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

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

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312,
December 24, 1881, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone
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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.
* * * * *

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
* * * * *

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