To Inventors and Patentees.

MESSRS. ROBERTSON & CO.,

PATENT SOLICITORS,

166, Fleet-street, London; and 99B, New-street, Birmingham.

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The procuration of Patents For England, Scotland, Ireland, and all Foreign Countries, and the transaction generally of all business relating to PATENTS.

Specifications Drawn or Revised. DISCLAIMERS, AND MEMORANDUMS OF ALTERATION PREPARED AND ENROLLED. Caveats Entered and Oppositions Conducted.

CONFIRMATIONS AND PROLONGATIONS
OF PATENTS SOLICITED.

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Abstracts Supplied.

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INTENDING PATENTEES supplied gratis with Printed Instructions, on Application, either personally or by letter.

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Advantages of Registering Designs for Articles of Utility.

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Ornamental Designs also registered under the 5 and 6 Vic. c. 100.

Make Your Own Gas. HOLLIDAY'S APPARATUS from 8s. 6d., Complete, produces a pure white light, without wick or glass; will burn in the open air without attention for ten hours, at One Halfpenny per Hour. Being far superior to all other lights, it is well adapted for shops, and all public and private purposes. May be seen at R. Holliday and Co.'s, the Patentee's Works, Huddersfield; 28, Oak-street, Manchester; Sussex-street, Sheffield; and 128, Holborn-hill, London.

Central Patent Agency Office, Brussels.

has long been the opinion of many Scientific Men, Inventors and Manufacturers, that it would be of the greatest utility to establish in some central part of Europe, a Consulting Agency Office, directed by an experienced Engineer, who might assist Inventors by his experience and advice, to procure Patents (Brevets) and prepare the requisite papers, and to promote generally the interests of his clients.

Influenced by this prevailing feeling on the subject, M. JOB DIXON, consulting Engineer, Knight of the Netherlands Lion, &c., has, at the solicitation of numerous scientific friends in England and the Continent, opened a Patent Agency Office at Brussels,

Rue d'Artifice, 84, bis, Boulevard de Waterloo, Where orders will be received for the Procuration of Patents of Invention for the various States of Europe, and the United States of America; and where Mr. DIXON may be personally advised with on all matters relating to the Securing of Patents for Inventions or to the working of the same.

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CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER. Description of Two Disc Engines as improved by Mr. Bishopp, erected at Patrington near Hull. By G. D. Bishopp, Esq.-(with engravings) 241

Mathematical Periodicals.

XVII.-Burrow's Diary. By Thomas Wilkinson, Esq. 244 On the Masting of Ships.

On Absolute and Relative Zeros ...
Bain and Morse's Telegraphs- Decision of (the
American) Judge Cranch in the Case of Bain
v. Morse

On Steam Navigation in India, and Sir Samuel
Bentham's Vermicular Barges. By Geo. B.
W. Jackson, Esq., C.E.

On the Expansive Action of Steam, and a New
Construction of Expansion Valves for Con-
densing Engines. By W. Fairbairn, Esq.,
C.E.

247

230

250

254

255

Report of the Commissioner of Patents of the
United States on Explosion of Steam-Boilers 259
Specifications of English Patents Enrolled
during the Week

Weekly List of New English Patents
Weekly List of New Articles of Utility Regis-
tered

Advertisements

263

263 264

LONDON: Edited, Printed, and Published, by Joseph Clinton Robertson, of No. 166, Fleetstreet, in the city of London, and 998, Newstreet, Birmingham.-Sold by A. and W. Galignani, Rue Vivienne, Paris; Machin and Co., Dublin W. C. Campbell and Co., Hamburgh.

THE improvements embraced by this patent have reference firstly, to that description of machinery usually employed for producing upon piece goods the sort of finish known in Scotland as the "Book-muslin finish," and in England as "the Elastic finish," and held everywhere in high estimation for the elastic feel, and straight and smooth appearance which it imparts to the goods. Mr. Gratrix employs for this purpose four several machines or arrangements of machinery-all remarkable for their ingenuity, and all essentially different from those now in use. The first he denominates, from the peculiar character of its action, "The Rectilineal Serpentine Machine;" the peculiarity of which consists in this, that a continuous serpentine motion is given to the warp threads while the weft threads are kept parallel throughout. We extract, from the specification, Mr. Gratrix's description of the means by which this compound motion is produced:

Fig. 1 is a plan of this machine; fig. 2, side elevation; fig. 3, an elevation of the end, at which the web, piece, or fabric enters; and fig. 4, a cross-section. The machine is represented as working in connection with a mangle.

a is the driving-shaft, to which a rotary motion is imparted by spur-wheels from any convenient first mover; bb' are bevel-wheels keyed on the shaft, a, which is grooved, and allows the wheel, b', to slide freely on it as required when the position of the frame, z, is altered; cc' are corresponding wheels, driven by bb', and keyed on the vertical shafts, dd', which work in bearings attached to the framing of the machine. The grooved pulleys, e e', are fixed on the shafts, d d', and impart motion in the directions indicated by the arrows, to belts or straps, ff'. The upper edges of these belts or straps are furnished with sharp steel points for taking hold of the piece, web, or fabric, and the selvages are pressed upon the points by attendants as the web comes from the mangles. On their lower edges are narrow welts of leather, which pass beneath the edges of the guiding pulleys, gg', or in grooves which may be formed in all or some of them, and thus prevent the straps from rising; these belts or pulleys, gg, rising on studs, which are adjustable in slots made for the purpose in the framing of

the machine. These pulleys, gg', are so arranged, as with the assistance of fixed grooved longitudinal supports, g2, of hard wood or other suitable material, to guide the straps or belts, ff', for some distance in straight lines diverging from each other, but afterwards in a sinuous course, which is continued to any extent, according to the finish desired. On the finish being attained, the straps or belts proceed in a straight direction, and nearly parallel with each other, to the pulleys, h and h1, which are keyed on vertical shafts, ii1, and work in bearings similarly with the shafts, d d1. Then passing round, and imparting motion to the pulleys, h and h1, the straps or belts lead round the tightening and nipping pulleys,jand j', back to the pulleys, e and e1. In order to avoid the possibility of any slip occurring between the straps or belts, ff, and pulleys, e e1, it may be necessary to make use of pins projecting at equal distances from the circumference of the pulleys, e e1, and taking into corresponding holes in the straps or belts, ff, as shown by dotted lines. A thin board interposed between the lower edges of the pulleys, g g1, and the upper surface of the framing, prevents any injurious communication of heat from the latter to the straps. The guide pulleys, g1, which work beneath the web, piece, or fabric, are made in the form of inverted frustums of cones, in order that when their outer sides are placed vertical, (that is, in coincidence with the strap,) their upper surfaces shall not rub against the under-side of the web, piece, or fabric. The bevel wheel, 2, is keyed on the vertical shaft, i, and gears into a corresponding bevel wheel on the shaft, k, to which it imparts motion. The wheel, 1, is also keyed on the shaft, k, and gears into a wheel, m, made fast to the vertical shaft, n. The wheel, o, fixed on the upper end of the vertical shaft, n, imparts motion to the cylinder, P, by means of the wheel, q, fixed on its axis. The cylinder, P, may either be heated by the introduction of steam in the ordinary manner, or otherwise, as convenient. The pulley, r, which is also keyed on the axis of the cylinder, P, imparts motion by means of a strap and pulley, s to a wooden drum, t; above which, and resting on the cylinder, t, is the roller, u3, on which the piece is wound when finished. The roller, u2, which is weighted in the ordinary manner, and resting on the upper part of the cylinder, t, causes the rotary motion of the latter to be communicated to the former for winding on the web, piece, or

fabric. The slots, v, allow the roller, u, to rise as the web, or piece, or fabric is wound on. uu1, are guide rollers, which guide it into contact with the cylinder, P. The lower side of the roller, u, is placed somewhat higher than the level of the steel points, in order that the web, piece, or fabric may be raised clear of them before it arrives opposite the centre of the shafts, i. To ensure a perfectly simultaneous movement of the pulleys, p and p1, they are connected with each other by the shaft, w, (which, like the shaft, a, is grooved and keyed, to admit of the sliding movement needful in adjusting the frame for various widths of cloth to be operated upon) and bevel-wheels, . The machine is made adjustable to suit fabrics of various widths by means of the screws, y, which work into nuts attached to the moveable frame, z, which is furnished with wheels, A, which rest on the fixed standards, B. The motion of the screws, r, is rendered simultaneous by means of the bevel wheels, C, which are keyed on to them, and take into corresponding wheels, D, which are keyed

on to the longitudinal shaft, E. The requi

site amount of heat is supplied by steam, hot air, or hot water pipes.

The dotted lines in the engraving represent the piece, web, or fabric, which is lettered F, as passing through and from the mangle, and show the relative positions of the warp and weft threads during its passage through the machine. It will be observed that both edges of the piece are made to travel simultaneously and continuously forward. The weft threads are consequently kept throughout in a parallel position to that in which they enter the machine, while those of the warp are carried for the most part in a sinuous or serpentine

course.

The second finishing machine is called "The Segmental Curvilineal," and the third "The Longitudinal Curvilineal;' the fourth is but a modification of the third. All three possess in common this distinguishing feature, that a motion is given to the centre of the piece quite distinct from, though auxilliary to, the motion of the edges.

Claims.

lat Machine. The improvements which I claim in respect of this machine or machinery are, the giving of a combined serpentine and rectilineal motion to the web or piece or fabric,-while in the course of being dried and finished; that is to say, a continuous serpentine motion to the warp threads, while the weft threads are kept parallel throughout; and so many of the parts of the said machines or machinery as are necessary to

produce such combined serpentine and rectilineal motion.

2nd Machine.-The improvements which I claim in respect of the segmental curvilineal machine, are, the attaching of the carrying belts or straps to the web or piece in such a manner as to cause it to sag or curve at the centre; and the employment of revolving segments to move the centre forward at intervals, in advance of the edges, and while the edges are in continuous motion. I claim also the application of the above movement to the stretching of woven fabrics.

3rd and 4th Machines.-The novelty which I claim in respect of the "longitudinal curvilineal machine," and of the modification of it described, is the causing, by means of longitudinal rails and parts in connection therewith, the centre of the web or piece to move intermittently in an advancing or receding, or advancing and receding curvilineal direction, while the edges are moving continuously straight forwards.

Mr. Gratrix shows also how "the

longitudinal curvilineal movement" of the third and fourth of the preceding machines may be adapted to the common clamp or table frames now in use, for the purpose of producing the ordinary rigid finish, so as to enable them to produce the elastic finish :

A longitudinal rail, the length of the tenter frame, is suspended by levers fixed above it, one or more of which are keyed upon shafts, to which motion is imparted by any suitable first mover. The piece or web, or fabric is fastened by pins or clamps, at each edge, to the frame sides, and hangs down freely between them. The rail or bar is let down into contact with it, and a radial curvilinear motion imparted; by which, in conjunction with the application of heat in the usual manner, the finishing is effected.

Mr. Gratrix claims this "application of the longitudinal rail movement with the common clamp or tenter frames, as before described, for the purpose of producing the elastic finish."

Mr. Gretrix describes, secondly, certain improvements in the method or process of finishing pile goods, such as velvets, velveteens, cords, &c.; his "claims" in respect of which are thus conceived:

"What I claim more particularly in regard to this finishing-machine is the employment of the cylinder moving continuously in concert with, or at a greater or less speed than the web or piece, while tools