contracted to be sup-plied; there was not a part payment which would satisfy the provisions of Section 4, sub-section 1 of the Sale of Goods Act, 1893.

This decision follows that of Walker v. N ussey [(1847) 16 M. and W., 302], where it was decided that an agreement to set off a claim of the buyer against part of the price does not amount to part payment.

The outbreak of war in any part of the world is sure to give rise to cases in the English Courts having regard to the extent of our commercial connection. The following case serves to show the effsct of the Spanish-American '\Var upon a con-tract the terms of which had not provided against such a contingency.

By agreement in writing the defendants sold to the plaintiffs 250 bales of Manila hemp, shipment to be made from a port or ports in the Philippine Islands by sailer or sailers between May 1 and July 31, 1898 ; the agreement contained a clause that if the goods did not arrive from loss of vessel, or other unavoidable cause, the contract was to be void. In consequence of the Spanish-American War it was, in a business sense, impossible for the defendants to ship hemp by sailer between the specified dates; but in September they shipped hemp (which would otherwise have satisfied the contract) by steamer, and on October 27 declared it against the contract ; the plaintiffs refused to accept this declaration, and returned it to the defendants, who, on N ovem her 4, wrote that it '!as the only declaration that they were in a posi-tion to make. It was decided that the stipulations as t? shipment by sailer or sailers between the

speCifie~ dates were conditions precedent and the declaration was bad ; that it was not an implied

E N G I N E E R I N G. condition of the contract that it should be possible to ship by sailer between those dates ; that the defendants were not protected by the express con-dition as to non-arrival of the goods, the non-arrival not having been occasioned by any unavoid-able cause within the meaning of the contract; and that the damages were to be ascertained by refer-ence to the market price on November 4, the day on which the defendants finally notified their in-abil ity to make a declaration in accordance with the contract. [Ash more and Son v. C. S . Cox and Co. (1899), 1 Q. B., 436.]

According to the rule in the famous case of Hadley v. Baxendale [ (1854) 9 Exch. , 341], which is now embodied in Section 51 of the Sale of Goods Act, 1893, the measure of general or ordinary damages is the estimated loss directly and naturally resulting from the breach of contract for those are the damages which a reasonable man would con-template as the likely result of the breach if he directed his mind to it. From the following case it would seem that if A is compelled to defend legal proceedings owing to the default of B, the damages in a subsequent action by A against B may be made to include not only the costs of the original action but a reasonable sum in addition thereto.

The plaintiff, a coal merchant at Cardiff, having contracted with shipownera for the supply of coal to their steamers there, entered into a contract with the defendants, who were colliery proprietors also carrying on business at Cardiff, for the supply to him of coal, which was expressly stated to be for shipment in those steamers. The defendants committed a breach of t heir contract in not sup-plying coal under it with reasonable despatch, in consequence of which t he supply of coal to one of the steamers by the plaintiff was delayed and the steamer was detained. The shipowners thereupon made a claim of 150l. upon the plaintiff in respect of her detention, and subsequently brought an action against hin1 to enforce their claim. The plaintiff gave notice of the claim and action to the defendants, who repudiated all liability, and refused to take up the defence, stating, however, that they considered the claim preposterous, and the amount of it excessive. The plaintiff thereupon defended the action, paying 20l. into Court, and at the trial he succeeded in showing that the sum so paid in was sufficient. He then brought an action against the defendants for breach of their contract. The judge at t he trial found that the course taken by the plaintiff in defending the action against him was reasonable. It was decided that the plaintiff was entitled under the rule in Hadley v. Baxendale [(1854) 9 Ex., 341], to recover from the defendants as damages the amount of the costs reasonably incurred by him in defending the action against him over and above the amount which he had received for costs as between party and party from the plaintiffs in that action. [ Agius v. G. W .R. Co. (1899), 1 Q. B., 413.]

Cases are continually arising in which the ques-tion, What may be included under the term " general average" ~ comes before the Court. Thus, in the case of the Anglo-Argentine Live Stock and Produce Agency v. Temperley Shipping Company ((1899) 2 Q.B., 403], the plaintiffs shipped a deck cargo of cattle and sheep on board the defendants' ship for carriage from Buenos Ayres to Deptford, under a contract which provided that t he ship should on no account call at a Brazilian port before landing her live stock. The reason for this provi-sion was that by an order of the Board of Agricul-ture, foreign animals could not be landed in the United Kingdom if the ship conveying them had touched at a Brazilian port in the course of her voyage. During the voyage the ship sprung a leak, and the master, for the safety of all concerned, put into a Brazilian port for repairs. The plaintiffs thereby suffered loss in consequence of the live stock being unabl~ to be landed in the United I{ingdom, and having to be sold elsewhere at lower p1ices than would have been realised in the English market. The master, at the time when he resolved to put into the Brazilian port, knew this would be the result of his so doing. It was decided that the deoreciation of the live stock was a loss which the plaintiffs were entitled to have made good in general average.

Again, in the case of Ireland v. China Traders' Insurance ((1899) 2 Q. B., 356], certain shippers chartered a ship to carry a cargo of coals from Cardiff to Esquimalt. In the course of the voyage the coal heated to such an extent that if the ship had continued her voyage, the ship and cargo would

,.. : Q

have been totally lost. The master, for the safety of all concerned, put into a port of refuge and landed the coal which was subseq uently sur~reyed and found to b~ in such a condition .as to b~ m~apa ble of being carried with safety to 1ts dest1nat10n. The master accordingly abandoned t he voyage, .and the chartered freight was lost. . I t was dec1ded that the freight had not been sacrificed und~r such circumstances as to make the loss the subJect of general average contribution.

Perhaps the most peculiar case heard in the Com-mercial Court during the year was that of t he Steam-ship Isis Company v. Bahr, Behrend, and Rosa ((1899) 2 Q. B., 364]. There an action was brought against charterers for not loading a full aud com-plete cargo of wet wood pulp. I t appeared fron1 the charter party that the contemplated loadin~ was to be in midwinter, at which time, as the evi-dence showed, wet wood pulp arrived at the port of loading, and was loaded, in a frozen condition. In this condition it would not stow so closely as when unfrozen, and consequently a lesser amount could be loaded than if the pulp had been in a normal condition. It was decided by A. L. Smith and Rigby, L .JJ., that the chartere1s in loading as much V{et wood pulp in a frozen condition as the ship would carry, had performed their obligation to load a full and complete cargo. Iu the course of his judgment Vaughan Williams, L.J., said, that to relieve the charterers from liability it was not enough to show that wet wood pulp was habitu~lly loaded in winter in a frozen condition, but it must also be shown t hat cargoes so loaded were accepted as full and complete cargoes, and that as t here was no evidence of such a custom, the defendants were liable.

A plentiful crop of cases has arisen in which the liability of shipowners and charterers for defects in the ship has been discussed. Thus in Marney v. Scott ((1899) 1 Q.B., 986], the facts were that the defendant chartered for a single voyage a vessel which was at the time at sea and in ballast. The charter party declared that she was in every way fit for the service, and provided that she should be so maintained by the owners. On t he afternoon of April 5 the vessel was put at the defendant's dis-posal in dock, and two hours afterwards the load-ing began, the defendant having contracted for the purpose with a stevedore who had engaged the plaintiff amongst others to carry out the work. Fifteen n1inutes later the plaintiff, in the course of his work, had to descend a ladder leading into the hold. The ladder came adrift, and the plaintiff fell, sustaining injuries for which he sued the defendant. It was held t hat the defendant was liable to the plaintiff, since it was his duty under the circum-stances to make some iDBpection of the vessel before allowing the stevedore and his men to go on board her, and since the slightest inspection would have revealed the defective state of t he ladder.

A provision against liability for latent d efects does not cover ''patent" defects. Thus in the Waikato (owners of cargo on board the) v. New Zealand Shipping Company [C.A. (1899) 1 Q.B., 56], a bill of lading contained, among other excep-tions, one which stated that the shipowner was not to be liable for loss or damage arising from ' 'defects latent on beginning voyage or otherwise" in hull, tackle, boilers, or machinery, or their appurte-nances. It was decided, affirming the judgment of Big ham, J., that the exception did not cover a defect which was obvious at the commencement of the voyage.

It seems that warranty of seaworthiness includes an undertaking that a ship shall be furnished with sufficient coal to enable her to proceed from one

~ort to another. Thus in the case of the vortigern (1899), P. 140), the plaintifJs' steam vessel left Cebu, in the Philippine I slands, for Liverpool, with cargo belonging to the defendants, shipped

~nder a charter party and bill of lading giving hberty to coal at ports on the way, and excepting the negligence of the master and engineer. The vessel called at Colombo, but did not take in a reasonably sufficient quantity of coal for the next stage to Suez, and when passing Perin1 (a coaling station) the master did not call there owing to the negligence of the engineer in not informing him that the coal was running short. In consequence whilst proceeding up the Red Sea 50 tons of cargo were burnt as fuel in order to carry the vessel on to Suez, where she again coaled, and

s~ was enabled to perform the chartered voyage to Ltverpool. I t was held (affirming the decision of G. Barnes, J. ), that the defendants were entitled to

,

370 E N G I N E E RI N G. [l\fARCH 2 J, I 900.

CARRIAGES FOR niAXIM RIFLE-CALIBRE GUN. 'ON. TRUCTED BY :JJE. ~R. . YI 'KER, ', . ON. ', AND :\I.AXI:JI, LI~JITED, AT THEIR ERITH '\ORK. , KENT.

set off by way of counter-claim the value of the cargo burned against the freight, on the ground that, if the plaintiff shipowners, owing to the necessity for coaling. availed themselves of the liberty to call at ports on the way, they must make their vassel seaworthy at t he commencement of each stage for the voyage-or stage of the voyage-she t hen enters upon, and in the circumstances of the case, the second stage was frotn Colombo to Suez. The plaintiffs, therefore, could not rely on the ex-ception covering negligence of the engineer when off Perim, as by the insufficiency of coal when the vessel left Colombo the implied warranty of sea-worthiness had been broken.

\Vhere underwriters are under contract to defray t he cost of all injuries and damages caused by perils of the . ea, &c., a.n important question occa-sionally arises as to their liabilty to pay for the disposal of a discarded cargo. The following case. which came before the appellate tribunal on appeal from the judgment of Mr. Justice Big ham, appears to throw some light on the question.

A ship, insured under a time policy on hull and materials, machinery and boilers, against perils of the seas and all other perils, losses, and misfortune which might come t o her hurt, detriment, or damage, was, during the currency of the policy, injured through a collision in the ~ha~es whilst making for London, her port of dest1natwn, a hole beina knocked in her bottom. H er cargo, cotton seed~ through the action of the water and mud which came through the hold, became rotten, offen-sive, and worthless, and neither the cargo owners nor their underwriters would pay freight or take delivery . After the collision part of the cargo was put into lighters in order to allow the ship to be taken into dry dock, where she was temporarily patched. Subsequently she was towed to the Mill-wall Dock to discharge the rest of the cargo, and thereupon the sanitary authority of the district ordered her to abate the nuisance caused by the offensive condition of the cotton seed, and to re-move it. The ship accordingly was taken down to Dauenham Pier, and her cargo was there dis-charged by contractors on to land belonging to them. In an action on the policy by the ship-owner. to recover from their underwriter the cost of dealing with the cargo ~etwee_n the date of the collision and the date of 1ts arn val at Dagenham, and also t he contractors' charges for discharging and disposing of it there, it was decided that the plaintiffs were not entitled to recover any of such cost or charges. (Field Steamship Company v. Burr (1899), 1 Q.B., 579.)

One other decision, of minor importance perhaps, is worthy of notice. In marine policies the word

FIG. 33.

Fw. 34:. FIGs. 33 AND 34:. CoMBINED CARRIAGE, AND TRIPOD A-'~D LIMBER.

'' furniture " is sometimes used. This seems to include all parts of the flquipment of the ship, although at the t ime of an accident they may be stowed away and out of use. Accordingly where a ship is employed in the grain t rade. and conse-quently requires to be furnished with separation cloths and dunnage mats for the proper carriage of her cargo under the ordinary circumstances of that trade; a time policy on the ship and its furni-ture will cover the cloths and mats, although on the particular voyage on which the loss occurs they are temporarily, owing to the special nature of t he voyM!e, not in use, but stowed away in the forepeak. [Hogarth r. \Valker(1899), 2 Q.B. , 401.]

MODERN FIELD ARTILLERY. ( Colltinucd from page 340.)

THE MAXIM RIFT.E-CALIBR.E GuN. WE give this week illm~trations of the latest

mounts and carriages for the Maxim rifle calibre-a weapon whic~ now needs no description, as its successful use 1n every war of modern times has made its general characteristics well known and a detailed description of its mechanism has ~!ready been published in E NGINEERING.* We therefore

* See ENGINEERING, vol. lxv., page 234.

d . f confine ourselves here to the most modern es1gn carriages for field use. . . .

Combined Ca-rriage and Tnpod (Ftgs. 33 ~nd 34). - The gun in this case, as shown on the il~ustrations on this page, is so mounted that tt ea~ be used either as a tripod or as a wbeele carriage. The gun is attacb~d to a crossh~ad pro; vided with arms for supportmg the el.evatmg ~ea and shield. The elevating gear conslBtS of right and left-handed telescopic screws. The o~ter screw is furnished with a handwheel and runs m a gun-metal socket or nut pivoted to the arm of. the cross-head. This nut is fitted with a clampmg scre~ The top of the inner screw is attached t~ the. elev~ ina joint bracket on the gun. The slueld lB ma e otn.ickel steel and is bolted on to the front ~m~ of the crosshead by four bolts. Th~ cross ea ships on a piYot the rear part of wh1ch fo~ms .a bracket for the tr~versing gear. The traversmg 1~ effected by the man laying the gun ~y mea~~l~s the handles at the rear of the gun, wh1ch he

. d d 0 nt of scatter-one 1n each hand. Any esue am u b ina can be given by moving the stops o~ ~ e tr:versing bracket, and oscillating the gun unng firing, between these stops.. . receive

The lower part of the p1vot lS made to 'th the axle. On each side of the pivot are stu~s ~1 d wing nuts on which. the front legs are plVO e '

MARCH 2 3, r goo.] E N G I N E E R I N G.

I IJI,I /1

CARRIAGES FOR MAXIM RIFLE-CALIBRE GUN. CON TRUCTED BY }tiE~\ R . VICKERS, SON , AND MAXIJ\i, LIMITED, AT THEIR ERITH WORKS, KENT.

(For Desc'1'vption, see oppo3ite Page.)

I

Fie.86. I Fif1.86 . I

8~ Y,e . I I I \ I

CD

-----~ ~-~ I F----i

I

FIGS. 35 AND 36. FIELD CARRIAGE .

FitJ . 87. 8~~2

r I

I

Ftg.88 .

I -

0

I

FIGS. 37 AND 38. LIGHT CAVALRY AND GALLOPING CA.RRIAGE.

371

372 and immediately above the studs are sockets into which th e top part of the front leg links are placed when the mountin g is used as a tripod. The legs are held in position by tightening up t he wing nuts.

When used as a wheeled carriage t he front legs R.re h onsed alongside the trail and secured there by a strap. The trail is made of two tubes, one slid-ing inside the other, and is provided with a seat for the convenience of the man firing. The axle is a tubular one, and is attached to t he pivot by two bol ts with handles. It is also fitted with two double h ooks for carrying an ammunition box. The am-munition box from which the gun is fed is placed on the ground on the righ t-hand side of the gun.

Fig. 34: shows the mounting in firing position as a wheeled carriage, and to convert it into a tripod the strap securing the front legs to the trail is unbuckled, the front legs placed in their sockets, and the wing nuts screwed up. The two bolts securing the axle t o t h e socket are withdrawn and the trail end lifted until the axle is released, when the axle, together with the wheels, are remov~d. The mountin g is then ready for use as a tripod.

This carriage is specially adapted for pack trans-port, one animal taking the axle and gun on one Aide, and the t.ripod on the other, while a second animal carries t he wheels and necessary spare parts and t ools.*

Weight of Combined Carriage and Tripod. W eight of gun ... .. . ... ... 60 lb.

, mounting .. . .. . .. . 2:.>3 ,, Diameter of wheels.. . .. . . .. .. . 42 in. Track of wheel ... .. . .. . ... 4! ,, H eight of axis of gun ... ... ... 33.5 ,

E N G I N E E R I N G. Weight of 4000 rounds of ammunition ... Diameter of wheels .. .. . .. . ... Width of track ... .. . .. . ...

260 lb. 42 in. 44 ,

Field 0 MTirrge.-T he field mounting as shown m Figs. 35 and 36, page 371, is a two- wheeled carriage consisting of a gun-metal socket, to which the axle and trail are attached, crosshead, elevating gear, and shields top and bottom. The upper part of the gun-metal socket forms a pivot for the cros head, and t he lower part ser ves as a supporting bracket for t he axle and t he lower shield. The rear part of t he socket is extended to form a sleeve for attaching the trail tube. On the t op of this sleeve is the traversing bracket, which is u tilised also as a sup-port for the cross head arm, and carries the clamp-ing spindle with stops for limiting the t raining of the gun. These stops can be clamped in any place on the traversing bracket.

The axle, which is attached to the lower part of the socket, is made of solid steel, and is drawn out at both ends to form arms for taking the wheels : on the axle there are two collars provided with lugs to which t he lower shield is attached. These collars also act as sh oulders for the wheel naves. The trail is made of steel tubing, and is attached to the rear part of the sock et by a taper pin ; it is provided with n. trail shoe and eye, and also with & seat for the convenience of the man firing .

The loads for pack transport are distributed follows:

F i rst Mule (1&ith Gun). Off3ide: Gun ... ... ... ...

, Axle . .. . .. . .. , Hanger ... .. . .. .

Near Ride: Tripod ... .. . ...

. ..

...

...

...

Lb. 60 33 10 85

The crosshead, which ships on the pivot, carries the gun, and has an arm extending to the rear sup-porting the elevating gear. This also forms a rest for the ammunition box, from which the gun is fed. In front of the crosshead are lugs, to which the large top shield is bolted. The elevating gear con-

as s ists of a plain bar of rectangular section supported in the arm of the crosshead by means of a pin. The top part of this bar is r ound and threaded, and fitted with a nut and hand wheel. F or g reat changes in elevation the bar is shifted from one hole to an-other and t he pin inserted : any fine adjustment is obtained by turning the hand wheel.

The t op sh ield, which is n.tbched to t he cross-head, has provisions made for carrying t wo ammu-nition boxes, one on each side of t he g un. These boxes are held in position by guides attached to the shield. At t.he t op of the shield, immediately a.pove t he gun, is a water tank fitted with a tap

... . .. ... . ,

Saddle H'\nger ..

complete, with numnab, bridlP, &c. ... ... ... ... .. .

Total . .. . .. .. . ... Second Mule (with Wh eels ).

One pair of wheels, one each side , bangers ... ... . ..

Toolhox on top ... .. . .. . Saddle, &c. ... . .. ... .. .

...

.. .

.. .

...

Total . .. ... . .. .. . Third Mule (with A mmunition) .

Eight ammunition boxes, with belts ... Two hangers .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . Two thousand rounds of ammunition .. . Saddle complete, with numnab, bridle,

&c. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

Total . .. ... .. .

8

38

234

113 15 26.75 38

192.75

61 22

132

38

25G This mounting is also used as an ordinary field

carriage, in which ~1.se the trail is provided with an eye for limbering up.

Limber for Combined Car1 iage and Tripod.-The limber used with this mounting, as shown in Fig. 33, is very simple, and consists of a light steel frame supported by brackets attached to an axle. It is fitted with a trail hook at the rear for attaching the gun carriage, and R.t t h.e front on the splinter bar are brackets for supportmg the shafts. Between the shafts is a h ook for attaching the swingle tree of the harness. On t he top of the frames are gun-metal guides, which correspond with g rooves cut out in the sides of the ammunition boxes, and thus secure the boxes to the frame. The boxes arc s lid in from the rear , and are pre-vented from sliding out by means of a hinged door tted with catches at the r ear of the frame . A seat for the driver is supplied, and beneath this seat is placed a box containing spare parts and tools. 'l'he ammunition boxes are made of a width d ouble that of the boxes generaJly used, and a lonaitudinal partition divides the box in two divi-

sio~s each holdina two belts of 2f>O rounds . The boxe~ have hinged 0 lids, and are fitted with cleats for carrying. As mention ed above, gr~oves are cut out in the sides of the boxes for secunng the same to the frame. The limber carries the usual en-trenching tools , &c.

W eiuhts of Carriage and Limber. Weight of gun . ... ... ... .. . 60 lb.

283 , , mounting ... . .. . .. . limber complew, wtth four

" . b 440 ammunitiOn oxes ... ... ... , This systew was illustrated in E NG INEERING, vol. lxv.,

page 330.

and tube, t he latter being attached to t he water jacket of the gun. This enables t he water jacket to be refilled by s imply t urning the tap. The tank is filled through t he opening on the t op of the same. The bottom shield, which is bolted to t he socket and axle, has two brackets for securing an ammunition box. A leather bag is supplied for carrying a few spare parts and tools.

In travelling, the mounting carries four ammu-nition boxes, of 450 rounds each, viz., two on the t op shield, one on the lower shield, and one on the crosshead arm .

The weights are as follow : W eight of gun ... .. . ... .. . L ength , .. . .. . .. . .. .

60 lb. 44 in.

Weight of carriage wi tb four boxes empty 433 lb.

W eight of 1800 rou~ds of ~~mu~ition ::: 120 , D iameter of wheel .. . .. . .. . .. . 42 in. \Vidtb of track ... ... ... ... 40 , Height of axis of gun .. . .. . .. . 37 ,

Light Oawtlry Oan-iage (Figs. 37 to 40). - The galloping carriage is illustrated on pages 371 and 372. This is a light two-wheeled carriage, fitted for pole draught, and consists of a light skeleton steel frame supported on springs which are a ttached to the axletree by means of clips and bolts. The front of the frame is made of bullet-proof steel plate, and to this plate are hinged the supporting plate of t he top carriage and the two seats. The seats are made of bullet-p roof steel p}q.te, and are raised during firing for the protection of the men serving the gun.

In the frame, provis ion is made to carry 14: ammunition boxes, six on the off side and eight on the near side, each h olding 250 rounds in a belt. The off s ide of the frame is ex-tended t owards the splinter -bar for the recept ion of a tool-box. In front of t he steel plate, and attached to the same, is a n et r eceptacle, in which a t ripod and light s tores, drag-ropes, &c., arc carried. B eneath the frame, provis ion is made for carrying two cases for loose ammunition, each holding 1000 r ounds of ammunition in pockets. Two water tanks are carried immedia.taly under-neath the footboard. A t the centre of the splinter-bar is a s mall wooden seat, and underneath is a foot-rest hinged t o the axletree, and supported by

chains fro~ the fra~ework ~or the convenience of the man firmg. Thts scat ts only used when the gun is fired ~ith horses attached to the carriage .

The pole 1s connected direct to the axle and supp?rted by a. bracket on tho splinter-bar. ' Tho pole ts fitt ed wtth a new construction of pole crab by means of which a quick release of the hor es ~ made possible. The splinter-bar is provided with hooks for attaching the swingle trees of the harness.

The crosshead to which the gun is attached is carried on a pivot. The crosshead has an arm 'ex-tending to t he rea: which curi.es the clamping sleeve of the elevatmg gear ; thl8 arm slides on t he circular racer of the pivot, and may be secured in ~ny position by means of th~ t~o sliding clamps, whtch also serve as stops to hm1t the training of the gun. The elevating gear consists of a rod sliding in a clamping sleeve, one end is screwed and fitted with a nut and handwheel, the top of the nut being attached to the gun. The rod can be damped in any position by turning the clamping handle of the sleeve, and any fine adjustment ~ obtained by turning the handwheel. 1'he pivot is bol ted t o the hinged platform plate on the front shield of the frame. The platform is supported by segments sliding in sockets, and is capable of being clamped in t wo positions. By this arrangement 1t is possible to fire the gun with the horses attached to the carriage or with the pole on the ground.

When in action the gun is fed from one of the near side boxes, preferably the one in line with the feed-block of the gun, and when the cartridges of t his box are expended the empty box is replaced by a filled one .

Weights, d:c., of L ight Ca-ral?y Carria9t. Weighb of gun ... ... ... ... 60 lb. Length ,. .. . . .. .. . .. . 44 in. \Veigb t of carriage, wi tb boxes, tools,

water-tanks, &c. ... ... ... ... 936 lb. Wi~~~tsof 3~0 r~~.nds ~.f. am~~niti~~ 23L" Weight of two ca.aes with 2000 round~ of

ammunition in pockets ... ... ... 150 , Diameter of wheel ... .. . .. . ... 50 in. Track of wheel .. . .. . .. . ... 62 .. H eight of axis of gun ... ... ... 48 ..

N a1;al L anding Oar1iage.- Figs. 41 and 42 show a l ioht two. wheeled carriage specially constructed for landinrr purposes. I t consists of a light keleton frame, th; front part of which is protected by .a bullet-proof plate. It is arrang~d to take s~1 ammunition boxes, two on each stde and two m front. Each box has 250 rounds. These bo~es are held in position by hinged doors fitted wtth catches. The frame is connected to the axle by means of brackets, and serves as a support for the top carriage. The top carriage is of t~e same con-struction as the one used on the hght cavalry carriage, with t he exceptio':l that it is fixed to the fram e itself and not to a lunged platform.

The axle' is a. tubular one, with solid axle arms for t akina the wheels. The trail is connected to t he frar:e and axle by means of bracke~, and secured by taper pins. It is fi t ted with a trail s~oe and eye for l imbering up, and has a s~t wbtc~ can be clamped in any position ?n the tratl, to su~t the man firing. The carriage IS arranged to take the necessary spare parts and tools, as well as a water tank and the usual entrenching to?~

The gun is fed from one of the ammumt10n boxes pl~ced on the riaht side of the gun. The boxes have sliding lids, band are provided with grummets for lifting.

The weights are as follow : Weigbt ofgun ... ... .. . Length ., ... ... ... .. . Weight of mounting .. . .... . .. .

1500 rounds of ammumtton .. . ,

60 lb. 41 io. 400 lb. 100 11 42 in. Diameter of wheel .. . .. . .. .. .

Width of track ... ... ... ... ~ " Height of axis of gun ... ... ... "

Another carriage of similar constructio~ ~ ~~~ to take six boxes of ammunition contammg 0 rounds, t he only difference being th~t1Jhe dr~~~ head is fitted with arms to take a shle a~ ht of construction generally is heavier. The wetgh l.s the carriage is t hus 611 J b., the din~e:r ~rt:e =~is 48 in., the track 38 in., and t he hetg t 0 'fon of the gun 42.75 in. Th~ increased am:um 1 ' of course, means 139 lb., 1nstead of 100 1 in as

Light ll-1ormtinp (QttadJttpod).-The moun~7g is represented in Figs. 43 and 44, on page d tb~t constructed for all-round fi re and so arrange . le . d t' e by one smg 1t can be converte at any Jm . ' tion Operatl.on from the firina to the tra vellmg posJ '

'

0 T n can com without dismounting the gun. wo me

MARCH 23, 1900.] fortably carry the gun and mounting a considerable distance over ground impassable by a wheeled car-riage, . the total weight being only 100 lb. The mountmg can also be folded together so as to occupy as li ttle room as possible when sto wed

awa~, so that it. is a very useful weapon, not only f01: field opera.Lwn, but as a landing gun for war-ships.

The gun can ensily be dismounted so that one m~u can carry the gun and another the mouutincr if so desired. For the purpose of releasinu th~ gm~ from th.e moun~ing a specially constr0ucted sprmg trunn10n bolt 1s used. This trunnion bolt rests in bearings in a crosshead. The trunnions and bearings are so arranged that on withdraw-ing the spring bolt they can be raised out of the bearing through a gap inclined to the forward end, and the gun can readily be removed from the mounting. The gun is held at any desired eleva-tion by a. wedge which passes through the cross-head, havmg a handle at the rear within reach of the gunner.

The ~r?sshead .to which the frame carrying the ammunttwn box ts attached, so as to revolve with it, tur-ns up?n a pivot, and can be clamped to it in any pos1t10n by means of the bolt in front of the crosshead. The lower part of the pivot forms two lugs, which serve as bearings for the links of the two p~ir of legs. Two holes are bored through the lugs, one above the other, and by passing a pin through these holes, the lugs can be secured in any

pos~t~on, the upper hole being us~d for the firing pos~t.~on, and the lower for travellmg and housing pos1t10n.

'l:'he ~wo ~egs of ?ach pair are connected by a link, whiCh Is p1voted 1n the lower part of the pivot between the two legs. Each link has an arm pro-jecting upwards from the joint . of the legs, and these two arms cross each other stde by side. One arm is longer than the other, and has a slot partly straight and partly curved, in which engages a stud projecting from the other, or shorter, arm. When this stud is at the upper end of the straight part of the slot, a pin can be passed through the lucrs of the pivots, and the stud of the link arm thus iocks the legs in firing position.

. T~ ma~e the equipment r~ady for travelling, the p1n 1s wtthdrawn. One pau of legs are lifted as far as they will go. The ]ink ar.ms of the legs have now moved to the lower part of the pivot, and can be secured there by passing the pin through the lower hole in the pivot. This hole is also used to secure the legs when housed. In this case the pin passes through the lugs of the pivot and through a hole in the shorter arm. The links are provided with stops to ascertain that the holes in the pivot are always in line with the holes in the shorter arm of the legs.

(To be conti~ued.)

HAND AND MACHINE LABOUR. ( Oontimued from page 34 t.)

IRON AND STEEL FORGINGS. ONLY two examples are selected to illustrate

ha.nd and machine processes on iron and steel forg-inga, the production of anvils and of harrow teeth. Under the primitive methods anvils were made by forging and welding ; at present they are cast, the times occupied were respectively 15 hours and

TARLE LXXIII.-Prod;uction of 150Lb. Anvil. Mode of Production. Hand. Machine.

Date... . . . . . . . . . 1855 1896 Description . . . . . . wrought iron cast iron Number of different opera-

tions involved . . . . .. Number of workmen em-

ployed . . . . . . . .. Numb~r of hours worked Cost of labour . . . . .. Average rate of wages per

hour . .. . .. . ..

9

7 62 hours

7.40 dols. 12 cents

6

10 15 hours 3.025 dols. 20 cents

TABLE LXXIV.-Production of 500 Iron Hcr,rrow Teeth ~ In. by 8 In.

Mode of Prcduction. Hand. Date... . . . . . . . . . 189 1 Number of different opera-

tions involved . . . . .. 2 Number of workmen em-

2 ployed . . . . . . . .. 50 h.

10.626 dols.

Machine. 1896

8

7 3 h. 43 m. 0.566 dols.

Number of hours worked Cost of labour . . . . .. Average rate of wages per

hour . .. . .. . .. 21 cents 15 cents 62 hours, and the modern product is stated to be better than the old. In making 600 harrow teeth, the bar is first cut into lengths, with a steam

-

E N G I N E E R I N G. sh.ear in 10 minutes, as compared with 7 hours 35

m1nu~es, or 45 ti~es. as long, with blacksmiths' tools. Heat.mg and pomtmg by power required 3 hours 20 ~1n~tes, and 42 hours 30 minutes respectively,

o~ 13 tun~s as long. Tt~.bles LXXIII. and LXXIV. gtve deta1~s of these products- anvils and harrow teeth- whiCh appear to be equal in quality under both methods.

. . IRON PIPE (WROUGHT). . Thts Industry has been entirely revolutionised

smce the hand-making period, and, indeed, it may b~ regarded as a new industry. Table LXXV. gt ves some general data on the manufacture of 100-ft. run of 4-.in. lap-welded pipe, and as the processes are drfferent, we have given them in detail in Tables LXXVI. and LXXVII.

TADLE LXX V .-P1oduction of 100Ft. of 4-In. Lap. Welded Wrought-Iron P ipe.

Mode of Production. Hand. Dtl.te... . . . . . . . . . 1835 Number of different ope-

rations involved ... Number of workmen em-

ployed . . . . . . . .. Number of hours worked Cost of labour Average rate of ~~ges p~~

hour . .. . . . . ..

5

3 84 h. 22 m. 12. 666 do ha.

15 cents

Machine. 1895

12

69 4 h. 47 m.

0.860 dols. 18 cents

373 h.am~er, blow-pipe, and pincers, and here the hme 1s only a 77th part of what it formerly was. The total time required frvm first to last for 100 of these necklace balls is now 2 hours 51.6 minutes, as against 200 hours by hand in 1865. Wages, too, are less by 25 per cent. since less skilled labour is required- the pay now is 6s. 3d. per day- and yet 75 balls are now made for the wage cost of one under the old regime. The whole 100 only cost now 2s. 2d., as compared with over 8l. in the days of old.

Gold brooches are now almost a universal adorn mellt of the fair sex, and here, as with other luxurie.s, engineering practice has almost kept pace wtth the evolution of ambition in this respect, for the possession of such a treasure does not call for the same sacrifice as before, since the cost of manufacture alon~ is reduced to a twelfth -a gold brooch can now be made for 5s. instead of 3 guineas. This is .for a brooch with a solid gold front, l ack, and ptns. In the old hand method there were, as indicated in Table LXXVIII. 15 operations; in the machine method 19 but 17 men are now required instead of eight. ' As the rate of wage is about the same for most of the operatives, e~cluding engravers, - if anything the modern maclune worker has less- the economy in

TABLE LXXVI.-PRODUCTION DY HAND OP l OO FT. OF 4-IN. LAP-WELDED PIPE (1835). ----------~------~~~~~~~~-- Operation. Appliance. Workmen. Time Rate of Labour Worked. Pay. Cost.

h. m. dots. perday dots. 6 0 2.00 1.00

10 0 1.25 1.25 7 30 2.00 1.60

15 0 1.26 1.875 10 0 2.00 2.00 20 0 1.25 2.50

2 so 2.00 .60 6 0 1.25 .625 3 7 2.00 .626 6 16 1.25 .781

1. Bevelling- edges of plates lllac ksmiths' tools One smith Ditto . . Ditto Two helpers

2. Heating, shaping, aud lapping Ditto One smith Ditto dit.to .. Ditto Two helpers

3. Heating and welding Ditto One ~mith Ditto Ditto Two hel\)ers

4. Straightening . .

Ditto One smttb Ditto .. Di t to Two helpers

5. Threading ends Stock and dies One smith Ditto Ditto Two helpers

.

TABLE LXXVII.-PBODUCTION DY MACHINE OF 100 FT. OF 4IN. LAPW ELDED PlPE (1896).

Operation. Appliance.

1. Bevelling edges . . . . Scarfing Machir:e lJitto

Bending mnchioe and Ditto . . . . . .

2. Heating, shaping, and lapping . . furna ce

Ditto Ditto

3. Heating plate 4. Weldiog edges

ditto ditto

Ditto . . . Ditto . . . .

5. Smoothing and polishir g .. Ditto ditto .. Ditto ditto .. Ditto ditto .. Ditto ditto ..

a. Straightening . . . . Ditto . . . . . .

7. Evening ends and threading

8. Testing . . . . 9. Upkeep of tools, &o.

10. General . . . .

11. Furnisbin~r power .. 12. Firing boiler ..

. . Ditto

. . Ditto

. . Furnace

. . Welding machine and furnace

. . Ditto

. . Ditto

. . Finishing machine

. . Ditto

. . Ditto . Ditto . . Ditto . . Straightening machine . . Ditto . . Cutting and threading

machine Testing machine

Smiths' tools Trucks, &c.

Engine

Workmen.

One scarfer One scarfer's helper

One bender

One bendn's hE:lper Three bender's helpers One welder's fireman

Ooe welder

One welder's helper Three welder's beJperd

One rolJman One engineer

One inspector One barman

One barman's helper One straightener

One straightener's helper Threader

Two testers Two smiths

Thirty labou rers Two er.gineers Two firemen

Time Worked.

--

mm. 72 7.2 10

10 30 11 11

11 33 11 11 11 11 ll 12 12 60

3.9 2.2 14 s s

------------------------ ------=-----

Rate of Pay. Labour Cost .

do!P. dols. 0 236 per 1000 ft. 0.0235 o. 156 .. .. 0.01b7 0.356 " .. O.OS5f'

0.249 .. .. 0.0249 0.213 0.0639 .. ..

10.500 per week 0.0324 1.44 per 1000 ft . 0.1440

8.00 per week 0.0247 7.50 .. .. 0.0694 7.50 .. .. 0.0231 7.60 .. .. 0.0231 8.60 .. .. 0.0262 8.60 .. .. 0.0262 7.00 .. .. 0.02l6 0.445 per lOUO ft. 0.0446 0.333 .. .. 0.0334 1.64 .. .. 0 I 540

7.50 per week 0.0081 2.25 per day 0.0083 7. 00 per weE:k 0.0259

15.00 .. .. 0.0138 9.00 .. .. CJ.0(\83

-

From these Tables it will be inferred that the machine process of making welded pipes is not only much more rapid, but is also far superior to the old hand method. At the same time the labour cost has been reduced from 50s. per 100ft. to less than 3s. 6d., although the operations of finishing and testing are included, details which did not appear at all necessary in the old days. Makers of welded pipe in this country will doubtless read with interest, the analysis of American practice as set forth in Table LXXVII.

production is purely a result of higher production due to machinery. Formerly chasing required more than all the other operations together, w bile now it only requires 2! per cent. of the total time. The opera-tion of rolling the gold for 100 brooches is now done by steam power in two hours, instead of by hand in 8 hours 20 minutes. Cutting out, trimmincr and piercing fronts formerly done by saw, is no; accomplished by press shears and dies in about one - seventh the time, reducing 200 houro to

JEWELLERY. With jewellery of gold the cost of manufaclure

bears a comparatively small ratio to the total, owing to the price of the raw material, but since, in the literal . sense, all is not gold that glitters, it is impor-tant that the processes of manufacturing jewellery should be as cheaply carried out as with other com-modities ; for it stands to reason that if the labour cost of manufacture is reduced to a t.hird, the result

T.ABLE LXXVIII.-P1oduotion of 100 Brooches, Solid Gold F1onts, Backs, and Pins.

Mode of Production. Hand. Date. .. . . . . . . ... 1865 Number of different opera-

tions involved . . . . .. 17 Number of workmen em-

ployed . .. . . . ... 8 Number of hours worked 3215 h. 50 m. Cost of labour .. . . .. 1436.54 dols. A vera,ge rate of wages per

hour . . . . . . . . . 44 cents

Machine. 1896

19

17 398 b. 30 m. 118.68 dohJ. 29 cents

is important to the holiday maker, especially with alloys instead of pure gold. Thus, without entering into details, we find that the golden balls which go to make up a necklace-they are hollow and of ! -in. diameter- can be made at a seventy-fifth part of the cost of 30 years ago. The blank is cut out and worked into a ball by electric press, instead of by

32 hours. Next comes the chasing. With en-gravers' tooJs it took 2000 hours; a drop hammer, pan, tongs, and die now do the work in 10 hours. 'l'hese engravers, too, were highly paid mEn, earning H. a day. Again, in the subsequent process of poliEhing the brooches, a steamdriven

I ,,-

- ~ . .

CARRIAGES FOR l\IIAXI M RIFLE-CALIBRE GU:N". CONSTRt:CTED BY MESSRS. VICKERS, SONS, AND :MAXIM, LIMITED, AT THEIR ERITH WORKS, KENT.

(Fen Description, see Page 370.)

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MAXI~/f RIFLE-CALIBRE GUN MOUNTED ON A "QUADRUPOD."

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lathe does the work in 76 hours, w bile with brushes and buff, it required formerly 400 hours. Thus, although many operations must still be done by hand, the time to make each brooch from the raw material has been reduced from 32 to four hours.

Gold chains come under the same category, and here by t he adoption of wire-drawing and chain-making machines, the t ime taken in construction has been reduced to about one-sixt h. Females now work the chain machine-the longest part of the process-so that not only is t he time taken for 100ft. of gold chain of foxtail pattern reduced from 536 hours 40 minutes in 1871 to 95 hours in 1896 ; but the labour cost has decreased in a still greater proportion, from 136.73 do la. to 14.44 dols., and thus a chain of moderate length costs to make rather less than 1d. as compared with about 10d. A gold wedding ring costs one-half what it did to make 30 years ago-about 3d. now; but it does not follow that one must needs use two instead of one. The Ricardean theory usually expressed by the formuloo that with less cost of production one can wear three coats for one, is scarcely allowable here. Collar buttons of gold, cost in labour about one-thirtieth the rate of 36 years ago, being made now for a frac-tion of a penny, while cuff buttons cost less than a sixth, being now about 10d. per pair. The putting of the parts of the latter together alone, done by piece, cost 7d. per pair, as against 1s. 2d. for-merly. Many other items of jewellery might be similarly treated, but space prohibits. Silver hair-pins are n ow made in one-twelfth of the time, and cost only 1s. each to make now, against 12s .

In diamond cutting, America provides no instance of hand labour for comparison ; and the figures from Belgium given in the repor t are, perhaps, not quite so reliable. Moreover, although so much depends on the cutting, it constitutes a smaller proportion of the selling price even than the golden trinkets-we have been referring to. In both hand and ma-chine comparisons the rough parts are separated by hand. In this count ry, machinery has recent ly been made for this purpose for the Kimberley mines, Proportioning is now done by steam-driven lathe in an hour against 3! hours by the cutter's box and knife ; polishing by steam wheel in 8 hours against 36 with the lapidaries' wheel worked by hand ; and with octagonal stones the saving in polishing is stiU more marked. The total time, as shown in

Table LXXIX., taken was 3.5 to 1 n ow, but t h e labour is 77 per cent. greater now than formerly.

T AULE LXXIX.- P roauction of D iMno?Uls: Cutting Four 3- Carat D i(JIT'(l,onds

Mode of Production. Hand. Machine. D11.te... . . . .. . . . . 1871 18!)6 Number of different opera-

tions involved .. . .. . 8 12 Number of workmen em-

ployed .. . . .. . . . 6 9 Number of hours worked 132 b. 10 m. 3!) h. Cost of labour ... . .. 14.84 dols. 26.25 dol.

The machine-cut diamonds are said to be mor e even than t hose cut by hand. Much of the work is done on piece rates of pay.

L UOOAOE LABELS AND TAGS. It is in some of the small productions that evi-~ences_ are fo':lnd of the very decided advantages of 1nvent1ve genms. In the making of tags for shippers1 use, of the ordinary 6~ in. by 2i in. size, with plain eye,_ we find tha~ a ~achine has been adapted for cutt1ng out, whiCh 1s really the making, and that 100,000 are thus made for 4s. 7d., t he time beino-15 h ours 3:3 minutes, while a worker, paid only one~ h~lf the weekly wage, took formerly 102 h ours, and hts labour cost over 5l. The tying-up coats even less. Where strings ~ave to be put through the eye, however, the result 1s not so satisfactory, for here there is onl y a slight reduction in cost of labour no mechanical method having yet been devised' for threading the s tring. Thus the cost with the s t ring is 56s. per 100,000, and of t his all but a few pence is due to working the twine.

LADD:BRS. The unit of comparison here is a dozen 30-fli.

ladders made of spruce and oak. '!'he work of rounding and splitting the poles was formerly done by circular Faw, and took 28 h ours, whereas now with the moulding and splittincr machine 4 5 minutes suffices ; machine planing o took on e against nine hours by hand ; hole-boring by ma-chine, 2 hours 40 minutes, against 12 h ours by hand ; and tenoning the rounds by mach ine, 1! h ours, against 12 hours with a h ollow augur

MARCH 23, Igoo.J

' author is most conscientious in acknowledging t he sources of information and of his diagrams.

Most authors have commenced with theoretical deductions. Professor Schottler's p lan seems to be simpler and the different chapters and the matter in the~ succeed one another in natural sequence. Jn fact the book reads like a continuous story and resembies it more than necessary perhaps in one respect. Neit,her in the table of contents, nor in the text, are special points- unless headings of chapters-or inventors' names distinguished by bold type. We turn over the pages without seeing at a glance w hetl1er a cer tain constructor's device is still being discussed, and no names or explana-tions are printed under the text diagrams. The plates and the index and list of literature are better treated in this respect. Theory and practice re-ceive about an equal amount of consideration. In tbe theoretical part , however, we miss reference to some recent researches. But the discussions are clear and adequate, the subjects are elucidated by many examples, and the conclusion that the author arrives at concerning the combustion in the gas engine, namely, that we are. not yet s~fficiently instructed about the combustion process, IS, we be-lieve, correct. The author, we should mention, is professor at t.he technical high school at Brunswick.

---

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Das neue Gas'lcC'l'k der Stadt Z ur ich i n Schlicren . V on lngenieur A. WEISS. Zurich: Zlircher nnd Furrer.

Sell's Directory of Registered T elegraphic Addresses, 1900. London : Henry Sell. [Price 2 Ls.]

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TRANSJPER BRIDGE OVER THE Er E AT ROUEN.

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(Figs. 20 to 22) i8 suspended the ferry plat-form, which weighs about 37,000 kilo~ammes (3'7 tons), and is 10.14 metres (33 ft. 3 1n.) long by 13 metres ( 41 ft. 8 in.) wide, of which 8 metres (26 ft. 3 in.) is occu?,ied by a carriage road and the r est by two stde walks of 2.50 metres (8 ft. 4 in.) (see Figs. 18, 19, and 23). On the carriage road two lines of tram rails will eventually be placed for the accommodation of tramcars passing to and from the tram lines on the two banks of the Seine-the Tramway Company furnishes the current by which the ferry is worked. The carriage road can accommodate six vehicles, and the aide walks 200 passengers ; one side walk is taken up by a first--class cabin, over which the shelter for the man in charge of the motor and the working of the ferry, is placed. We need not dwell upon the arrangement and structural details of this platform, as the detail drawings show them sufficiently, but would draw attention to the ingenious system of stiffening by tension cables beneath the platform, which renders it well able to resist t~e strains induced ~y sudden starting and stopp1ng. The platform 1B suspended by 20 longitudinal cables and 10 transverse cables, the first heing of 172 square millimetr')s section ( lr inch

s~uar~)! and the others of 220 square millimetres sec-twn (~ m ch square), each cable being directly sus-penued from a pair of wheels , every precaution bei~g taken not only to prevent any chance of ace1dent, but aJso to a\"Oid any stoppage being necessary for r epairs to cables. We h a ve already

st~t.ed that the suspended ferry is worked by elec-tnclty. Over the roofs o f the cabins, supported on tra.ns\ erse girders , are two ordinary tramcar motors coupled directly on to the end s of the shaft o~ which a grooved drum is mounted, by one~way clutches, and working alternately in accordance with the direction of motion. A traction cable is fastened at either end to t he extremities of t he

~rid~e platform~ and guided thence horizontally till 1t meets the tdler pulleys along the central axis of the carrier, then dipping vertically down on each side of the centre t ill it meets the g rooved drum fixed on the roof of the platform, round which it takes a couple o turns, and is guided on and off by two shifting guide pulleys which travel longitudi-nally fro m side to aide, in accordance with the direc-t ion of motion imparted by the motors. The work-ing o f the carrier and suspended platform will be readily understood without further explanation.

The whole structure is of steel, of t h e weight of about 800 tone, and as the contractor is empowered to levy a toll of 5 centimes (~d.) per second- class passenger, and 10 centimes (ld.) per first -class passenger, 2d. per empty carriage, and 4d. per full carriage, &c., the Chamber of Commerce found it sufficient inducement to allot him a further s um of 60,000 francs (2400l. ). The method of construction was novel and interesting ; as is shown by a photo-graph taken in the course of erection, advantage was taken throughout of various electrical devices, notably cranes ; t he vario us pieces of the towers were lifted direct ly to their final positions, in such a way that the e rectors h a d only to rivet or bolt the assembled parts. When the towers were com-pleted, the cables to s upport the upper platform were drawn across, and were used as flying scaffold-ing for the erection of the same. This suspended ferry was in the first place t h oroughly tested before opening by placing a load of 52~ tons on the plat-form, which loaded the bridge with a moving load of lOOt tons without any permanent set being ob-served, and since the opening (September 16, 1899), it has been tested by 240 daily trips to and fro, and the carrying of as many as 200 carriages and 1000 pass engers in these trips.

The third transfer bridge by Mr. Arnodin which has been erected on French territory, is one o ver the Charente, and the erection of a fourth has been started at N antes over the Loire. Two or three words will be sufficient upon the firs t of these. The site is between Saunay-Charente a nd Rochefort, where a great number of sea-going vessels pass, so much so that before the erection of this bridge a suspension bridge had been built, which has been very little used on account of the steep approaches which its h eight above the river involved in a country where the ground is absoltltely flat and almost at the level of the water. The new bridge will, therefore, r ender some real service thro ugho ut the region, by replacing the floating ferries which are at present in use, and it will cost only 600,000 francs (24,000l. ), while a bridge would assuredly have cost something like 3 millions (120,000l.). We see, therefore, that t he invention of Messr s . Arnodin and de Pallacio serves a very useful pur-pose with g reat s uccess, and seems to merit ex-tended application on this side of the Channel, which it only requires to b e better known to receive, as it is most suitable to the economical solution of th e demands for intercommunication b etween the shores of the estuaries of our great rivers.

PARLIAMENT AND BOILER EXPLOS IONS. AT the present time there are no fewer than four Bills

before the House of Commons, eaoh of which has in view the prevention of boiler explosions. Three of these Bills have, year after year, appeared on the orders of the day patiently waiting the second reading, but in only one case that of the 8team Engines and Boilers (Persons in

Cha.~ge) Bill, had that stage ~een rea;ched,. until :rv.J;r. Fenwick moved the second rea.dmg of hts B01lers R egis-tration and Inspection Bill on Wednesday, March 7. For many years the feeling has been steadily growing that some,hing should be done~ p~event thE? present l_oss of life from explosions, the maJOn ty of whtch, according to the ex cell en tJ reports issued by the Board of Trade ~nder the Boiler Explosions Act of 1882 and ~890, are m . no sense accidental, but are due to defects 1n constructi.on or condition that could be easily detected by careful m-ep .. ction. We pro~se in an early_issue to deal f.ully with the subject, and to dlSeuss the ments and dements of the

E N G I N E E R I N G. variou~ measures suggested b,Y our legislators ; but in the meant1me our readers may WISh to have a condensed re-J>?rt of the recent debate, so that they may have some Idea of the feeling existing in Pa.rliamenb on a matter not only of imp~rtance to workpe?ple and others, but one which materially a(fects our natiOnal indus tries.

~n moving the second rea.ding of his Bill, Mr. Fenwick S~Lld be thought the object of the promoters would com-mend itself to ~oth sides of the ~ouse. It was to prevent, as far as po stble, the loss of hfe and injury to persons and property resulting from boiler explosions. It was now gener~lly admitted that the provisions of the Act of 1882 were madequate to meet the necessities of the case. The Act ,Provided for an inquiry by the Board of Trade

Comm~ss10nera after an explosion, and the infliction of penalties on defaulters. There was no provision for the enforcement of methods to prevent explosions: and the moral ~~ect of the measure was relied upon as being, in the op1mon of the promoters, sufficient to induce steam users to provide more frequent examinations of boilers and thus t~ securE? greater safety. The result, however: of 17 years expenence ba.d demonstrated that something more than moral pressure was needed. Since 1888 there ha.d been 1189 preliminary inquiries by the Bo~rd of Tra.de into cases where the lives lost numbered 002 and the persons injured 1544. The average number of e~plosions during the 17 years was 69.9 per annum; the average loss of life ~~s 29.5 per annum, and the average number of .persons IDJUred was 61.3. It might be contended that thlS loss was so small as to make legislation unneccessa'ry but ~be Board of Trade. had said thab many of these ex~ plos10ns were nob una.vmdable. The officia l reports had s~ted that the only accidental thing about many explo-SlOns was. that they should have been so long deferred. The Asststant. Secretary had said th.a~ the prevailing cause of explosiOns was the unsafe cond1t10n of the boilers through age, corrosion, and wasting; and a noticeable fea-ture in many cases was the absence of means on the part of the owner for ascertaining the condition of the boilers an~ any attempt to replace or renew defective ~lates o~ fittmgs. In the last four years Board of Trade mquiries had been held in cases where the total loss of life ha.d been 81, and the number of persons injured 136. The rep~rts showed that in nob a single case did the Court attribute the explosion to unavoidable accident while o~ the 68 cases inquired intJ last year, in o'ne only dld the Courb acq mt the boiler owner of blame. In v_iew of these facts, ib must be admitted that preven-t~ve measures were necessary. The fundamental prin-Cl pie of the present Bill was that i b should be made obligatory on the part of the owner of a steam boiler to register the same. The register would be kept by the Board of ~ra.de, who could, if they aa.w fit, provide for

~h~ esta.bllShment of local or branch registries. The Bill ms1sted on the compulAory inspection of boilers by duly qualified persons appointed bx the Board of Trade. It contained the wordR, "by b01lermakers," but that was a provision which, as he ha.d told the promoters, be could ~ot support;. and they had agr~ed to his suggestion that 1 t was undestrable to create a rmg-fence round any parti-cular branch of industry or class of workmen but tha t the utmost frAedom and latitude should be allo~ed in the selection of inspectors. The Bill proposed that there should be not leas than five examinations yearly three of them when the boiler was in use. The p ::>wers possessed by the inspectors were to be simlla.r to tb0se now exercised by factory and mine inspectors. The Bill introduced by the honourable member for north-west Ma.ncbester (Sir Willia.m Houldsworth) was promoted mainly by the Manchester Steam Users As-sociation-an Ass

MARCH 23, 1900.] all boilers. The moat enlightened fa{)tory managers at present a.va.iled themselves of the existing institutions for ha.vin~ their boilers inspected to prevent explosions. He trusted that a. satisfactory B ill would be int roduced next Session by the Home Secretary.

Mr. Provand expressed the hop e that the various Bills would be re ferred to a Select Committee.

Mr. C. D. Renshaw objected that the Bill would reduce individual responsibility. The inspection of such nn enormous number of boilers would involve a great a rmy of certified inspectors, o.nd the annual expenditure of a sum of money at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer would stand aghast., to say nothing of the interference with

manufacturmg operat10ns.

Mr. J. Burns did nob. beli.eve that fac~ ~u~ported the view that further legtslat10n would dummsh respon-sibility. The member for Oldham (Mr. E mruott) bad pointed out .that only seve.n boilers per annum of those which were mspected and msured exploded, l>ut of those not inspected 21 expl?ded. Some boilers were rejected by insurance compam~, and for that reason sbouJd be inspected by some competent authority, when, perhaps, the Home Office would condemn them altogether. Drastic l()gisla.tion w11s needed with regard to boilers sold to second-band dealers, as they frequently caused disaster. As a prs.otioal man, he thought if there was to be inspec-tion, it should be undertaken by the Home Office or the Board of Trade, rather than by the insurance offices. An optional system would establish a dangerous principle. If conceded to boiler owners, mine owners and ro.il way companies would demand it .. Insp~ctors ought to be appointed by the Government m the mterest of the com-munity, and not in tha.t of any p~rticula.r section.

Sir M . White Ridley, on behalf of the Government, said it must be admitted that in the bands of the Board of Trade the Boiler Explosions Acts had been very satis-factorily administered. The Home Office, however, had to dea.l with factories and mines in which were employed most of the steam generating boilers in the country, and it seemed reasonable that the Home Office should take some considerable part in dealing with the boilers, at a.ll events, which were to be inspected. He had shown his sense of the desirability of something being done, by in-serting a clause in the Factory Bill d ealing with boilers 80 far as factories were concerned. The Boiler Explosions Acts had considerably reduced the number of explosions. notwithstanding the fact that the numb.er of boilers in use in the countr,Y ha.d enormously mcreased. .Bub something more mtght be clone, and the figures gtven as to the proportion of explosions of inspected and non-inspected boilers r~pectively. must convince many of t~em that in some wa.y 1b was deBlra.ble to secure that b01lers should be periodically examined in order to insure safety. Under a voluntary system the worst boilers escaped; a.nd some provision should be made against explosions where there had been a Jack of proper inspection. He was prepared, on behalf of the Government, to assent to that prmciple. But with reference to the particular Bill before them, while agreeing to its general principles, he could not conceive of any Government undertaking the compulsory inspection and gran~ing of cer~ifica.te~ to the boilers, whatever the number, m the Umted Km~dom. No Government would assent to that, even if tb did not involve the principle of ta.lcing away the responsi-bility of the owner, for, after all, it was the owner who employed the boiler, and on him should be thrown th.e responsibility for its safety. To enforce that responsi-bility by Government inspection was a very di~e~t>nb thing from taking it away altogether. The proviSions of the Fa{)tories and Mines Acts were based on the principle that you lay down certain regulations which must be conformed to at the expense and on the responsibilty of the ~actory-owner and mine-o~er, and the inspector came m to see that the J?rovtstons of the la.w were complied with. The Btll of the honourable member for north-west Manchestsr, and that of the honourable mbmber for Glasgow, proceeded more in throwing the responsibility on ~he o~ner. .The clause he had in~roduced mto the Factories B1ll provtded that every boiler must have attached to it a proper safety valve and steam gauge, and must be clean ed, and thoroughly examined, once every three months at least. Further it must be examined internally and externally by a. comp~tent engineer once a. yea.r, the safety vah;e must be kept in proper conditi

E N G I N E E R I N G. [MARCH 2 3, I 900.

THE HAMB RG-A.MERICAN ATLANTIC LINER "DEUTSCHLAND." CON. TRUCTED BY THE RTETTINER MA. 'CHfNENBAU ACTIEN GESELLSC'HAFT "YrULCAN," BREDOVi/, HT.ETTIX.

-wE give on this page an illust ration of the new Hamburg A merican liner Deutschland, prepared from a photograph of the model of the ship, and on our two-page plate an engraving of the two eets of engines as they stood in t he erecting shop at the date of the launch of the ship in January last. This vessel has been built by the S tettiner Maschinenbau Actien-Gesellechaft "Vulcan," at Bredow, near Stettin , where also the North German Lloyd st eamer Kais~r Wilhelm der Grosse was constructed and engined. The latter has attained a speed on the Atlantic of 22! knots, and has t hus ex-celled an previous performances; and the new ship is ex pected to make 2:3 knots in service, and is equipped wi th engines to develop 33,000 indicated horse-power, the greatest power fitted in any ship up to the pre-sent time. The fastest of our British Atlantic liners are the Campania and Lucania, and they have a di.Rplace ment tonnage of about 17,000tons, t heir length between perpendiculars being 600 ft.; the K aiser Wilhelm der Grosse is 625 ft . long, and of 19,800 tons displacement; and the DeutschJand 662ft. 9 in. long and 23,000 tons displacement. The British ship may be put at quite 22-knot speed, and it is interesting to note that t he power has not increased a t t he ratio one would expect in view of displacement and speed, a fact due pro-bably to the greater length of the hull. The Deutsch-land is to leave on her first voyage to New York on June 17, and her performance3 will be watched wi t h interest. In this connection it may be noted t hat she is to leave Hamburg every three weeks instead of every fourth week, as has been the case with the Atlantic liners hitherto. This practice has also been adopted by the American line, and secures the advantage of a greater amount of work from the ship within a given time, experience having shown that t hose high-speed liners are, as a rule, superseded by faster bod.ts before they have done a full share of work.

The Deutschland is 662 ft. 9 in. long between perpendiculars and 686 ft. over all, 3 ft. longer than t he Kaiser William der Grosse. Her beam is 67ft., 1 ft. more, and moulded depth 44 ft., also 1 ft. greater. The gross tonnage is 16,000, and t he dis-placement 23,000 tons. Although in her general ap pearance she resembles the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, her internal arrangements differ, but as we hope later to fully illustrate her, we need not enter into details here.

The machinery also differs, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse had four-cylinder triple expansion engines ; t he Deutschland has six-cylinder quadruple-expansion engines, and thus, notwithstanding the increase of power and quadrupling, t he low-pressure cylinders, are only 2700 millimetres (106.3 .in. ), not by a!lY: means a maximum, as compared w1th 2450 mtllimetres (96.4 in. ). The illustration on the two-page pl~te, impressive as it is, does not include the two htgh-pressure cylinders in each set of engines. They are t o be above the low-pressure cylinder s, and work tandem, and high as is t he erecting shop at the V ulcan Works these could not be fi tted by the overhead cranes; but their position is in-dicated by the u beds " cast on the cylinder tops. The two low-pressure cylinders are in the centre, with the t wo high-pressure cylinders over t hem, and a.t the forward end is the first intermediate and at the after end the s~cond intermediate. The two firet cranks, set opposite each other, have thus the intermediate in the one case, and a high - pressure and lo'!

pre~sure cylinder in the other, and the after paLr

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of cranks, a high p ressure and a. low pressure in the one case, and the intermediate on the other crank. The cylinders are placed close together, t he valves being on the outside, and there is a separate valve gear for each cylinder, i.e. , six sets for the six cylinders of each engine. The end cylinders have their valve boxes on the outside, as is shown by the engraving, and o wing to the great diameter t here are t wo spindles, a system adopted in the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. The diameters of the cylinders are as follow :

Two high-pressure cylinders ... 930 mm. (30.6 in.} One intermediate-pressure cylin-

der (I.} . .. ... .. . ... 1870 mm. (73.6 in.} One intermediate-pressure cylin-

der (II.) .. . .. . .. . .. . 2640 mm. (103. 9 in. ) Two low-pressure cylinders .. . 2700 mm. (106.3 in.) Common stroke .. . ... . .. 1850 mm. {72.8 in.)

Together the engines are to indicate 33,000 horse-power, when running at about 76 revolutions per minute. The cooling surface of the two surface con-densers total 3960 square metres (42,630 square feet). Our engraving also shows how the steel bed plate is cut away at t he sides to allow the continuous girders under the engines to be as high and as strong as pos-sible, while at the same time the centre line of the shaft can be placed lower than would otherwise be the case. The columns are of steel, with the web cut away, where possible, to reduce weight.

There are twelve double-ended and four single-ended boilers, divided equally into four sets for four boiler compartments.

HOPETO\VN BRIDGE. W E have heard so much lately about the wonderful

despatch with which American bridgebuilders can turn out their work, more particularly since the order for the Atbara. Bridge was placed in the States, that we had become almost reconciled to the idea. that English bridgeyards were incapable of any really smart piece of work. It is, therefore, all t he more gratifying to us to be able to record a piece of work turned out by Messrs .. J. Westwood and Co., Limited, Na.pier Yard, Millwall, which reflects great credit on that firm, both for the accuracy of the work turned out and a.lso for t he remarkably short time ta.ken to execute it.

The work to which we refer is the rebuilding of the channel span of the road bridge o\'er the Orange River at Hopetown, in Cape Colony.

Our readers may, perhaps, remember t hat the span referred to wa.s destroyed by the Imperial authorities for strategic r easons in the early part of the present campaign in South Africa. On page 386 will be seen a view of the bridge as originally constructed and erected by t he late firm of Messrs . West wood, Baillie, and Co., while on the same page is an illustration, from a photograph, of t he new span as it appeared in the yard of :Messrs. J. Westwood and Co., Limited. On page 383 wi ll be seen working drawings of the span, showing the details of construction.

The order for the new span was placed with Messrs. J. Westwood and Co. in the early part of this year, and the work was manufactured and erected in 18 days after the r eceipt of the order, without making any allowance for the snowatorm and bad weather in the early part of February.

The spa.n is 108 ft. long from centre to centre of bearings, the girders being oi the \Varren pin-connected type, and the weight complete is about 80 toP.S, The

roadway, as will be seen on referen~ to Lhe draw-ings, is carried on steel troughing on the top of the gi rder.

The whole of the main connecting-pins were drawn out and forged under the steam hammer, turned and screw-cut, within five days. The castings (including the patterns) for pressing the various special sections of pla tes, were made, and the plates pressed and finished in ten days.

It speaks well for the accuracy of the workmanship in the various connections t hroughout the span, that the operation of assembling the component parts and of erection was comp teted in 12 hours.

The plates for the complete span were roBed by Mr. William Beardmor e, of Parkhead Forge, Glasgow (cha.irman of Messrs. Westwood and Co.), within six hours of the receipt of the specification, and but for an unfortunate delay in receiving a part of the steel consigned by rail, the span would have been completed in less than a fortnight. .

There is a fact in connection with the dehvery of this material, which, we think, me.rits the care~ul consideration of t he railway compa.mes, and that ts, that the portion consigned by rail from Glasgow ~ok three days longer to reach Londou t ban the port10n forwarded via Grangemouth by steamer. . . .

The work was carried out under Str BenJa.mm Baker, engineer to the Agent-General for the Cape, and Mr. Rigby (general manager of Messrs. J. West wood and Co.) has received a. telegram of c?ngratula tion on the expeditious completion of the br1dge.

The original bridge, comprising 15 spans of 72 ft. and three spans of 108ft., was made about 25 years ago, and erected complete at the site by the late Messrs. Westwood, Baillie, and Co.

LINCOLN WAGON AND ENGINE CoMPANY, LnHT~D.The directors of this company report an exceptiOnal demand for rolling stock, and a ba~nce of 9062l. 9s. 7d. A further dividend of 7~ per cent. ts ~ow. recomben~~b making 10 per cent. for the year. Tbts will absor a half the profits, and of the remainder it is recommek4ed that 4000l. should be added to the reserve fun~, ma 1bg it 25,000t., and that 562l. 93. 7d. should be oa.rr1ed to t e next account.

THE ELIWTniO L IGHT AT WBITBY. -Mr. E. A s.t.and-ford Fawcett held a. Local Government Board mqutry.pb Wbitby on Friday with reference to the urban ~unci 8 application for power to borrow 26, OOOl. for elect!'l1 c lur poses Mr W Brown a member of the coonc1 rew thA ~spector's 'attentio~ to the fact. that nei.ther th~ ~~ council nor the public had had any mform~ttpn fu~ the to them on which they could form any .optniO~ 88 at a. proposed works. The clerk of the council expla.med th con report of Messrs. Preece and Cardew, the en~meers suited, was laid on the table f

!\!ARCH 2 3, I 900.] E N G 1 N E R I N G.

DETAILS OF THE NEW SPAN OF HOPETOWN BRJDGE OVER THE ORANGE RIVER. CON TRUCTED BY ~IE SRS. JOSEPH ' VEST,iVOOD AND CO. , LIMITED, ENGINEERS, LONDON.

(For Description, see opposite Page.)

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NOTES FROM THE NORTH. GLASGOW, Wednesday.

Glasgow P ig-Iron Ma;rket.-Last Thursday's warrant market was firm, but business was very qu1eb. Scotch iron made an advance of 7~d. per ton ; Cleveland, 6d.; and hematite iron. 2~d. per ton. The settlement prices at the close of tfie afternoon market were : Scotch, 703. 7~d. per ton; Cleveland, 72~. 6d.; Cum-berland and A1iddlesbrough hematites, respectively, 79s. 7i

MARCH 2 3, I 900. J preference shares to June 30, 1899, 9618l. 10s. 3d., 34, 777Z. Ss. 5d., and sine~ De?emb~r. 31 the follo.wing amounts: On January 2, mterim diVIdend on ordmary shares at 20s., 60,000l. ; on February 1, dividend on 6 per cent preference shares to December 31, 1899, 15,000l., 76, OOol., 109, 777l. 8:3. 5d., w bile there has ~een placed to the credit of the reserve fund under Sect10n 115 of the articles of association ~6,33ll. 11s., 136, 108l. 19s. 5d., leaving to be dealt with at p~esent 77,22~l . . 19.:~. T h.e directors recommend the followmg appropriatiOn of thts balance: Extensions and improvements written off, 10 203t. 15s. 8d. ; preliminary expenses written off, 48S9t. 1s. ; final dividend on ordinary s~ares at 10~., payable April 6, 30, OOOl. ; balance earned forward, 32,133l. 2s. 4d., 77,225l. 19s.

NOTES FROM THE SOUTH-WEST. CMdiff.- There have been numerous inquiries for steam

and Monmouthshire coal, and some heavy chartering is reported ; the best steam coal has been making 22s. 6d. to 23s per ton, while secondary qualities have brought 19s. ~ 19d. 6d. pE'r ton. H ousehold coal has also been in good demand; No. 3 Rhondda has been quoted at 20s. to 23s. per ton; vatent fuel and coke has shown a fair amount of actiVIty; foundry coke has brought 32s. to 33s., and furnace ditto, 29s. to 31s. per ton. As regards iron ore, the best ru bio has made 20s. to 20s. 6d. per ton.

LlaneUy.-On Thursday the first sod of the new Lla.nelly reservoir at Upper Lliedi was out by Mr. E. Trubshaw, chairman of the Llanelly Borough Council. The new reservoir will have a capacity of nearly 200 000 000 gallons, and will be 35 acres in extent. I t is sit~ated beyond the present Cwmlliedi reservoir, and it will practically double the present storage capacity.

More Welsh Coal.-Messrs. Blindell Brothers and Co., Cardiff, have succeeded in winning a valuable seam of steam coal at their Cilely Colliery, Tonyrefail. The seam known as the N ine-foot, is 5 ft. thick, has an excellent roof of cliff rock, and has been found on analysis to be of good quality.

R1tSSialn 01der s for Ooat.-Tbe administration of the Russian South-Western State Railway has accepted tenders for the supply of 140, 000 tons of dou hie-screened best Ca.rdiff coal. The price is stated to be about 31s. per ton, and