Scientific American Supplement, No. 312, December 24, 1881

Scientific American Supplement, No. 312, December 24, 1881

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December 24, 1881, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Scientific American Supplement, No. 312, December 24, 1881
Author: Various
Release Date: February 22, 2006 [EBook #17817]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 312

NEW YORK, DECEMBER 24, 1881.
Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XII., No. 312.
Scientific American established 1845
Scientific American Supplement, $5 a year.
Scientific American and Supplement, $7 a year.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
I. ENGINEERING AND MECHANICS.--Improved Fifteen Ton Traveling Crane. Designed for service in the construction of Port Alfred Harbor. South Africa. 3 figures. 4967
Improved Steam Boiler. 1 figure. 4968
The Elevated Railways of New York. 4968
Some of the Developments of Mechanical Engineering during the Last Half Century. British Association Paper. By SIR FREDERICK BRAMWELL. The steam engine.--Evaporative condenser.--Steam navigation.--Marine governors.--Light engines and boilers.--The Perkins system.--Ether engine.--Quicksilver engine.--Locomotive engines.--Brakes.--Motors.--Transmission of power.--Compressed air locomotives.--Hydraulic transmission of power.--Electric transmission of power.--The manufacture of iron and steel.-- Bridges.--Machine tools.--The sewing machine.--Agricultural machinery.--Printing machinery. 4968
Amateur Mechanics: Metal turning, 29 figures. Rotary cutters, 12 figures. Wood-working and lathe attachments, 9 figures. 4971
A New Method of Keeping Mechanical Drawings. 4978
Achard's Electric Brake for Railway Use. 2 figures. Plan and elevation. 4974
II. ELECTRICITY, ETC.--Electricity. What it is and what may be expected of it. By JACOB REESE. 4974
Electric Light Apparatus for Photographic Purposes. By A.J. JARMAN. 2 figures. 4976
Desruelles's Electric Lighter. 1 figure. 4976
Solenoid Underground Wires in Philadelphia. 4976
Dr. Herz's Telephonic Systems. 2 figures. 4976
Decision of the Congress of Electricians on the Units of Electric Measures. 4977
Secondary Batteries. By J. ROUSSE. 4977
III. TECHNOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY.--Domestic Sugar Production. 4980
M. Garnier's New Methods of Photo-Engraving. By Major J. WATERHOUSE.--Photogravure.--Photograph printing by vapor.--Atmography. 4982
Dangers of Pyrogallic Acid. By DR. T.L. PHIPSON. 4982
IV. ARCHITECTURE, ETC.--Artists' Homes, No. 12.--Wm. Emerson's house, Little Sutton, Chiswick.--Full page illustration and large size longitudinal section. 4978
Memorable English Houses. 4 figures.--Newton's house.-- Flaxman's house.--Canning's house.--Johnson's house. 4980
V. GEOGRAPHY.--Herald Island.--On the summit.--A midnight observation.--Plant life on Herald Island.--Inhabitants of the cliffs. 4980
VI. METALLURGY.--The Treatment of Quicksilver Ores in Spain. 4977
VII. AERONAUTICS.--The Balloon in Aeronautics. 4977
VIII. BIOGRAPHY.--Franz Liszt.--Large Portrait. 4981
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IMPROVED FIFTEEN TON CRANE.
[Illustration: Engraving.]
[Illustration: Side and Top View Plans. IMPROVED FIFTEEN TON TRAVELING CRANE.]
The machine illustrated on first page has been constructed for Port Alfred Harbor, this being one of several harbors now being made by Sir J. Coode in South Africa. The pier for the construction of which the crane will be employed will consist of concrete blocks laid on what is known as the "overend system." The blocks, being brought on trucks direct from the block yard to within the sweep of the machine, are raised by it, swung round, and accurately set, the machine being continually traveled forward as the work advances. The bottom blocks are laid on bags of concrete previously deposited by the crane out of boxes with flap bottoms.
The present machine has been specially designed throughout, and represents the most complete development which block-setting plant has yet attained.
The most striking features of the crane are, the great range of all the motions, the large radius, and the method of providing for the latter by a horizontal jib suspended from a king-post. It was at first intended to have a straight inclined jib, and to alter the radius by pivoting this round its lower end, as is commonly done; it occurred, however, to Mr. Matthews, M.I.C.E., representing Sir J. Coode, that the plan eventually adopted would be in many ways preferable; the crane was therefore constructed by Messrs. Stothert & Pitt with this modification, and as far as can be judged from the trial with proof load, the arrangements can hardly be surpassed for quick and accurate block-setting. In cranes with "derricking" jibs it is necessary to connect the derrick and hoisting gears in such a manner that a variation of the radius may not affect the level of the load; this plan answers sufficiently well for ordinary purposes, but for block-setting it is requisite to have extreme accuracy in all the movements and great quickness in changing from one to another; the arrangements adopted in foundry cranes, in which all the motions are entirely independent of one another, seems therefore more suited for this kind of work. Other not inconsiderable advantages are also secured by the adoption of the foundry crane type, the amount of clear headway under the jib being much increased, and the difficulty avoided of making a jib sixty feet long sufficiently