AMERICAN STEAM AND GAS FIRE-ENGINE. [OUR first page exhibits an engraving_of_a new fire-engine, which has been brought out in Philadelphia, by a Mr. W. L. Lay, and is highly spoken of by the American press. We can see no difference, however, between it and that which Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson built, and exhibited repeatedly at work in London some twenty years ago (see Mech. Mag., vol. xii., p. 433), except this-that the engine is here kept constantly provided with a charge of carbonic acid gas to put it in motion while the steam is getting up, so that not a single moment need be lost in moving it towards any spot where its services may be required. The description, which we subjoin, is that given by the Scientific American.] A is the truck-frame; B is a strong steam tubular boiler; C is the water-tank for supply of boiler, and D is the blower for the fire. EE' are the wheels; F is the steam cylinder, and F' is the pump to throw water on the fire; this pump is a rotary one, and occupies but a small space. T is the suction hose, and U is the discharge hose, with the nozzle on the same; G and Gʻ is the steering gear; it consists of a wheel above, having a vertical shaft with a pinion on its lower end gearing into a segmental rack to guide the wheels, and make them turn easily. His a circular head with indentations round it to receive the catch-rod I, which is pressed into the indentations by a spring below, to keep the pinion of the steering apparatus secured from moving as required. KL are levers; P is the balance on the valve; R is the lever for operating the valve of the steam whistle Q. A is a telescopic smoke-pipe, which can be elevated or lowered at pleasure; S is the hose carriage. MN exhibit a combination of levers to raise up the back wheels off the ground when the machine is set to working; to do this, the attendant operates the lever L, which draws back the rod M, and, acting upon the joint N, lifts forward the support below, which raises the back wheels F', and holds up the back end of the engine, thereby allowing the wheels to act the part of fly-wheels to the crank of the piston-rod. The rotary pump has two cog-wheels, like Stewart's engine, and they are driven by cog gearing attached to the inside of the axle of the driving wheels: this gearing is not represented, but to those acquainted with mechanical devices, the mere mention of it is enough. The engine is operated by a lever to open the throttle-valve in the usual way. When the engine is standing in the engine-house, the boiler always contains a sufficient quantity of water to get up steam, and at the same time is charged with carbonic acid gas by suitable apparatus, until it contains sufficient to work the engine for ten minutes, in which time steam can be raised to take its place when exhausted. The kindling and fuel is laid in the fire-box ready to be ignited in an instant. When an alarm of fire is given, the engineer mounts his seat, and, by opening the throttle valve, the engine will instantly propel itself in the direction of the fire, while at the same time the kindling in the fire-box is ignited, and, the blower being in motion, will raise steam in time to work the engine before the gas is used up. When the engine arrives at the fire, by merely choking the fore wheels, and pulling the lever connected with the standards, the hind wheels will be raised from the ground, and act as fly-wheels when the rotary pump is put in motion by letting on the steam. The pump will force three or four hundred gallons of water one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet high per minute, which will extinguish any ordinary fire in a very few minutes. It is intended to use two 3-horse power engines to do the work. The whole will weigh about one and a half tons. LOWE'S PROPELLER PATENT. A Petition has been presented to the Privy Council for the prolongation of the term of this Patent, and appointed to be heard on the 2nd of February next. consequence of the hot war which has been for some time past waged against ship In builders and engineers for alleged infringements of this Patent, this attempt to obtain a prolongation of the term of the monopoly, has produced an extraordinary degree of excitement; and no fewer than nine different parties have given notice of their The humble Petition of James Lowe, of No. 4, Charlotte - place, Grangeroad, Bermondsey, in the county of Surrey, Mechanic. Sheweth,-That your Petitioner in the year 1811, entered into the employment of Mr. Edward Shorter, who, in the year 1800, obtained Letters Patent for an invention of a "Machine, or engine, for working and causing the progressive motion of ships and vessels of every description, and of every other vehicle in, or on which, men or goods are carried on the water, as well as on the sea as on lakes and inland navigation, or canals, without the assistance of sails or oars." That your Petitioner, in the year 1813, was apprenticed to him, and remained in such employment till the year 1819, and during that time had his attention directed to the subject of the propulsion of vessels. That your Petitioner entered into an engagement at sea, in the year 1819, in the South Sea whale fishery, and having been very successful, he returned to England in 1825, and subsequently became a partner with the said Edward Shorter, and contributed to the expense of the attempts then made to render the invention of the said Edward Shorter available for the propulsion of vessels, but all your Petitioner's money was sunk and lost in the said ex periments. That your Petitioner was then obliged to quit the said Edward Shorter; but, in the year 1834, returned into the employment of the said Edward Shorter, who was still engaged in his attempts at improvements in the propulsion of vessels. That the said invention of the said Edward Shorter was repeatedly tried, but failed; and was of no practical utility; and his attempts were unsuccessful. That your Petitioner, in the year 1834, invented certain improvements in propelling vessels; but his pecuniary circumstances were such as wholly to prevent his bringing his said invention into public notice without assistance. That in the autumn of the same year, 1834, your Petitioner having been employed by Mr. Webster Flockton, of the Spa-road, Bermondsey, aforesaid, turpentine manufacturer, to execute and adapt certain machinery, for a somewhat similar purpose, to a model of a boat on the premises of him, the said Mr. Webster Flockton; your Petitioner applied to him to be allowed to make use of the said model for the purpose of making an experiment of his aforesaid invention, which the said Mr. Webster Flockton permitted your Petitioner to do. That your Petitioner, encouraged by the success of the experiment, was induced to apply to the said Webster Flockton for assistance to bring the same forward, and to some of his own friends to supply the necessary funds for obtaining a Patent for his said invention; but was at that time unable to obtain more than sufficient to pay the expenses of entering a caveat against any Patent being granted for the said invention to any other person than your Petitioner, the necessary funds for which were supplied almost entirely by the said Webster Flockton. That your Petitioner having been unable to obtain any of his friends to join him in obtaining the said Patent, your Petitioner again applied to the said Webster Flockton, who shortly afterwards succeeded in inducing his brother, Thomas Metcalfe Flockton, then of Potter's-fields, in the county of Surrey, turpentine manufacturer, since deceased, and John Addis, of Shad Thames, in the said county, corn-factor and granary keeper; William Miskin, of Broad-street, Horslydown, in the said county of Surrey, surgeon; and Arthur Davis, of Deptford, in the county of Kent, gentleman, since deceased; to join in and share the expense of making the necessary experiments, and procuring Letters Patent for the said invention. That, in pursuance of such arrangement, the said last-named parties in the month of February, 1837, purchased a large steamboat, called the Wizard, and went to considerable expense in fitting it up with an engine, and adapting such steam-boat to your Petitioner's machinery; and they also incurred, further, very large expenses in making experiments, and otherwise, for the purpose of forwarding such invention. That in the month of February, 1838, the said last-named parties were so satisfied of the success of the invention, as to agree to supply the funds for taking out Letters Patent for the same. That on the 24th day of March, 1838, your Majesty granted unto your Petitioner Letters Patent for his said invention under the title of "Improvements in Propelling Vessels," for the term of fourteen years. That your Petitioner, in accordance with the proviso in the said Letters Patent in that behalf contained, and within six calendar months next, and immediately BB after the date thereof-namely, on the 24th day of September, 1838, -by au instrument in writing, under his hand and seal, did particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same was to be, and might be, performed, and did cause the same to be enrolled in the High Court of Chancery, at Westminster, in the same day. That the said instrument in writing so enrolled, described your Petitioner's invention in substance to consist in propelling vessels by means of one or more curved blades set, or affixed on a revolving shaft below the water line of the vessel, and running in the direction from stem to stern of the vessel, each blade being a section or portion of a curve or screw, which, if continued, would produce a screw. That the effect of employing blades, being sections or portions of a screw, is that each blade becomes a propelling instrument, which allows the water to pass away in all directions except at that point where the instrument is in full action; hence there is no choking or holding the water towards the centre of motion, which is the case in using one or more than one turn of a screw. That, although the attention of scientific men on the continent, as long ago as the year 1727, and in this country during more than fifty years had been directed to improvements in the propulsion of vesselsspecially, in the first instance, with the object of providing vessels of war with the means of motion by propellers under water, out of the reach of the enemy's shot, and capable of being used in all weathers-and latterly, with the view of dispensing with the cumbrous paddle-boxes and wheels, and other apparatus connected therewith, so as to obtain in such vessels adequate space for a complete broadside fore and aft, and thereby affording, both to the royal and mercantile navies, a means of propulsion safe from injury from without, and free from the impediments to sailing from the swell and surge created by the paddle-wheels, and the effects of the wind and sea upon such paddle-wheels and boxes, so that the power of steam might be conveniently adapted to sailing vessels, and applied as an auxiliary power with great economy and advantage, it was not until several years after the invention of your Petitioner that the success of such means of propulsion was established. That your Petitioner's invention has been applied to two ships, named the Adventurer and the Reliance, which were sent out by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the arctic regions, in search of Sir John Franklin's expedition, and the propellers were found to answer admirably under circumstances which would have been fatal to steam-ships with paddle-wheels and boxes. That numerous attempts had been made, and several patents obtained, prior to the invention of your Petitioner, all of which either wholly failed or were only partially successful, until after the invention of your Petitioner. That, under these circumstances, the attention of scientific men, and of the engineers of this country, with some few exceptions hereinafter referred to, was, about the time of your Petitioner making his invention and obtaining the said Letters Patent, almost wholly directed to paddle-wheels and the improvements therein, as the means of propulsion, specially with the view of obviating the loss of power from backwater, and of preventing the vibratory action and reducing the surge produced by the paddle-wheel. That, on or about the 22nd day of March, 1832, Letters Patent were granted to Bennet Woodcroft, for certain "improvements in the construction and adaptation of a revolving spiral paddle for propelling boats and other vessels on water" for fourteen years, the term of which Letters Patent was prolonged by your Majesty for six years on the recommendation of the Judicial Committee of your Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. That, on or about the 31st day of May, 1836, Letters Patent were granted to Francis Pettit Smith "for an improved propeller for steam and other vessels" for the term of fourteen years, the term of which Letters Patent was also prolonged by your Majesty for five years on the recommendation of the Judicial Committee of your Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. That, on or about the 31st day of July, 1836, Letters Patent were granted to John Ericsson "for an improved propeller applicable to steam navigation" for the term of fourteen years, the term of which Letters Patent was also prolonged by your Majesty for five years on the recommendation of the Judicial Committee of your Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. That, on or about the 28th day of November, 1840, Letters Patent were granted to George Blaxland for "an improved method of propelling ships and vessels at sea, and in navigable rivers" for the term of fourteen years. That, notwithstanding the greatest exertions made by your Petitioner, and the proprietors of the several Patents for inventions having an object similar to the invention of your Petitioner, and from other causes over which your Petitioner and the persons asso LOWE'S PROPELLER PATENT. ciated with your Petitioner had no controul, and the circumstances hereinafter mentioned, the said invention of your Petitioner made very little progress, and, in fact, no remuneration could be obtained from it. That, in the year 1843, your Petitioner discovered that the said Patent so granted to your Petitioner as aforesaid had been infringed by Mr. John Penn, of Greenwich, engineer; and application was made to him to pay compensation to your Petitioner for such infringement, and to take a license for the use of the said invention; but the said Mr. Penn declined to accede to such application, and thereupon an action was brought against him by your Petitioner in your Majesty's Court of Queen's Bench at Westminster, on the 17th day of November, 1843, to recover damages for the said infringement, and to establish the right of your Petitioner to the said Patent, and such action was tried before the Lord Chief Justice Denman, at the Guildhall of the City of London, on the 16th day of December, 1844, when a verdict was found for your Petitioner on all the issues raised therein. That, in the following Hilary Term (1845), the Defendant in the said action moved for and obtained a rule nisi for a new trial, and the said rule nisi was standing in the new trial paper for argument until the 22nd day of May, 1846, when the same was argued, and judgment was deferred until the 12th day of June, 1846, when the Court made the rule absolute for a new trial. That notice of trial in the said action was afterwards given on the 25th day of November, 1846, and the said action was in the paper for trial; but, owing to the state of business in the said Court, was not tried until the 23rd and 24th days of February, 1848, when a verdict was again found for your Petitioner on all the issues. That a rule nisi for a new trial was again moved for and obtained on the part of the Defendant in the said action in the following Easter Term, and the argument thereon did not take place until the 21st day of November, 1848, when judgment was deferred until the 22nd day of January, 1849, when the rule was made absolute for a new trial on payment of costs; but the said rule has been subsequently abandoned, and the verdict and final judgment entered for your Petitioner. That, on the 1st day of May, 1849, a scire facias was issued out of the Petty Bagoffice of the Court of Chancery, in the name of your Majesty, on the prosecution of Thomas Henry Maudslay, of the firm of Maudslay and Field, the eminent engineers, to repeal the said Letters Patent; and the said scire facias did not come on for trial until the 15th day of February. 1850, when That, at the trial of the said scire facias, most of the numerous abortive attempts between the year 1727 and the date of the said Patent of your Petitioner were brought forward in order to impeach the novelty of the invention of your Petitioner and the validity of his said Letters Patent. That the said Lord Chief Baron having, in the course of the case for the prosecution, intimated his opinion that, in order to impeach the validity of your Petitioner's said Patent, it must be shown that the precise combination and arrangements claimed by your Petitioner had been published to the world or in public use, the counsel for the prosecution consented to a verdict being taken against the Crown on all the issues joined, thereby establishing the validity of the Patent of your Petitioner, each party paying his own costs and agreeing to certain arrangements in reference to the pending and threatened litigation for the infringement of your Petitioner's Patent. That, as part of such arrangements, it was agreed that the verdict obtained by your Petitioner in the said action of Lowe versus Penn should not be disturbed, but that each party should pay his own costs; and final judgment has been accordingly signed for the Plaintiff in that action. That your Petitioner's said Patent-right, previous to the arrangement just referred to, met with every possible opposition at the instance or on the part of the engineers and the said Mr. John Penn, against whom the said action was brought, and the said Thomas Henry Maudslay, as representing the general body of engineers of the metropolis who had commenced or were about to commence the construction and application of propellers according to the invention of your Petitioner, and of steam engines specially adapted for such propellers. That your Petitioner, and others associated with him in endeavouring to introduce the said invention into general use, have always been ready and willing to grant licenses for the use of the said invention on payment of a reasonable sum for the same. That, in consequence of the opposition offered to and the adoption of the said invention without license, several other actions were necessarily commenced for such infringements, and your Petitioner and the others associated with him incurred very considerable expense therein, all which actions, however, have been settled, or are in the course of settlement, in pursuance of the arrangement hereinbefore and hereinafter referred to. That numerous persons, associated together for the purpose of introducing the improved system of propulsion herein referred to, had become interested in the several Letters Patent granted to Bennet Woodcroft, Francis Pettit Smith, John Ericsson, your Petitioner, and George Blaxland, as aforesaid, and at the time of the arrangement above referred to questions had arisen as to an interference and conflict of right under the said five Letters Patent, and the Patents for Scotland and Ireland for the same inventions; and it was deemed advisable to unite the interests of all parties interested in your Petitioner's said Patent, including your Petitioner, with the interests of the parties interested in the said other Letters Patent, for other reasons, and especially as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and certain engineers who were opposing your Petitioner's Patent, and the engineers generally, would not treat with the parties interested in your Petitioner's Patent alone, in consequence of the said parties so interested in the above-mentioned other Patents having claimed certain portions of the merit of your Petitioner's said invention, but more especially as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty refused to entertain the claims of those parties interested in your Petitioner's said Patent while such claims on the part of other inventors were pending. That, in consequence thereof, an arrangement was proposed to be entered into, and which was afterwards accordingly entered into between your Petitioner and all the other parties interested in your Petitioner's said Patent, and the other parties interested in the said four other Letters Patent; that the apportionment of the money to be derived from the sale of, or licenses under all or any of the said five Letters Patent, should be referred to William Carpmael, Esq., who should ascertain and determine what each party should be entitled to as a class, and apportion the same accordingly. That, since the termination of the proceedings in scire facias in February of the last year, and the arrangements consequent thereon, several sums of money have been paid into the common fund, agreed to be constituted for apportionment as aforesaid; but the amount of the sum so received hitherto, is insufficient to pay the expenses and other outgoings, which, by the arrangement above referred to, was made a first charge on such fund. That the amount expended on the first experiments, the Letters Patent, the legal expenses, and models, and other matters in respect of your Petitioner's said invention and Patent alone, in the whole exceeds the sum of 10,000l., and the whole amount of the proceeds hitherto received in respect of the same does not exceed 1,000l. That the parties interested in the said four other Patents have expended a very large sum of money upon the said inventions, and the attempts necessary to introduce the same into use, for which they are at present wholly without remuneration. That your Petitioner respectfully submits that by the conjoint efforts of the said Bennet Woodcroft, Francis Pettit Smith, John Ericsson, George Blaxland, and your Petitioner, and the other persons associated with them, a new system of propulsion has been fully established, whereby they have conferred a national benefit, the value and importance of which, both as a primary and as an auxiliary power in the saving of time, in the certainty with which long voyages are made, and in the consequent saving of capital, it is difficult to estimate. That your Petitioner and the said other persons who have been instrumental in bringing forward and perfecting the said invention of your Petitioner, are quite unremunerated for their exertions. That the absence of remuneration, and the great loss which has been hitherto sustained, have resulted from causes over which neither your Petitioner, nor either of the said other parties, had any control. That the said Letters Patent so granted to your Petitioner, have, during nearly the whole term thereby granted, yielded no return. And your Petitioner submits that, having regard to the expense and labour incurred in introducing the invention, an exclusive right in using and vending the invention of your Petitioner for the further period of seven years in addition to the term in the said Letters Patent mentioned, will not suffice for the reimbursement and adequate remuneration of your Petitioner, That your Petitioner has caused advertisements to be inserted, in pursuance of the statute in that behalf provided. Your Petitioner therefore humbly bly prays that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to refer the matter of his Petition to the Judicial Committee of your Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, to consider and report to your Majesty thereon; and that your Petitioner may be heard before such Committee by his Counsel, Agents, and witnesses, and that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to grant new Letters Patent for a term of fourteen years, from and after the expiration of the term of fourteen years granted by the said Letters Patent so granted to your Petitioner as aforesaid, or for such |