MEMOIR OF MR. PETER NICHOLSON.. from designs given by Mr. Telford, the celebrated civil engineer, who recommended him to that situation, and as an architect for the County of Cumberland. Mr. Nicholson returned to London in 1819, when he commenced his " Architectural Dictionary." His book of "Mechanical Exercises" was produced soon after his return to London, the object of which is to give a familiar description of such parts of a building as are susceptible of being explained without the aid of geometrical lines. In April, 1814, the Society of Arts voted to Mr. Nicholson their gold Isis medal, for a new improvement in hand-railing; and in May (the same year) that Society rewarded him with the sum of twenty guineas, for the invention of the Centrolinead. In the year 1815 he was rewarded with the silver medal of the same Society, for the invention of another Centrolinead, which is now brought into general use amongst those artists who make perspective drawings in architecture and machinery. The numerous articles which his "Architectural Dictionary" contained led him to many curious investigations, and induced him once more to turn his attention to analytical science, the result of which was, that during the publication of that work he produced a small tract on the "Method of Increments,' 99 66 Essays on the Combinatorial Analysis," and his "Rudiments of Algebra," all within the short space of two years. The last of these three works was published on the 1st of July, 1819, and the "Architectural Dictionary" was completed about two months afterwards. Mr. Nicholson's "Essays on Involution and Evolution" were honoured with the approbation of the French Institute and Royal Academy of Sciences. That work, and his " Analytical and Arithmetical Essays,” were published in the year 1820. Mr. Nicholson's latest production is entitled, "The Builder and Workman's New Director," from a Memoir prefixed to which we have extracted our present brief notice of the ingenious author. This work was called for by the great improvements that have been recently made in every branch of architecture with regard to geometrical construction, and is one of his ablest and most complete performances. It embodies as much of Geometry, Conic Sections, Trigonometry, Projection, and Perspective, as will enable the student to comprehend with facility, and represent with accuracy, all the constructive departments of building, with the application of those principles to Masonry, Carpentry, Joinery, and Hand-railing. The whole of Mr. Nicholson's active and scientific labours have been directed towards applying science to useful purposes-an object beyond all praise, being generally too much neglected by men who are given to study. 1 Mechanics Magazine, MUSEUM, REGISTER, JOURNAL, AND GAZETTE. No. 85.] SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 1825. [Price 3d. "If we examine our own feelings, and judge of Science by its influence on ourselves, we shall be obliged to confess, that although less obviously, it is, in fact, as much recommended to us by the pleasures to which it ministers, as those Arts that we regard as entirely devoted to the excitement of agreeable emotions."-Ferro on the Fine Arts. WARPING VESSELS UP RAPIDS. WARPING VESSELS UP RAPIDS. propel a steam vessel twenty-five yaras per minute, in any current, the mechanical power increasing as the velocity of the water increases. Though not deeply versed in mechanics, so simple is the principle, we venture to predict that it will be found to answer all that is above attri the inventor, being confidently of the same opinion." SIR,-I observe, in a Number of the Mechanics' Magazine for January, a Plan for Warping Vessels up Rapids, and now in operation on the Delaware. The principle is pre-buted to it; an ingenious mechanic, not cisely that which occurred to me five years ago, when in Canada, and which, by the united action of machinery and the current, I wished to apply to steam-vessels navigating the St. Lawrence. I accordingly inserted an advertisement in the "Canadian Courant," published in Montreal, addressed to the proprietors of those vessels. Allow me, Sir, to present you with the following detail, under the expectation that you will insert it, and, by placing it on record, do me that justice which I consider is due to me : "To the Proprietors of Steam-Boats navigating the St. Lawrence. "The Proprietors of Steam-Boats navigating this river, are respectfully informed that the subscriber is possessed of a plan by which the ascent of those vessels up the rapid below this city, may be greatly expedited. The principle is such, that its extension may greatly improve the mechanical navigation of the rivers of America, open new routes for its application, and, by giving it action where it has heretofore been dependent on the operation of towing, render it superior to natural impediments. "T. H. BELL. "Montreal, June 20, 1820." I explained the plan to the Editor of the Canadian Courant," Mr. Driscol, and the following are his remarks, which appeared in the same Paper : "INVENTION.-An ingenious person in this city has lately favoured us with a description of an addition to the present machinery of a steam-boat, by which those vessels may be made to stem currents hitherto impassable. It is well known that, in currents of a certain rapidity, the mechanical power becomes totally ineffective, the descent of the water being quicker than the revolution of the paddles. In order to ascend, recourse must, therefore, be had to cattle or manual labour. To obviate this inconvenience is the intention of the present improvement, it being calculated to The above advertisement appeared for some weeks, but was unnoticed by those to whom it was addressed, and I never again agitated it until my return to England, when, still considering it to be the greatest improvement that could be made in the mechanical navigation of American rivers, and highly desirable on the St. Lawrence, I sent a drawing and description to the Society of any view to a Arts, but without reward; for, to be able to add a single fact to science, is, I consider, a sufficient remuneration for the trouble of its discovery. The following is a copy of my letter which accompanied the drawing, and the Secretary's reply: "Alnwick, June 8, 1822. "SIR,-I beg leave, through you, to submit the cuclosed drawing of an imthe inspection of the Society for the Enprovement in mechanical navigation, to couragement of Arts, &c. "In my passage from Quebec to Montreal, in November, 1819, I observed that the power of the engine became totally ineffective in a current called Sainte Marie, a little below the city of Montreal. In consequence, recourse was had to cattle and manual labour to tow the vessel against the stream. It occurred to me, at the instant, that the power of the engine might be applied to wind the vessel up, or to render her automatic in any current, by a very simple arrangement of machinery, and an arm, as it were, be added to mechanical navigation. To effect this I would fix the cog-wheel, A, on the axle of the water-wheels, which would drive the wheel, B, and its concentric stream, or drum, C. At the head of the current, or a little above where the engine would be sufficient to impel the vessel, I would sink a kedge, with a buoyant hawser attached, to remain floating in the stream. This hawser being grappled on board, and applied to * This remark supposes the paddlewheels to perform 25 revolutions per minute, and the diameter of the drum to be only one foot. PURIFYING COAL-MINES. the drum, C, one man or more taking it off (in the manner represented in the drawing), the vessel would herself ascend the current with a velocity proportioned to the revolutions of the water-wheels and the diameter of the drum. I may observe, that the current itself would assist the engine, and thas the very impediment to the navigation be made one of the means of overcoming it. "T. H. BELL. "P.S. In situations such as the current Sainte Marie, a kedge would be unnecessary, for the hawser could be fastened on shore, and two, applied alternately, would haul up the vessel. This principle of motion might be otherwise usefully extended. One application, perhaps of some magnitude, would be its adoption on canals, where the action of water-wheels is injurious to the banks. Boats, in canals, which at present are dragged by horses, might be towed, several together, by a single coiling-boat, driven by steam or horse-power. Hawsers might be made any length, and, where the canal was winding, be retained in their proper position by rollers placed along the banks. "Arthur Aikin, Esq." "Society of Arts, &c. “Adelphi, London, Dec. 3, 1822. "SIR, I am directed to inform you, that your Plan for Warping Steam-Boats up Rapids has been considered by a Committee appointed for the purpose, and their opinion confirmed by the Society; the result of which is, that your endeavours, in this instance, are not entitled to their reward, but that they consider themselves obliged to you for your good intention and exertions. "ARTHUR AIKIN, Sec. "Mr. T. H. Bell." I remain, Sir, THOMAS H. BELL. 3 ber 71, of your Magazine, calls himself) full credit for his humanity, but I am afraid his plan for airing Coal Mines will be of no farther use than to inform his practical readers that he has never been in one. It is certainly true, that hydrogen gas, in a state of quiescence, floats at the top of atmospheric air, and is found at the roof or upper part of a mine; but when there is a current of fresh air passing through the workings of a mine, as must be the case if they are to be kept pure, it is well known that these gases mix and render a mechanical separation impossible. Had it been otherwise, this gas would have been innoxious, as it is the combination that makes it so explosive. To a practical reader it would be worse than waste of time to enter into a refutation of your Correspondent's plan; I will content my. self with making a remark or two, en passant, on some of his means of carrying it into effect. In the first place, as to "boring upwards." The operation of boring is done by chisels and inflexible iron bars or rods, called boring-rods, about three feet long, with alternate screws and sockets at the ends; the uppermost one having a cross-head or handle to it, for the convenience of the workman. These rods are of considerable weight, and this weight, when they have bored a few yards down, is the power applied to drive the chisel into the stone below; the workmen's employment being to raise them a little way out of the hole, and, after turning them partially round, to let them descend by their own weight. Now, how your Correspondent could imagine that a ton or more weight of rods could be held in a vertical position, to bore upwards, I am at a loss to imagine. Boring upwards is certainly done to explore dikes, &c. for a few feet, but beyond that it is found impracticable. With regard to your Correspondent's strong box, &c. it is so absurd that I only notice it to remark, that the most general cause of explosion in coal-mines is the falling of strata composing the roof of the mine, which stops up the air-courses, and HYDROSTATICAL PARADOX, WEIGHT OF THE ATMOSPHERE, ETC. gravity) can be made to exert a greater of less pressure than each of its remaining equal parts; consequently, if the water in the tube compress a given weight upon half an inch of the surface of the water in the hogshead, there will be an instant counter-exertion of an équal force by each remaining half-inch of the whole surface; and the effect would be the same were a solid body nployed, of a proper construction, in place of the fluid. Thus, take any closed vessel, of sufficient strength, containing, say an internal surface of 100 square Juches, fill it with water, and let a small ylinder, with a piston, be properly inserted, the end of the former circumscribing, say an area of half an inch, and the latter exactly fitting. Then, upon the piston, a force of fifty pounds being compressed, there will be an instant xertion of ten thousand pounds within the whole of the confining vessel; or, If instead of this apparatus, a male and female screw be used, of onesixteenth thread, and an inch in diameter, put into effect by a crow or handle 12 inches in length, with a force of 50 pounds, then will the amazing pressure of 60313,72 pounds be sustained by every 7883th parts of an inch, or upwards of seven millions and a half of pounds, or three thousand three hundred and fifty tons within the small compass of little more than four cubic inches-a force that may be yet increased, ad infinitum, by merely lengthening the lever applied to the screw. With this, as a momentary power, perhaps steam, gas; or gunpowder, can never be made to compete; and may it not, in time, be found in human ingenuity to make it, as a power, answer the purposes of all? At least it appears intended to serve the purposes of man in some way yet unknown, else why is such omnipotence placed in his hands? To the remaining part of his first question, Why au half-inch column, of ten feet in height, should have greater effect than a three-inch column of five feet in height? + W. X. may find his answer in the law in hydrostatics, of which he seems to be aware, namely, that all columns of water, however varying in circumference, being of the same altitude, have equal pressure on equal spaces at equal heights. But, doubting my ability to be sufficiently clear by mere words, I beg leave to introduce the following figures ; |