Navy. "It will be asked," says Admiral Tucker, "Have I made the Admiralty acquainted with "these proceedings of the Committee, and have "I challenged investigation? I have. It has "not yet been awarded." Were the Report of the Steam Committee only a statement, signed as nothing more than the opinion of the individuals whose names appear, the document would be altogether unimportant, but "An "Official Committee" is clothed, as Admiral Tucker says, with so much consequence that their doings should not only be investigated, but exposed; for a decision affecting the interests of an individual being confided to their judgment, it behoves the Committee to be scrupulously fair and just, "and if it be of any "and who will deny that it is of the greatest "importance to our Steam Navy, that it shall "be supplied with the best boiler, which in the progress of science may from time to time be "produced, it is imperatively necessary that in "examination of comparative merits, the com"petitions and the reports be complete and "impartial." We need not add to these remarks. They show clearly enough, not only that the Steam Machinery Committee appointed by the late Admiralty were a miserably incompetent set of gentlemen, but also that there yet exists at Whitehall an obstructive power of some kind which even the Superintendents and other chief officers of our Dockyards cannot quite break through. Is it too much to ask for a fair and open settlement of this boiler question, which involves financial considerations of great moment to the country? THOMAS WEBSTER, M.A., F.R.S., &c., Barrister-at-Law. No. VII. THE naval authorities appear by the correspondence to have prosecuted the inquiry as to the success of Cort's invention with becoming zeal. On the 1st of March, 1784, the following order was issued: "Navy Office, 1st March, 1784. "GENTLEMEN,-These are to direct and require you to demand from Messrs. Cort and Jellicoe such a number of links and shackles from mooring chains made of neutral iron, according to their own process of working the iron, for an experiment against a like number prepared of the best iron, and to make a trial and report the result of the strength of that made from neutral iron compared with the other. You are to supply them with neutral iron for it if they are in want thereof; for which this shall be your warrant. (Signed) "C. MIDDLETON, J. HENSLOW, E. HUNT, G. MARSH. "To the respective officers of Portsmouth Yard." The following portion is all that has been preserved of the reply to that order :— "Portsmouth Yard, 1st June, 1784. "HONOURABLE SIRS,-In obedience to your directions of the 1st of March last, to demand from Messrs. Cort and Jellicoe a number of links and shackles for mooring chains made of neutral iron, according to their new process of working the iron, for an experiment against the like number prepared from the best iron in our smithery | "We are humbly to acquaint you that we have made the experiments of the links and shackles on two anvils, and letting the large hammer of four cwts. which shuts the arms of anchors fall the height of sixteen feet on the centre of the links and shackles between the anvils " In 1787 was published "A Brief State of Facts relative to the New Method of making Bar Iron with Raw Pit Coal and Grooved Rollers. Discovered and brought to Perfection by Mr. Henry Cort," containing the particulars and results of the experiments on Cort's iron at the dockyards. The following extracts will be read with much interest : par None of either sort, however, gave way till after they had stood a much greater strain than ever is, or can be, put upon implements of the same kind in real use; and four only of the Swedish iron, but five of Mr. Cort's remained perfect after those against which they were respectively tried gave out. It was one of these five, the hook of a double top swivel block, that stood against one of the same dimensions made of the Swedish iron, which broke, they being equally drawn against each other from opposite capstans, with thirty men heaving at each, a purchase before which both sorts of iron had yielded in the immediately preceding experi ment. "Two eye-bolts of each sort of iron appear to have driven equally well, and two P bolts of Mr. Cort's also drove without injury: but of two perfectly similar made from the Swedish, although both drove, one broke in the stump. "Upon the whole, it is presumed not too much to assert that in this course of experiments, Mr. Cort's iron was proved to be in every respect with the Swedish iron." equal, at least in quality and substantiality, EXPERIMENTS MADE AT WOOLWICH DOCKYARD. "Mr. Cort's process of refining iron from the pig or cast state, in a reverberatory furnace, heated by common coal or any other fuel, has the effect of separating from the metallic ticles certain impurities which are not discharged in the common methods of rendering iron malleable; and thereby a manifest differfurnace iron; which quality is further improved ence of quality is occasioned in favour of the by the mode, also invented by Mr. Cort, and used in manufacturing the iron, when malleable, by rolling it in a welding heat through rollers into bars, and even into bolts, and many uses, with grooves accurately formed, instead of working it under hammers. This iron has a "Mr.Cort's anchor was indubitably the strongpeculiar appearance in its grain, but it is never- est; and it may be observed, that although this theless so effectually disentangled from impure anchor was the heaviest of the two, yet that was scoriæ, and the texture of it is so uniformly owing to the largeness of the palms, for the perfect, that it may be pronounced superior, shanks and arms were considerably less in cirupon the whole, for body, strength, and tough-cumference throughout than those of the anchor ness even to the best of Swedish Orgrounds made from the Swedish iron, as appeared by iron. Mr. Cort manufactured about thirty tons of this iron under the inspection of two Master tionate distances. measures taken at a great number of proporSmiths belonging to the King's dockyards, from old ship ballast delivered to him out of the dockyard at Portsmouth for that purpose. The bar iron so made by Mr. Cort was afterwards distributed to all the Royal dockyards, and being there wrought into anchors and other naval implements, underwent a series of experiments against the like instruments wrought from the best Orgrounds iron, the marks of which were P L and crown, double bullet, hoop, and L, whereby its qualities were put to the severest test." The particulars and result of these experiments are as follows: RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENTS AT PORTSMOUTH. "An anchor of 67 cwts. 2qrs. 14 lbs., manufactured from Mr. Cort's iron, and tried in the usual way, was found equal to an anchor of the like size made of Swedish Orground iron. "And P and eye-bolts for ships' caps, tacklehooks, and hinges for doors, also made of this iron, and top-tackle and snatch-blocks bound with it were equal to the like articles made of the first sort of Orgrounds iron." EXPERIMENTS MADE AT DEPTFORD DOCKYARD. "Mr. Cort's anchor was manifestly superior; the part which broke had been injured by some accident in the heating to such a degree as to break short off with little or no strain, and the injury was visible upon inspecting the broken part; but in the second experiment with the arm which had not been so burnt, the anchor opposed to it was torn asunder in a part which had been extremely well manufactured, and where there was no appearance of imperfection or of the iron having suffered the smallest injury, but very much the reverse appeared upon a minute inspection. "And upon the whole of the trials made here, Mr. Cort's iron appears to have stood completely in five instances, the Orgrounds only in one; his gave way partially in three, the other in four instances; and although that broke also in four cases, his broke only in one. His, therefore, by the comparison of these particular instances may be pronounced superior in strength to the first sort of Orgrounds iron; and workmen in general who have tried it, declare that it is at least equal in all respects, especially that it is rather more malleable, retains its heat longer, welds, and bears punching, turning, and being wrought in the most severe manner to the full well." EXPERIMENTS MADE AT SHEERNESS DOCKYARD. "Mr. Cort's anchor was the strongest; and of the rest of the articles, two of his stood and two broke; three of the Swedish stood and one straightened. "In all these experiments there was a much greater strain as well upon those articles which were not either broken or injured as upon those which were, than is ever applied in the actual use of such instruments on board of any ship.” EXPERIMENTS MADE AT CHATHAM DOCKYARD. "Mr. Cort's anchor stood, the other was broken; and, in eleven other experiments, Mr. Cort's iron stood, four was injured in four, and broke in three instances. The Swedish iron stood in five, was injured in five, and in one broken; so that there appeared but little inequality, except in the anchor, in which the superiority of Mr. Cort's greatly overweighed the trifling inferiority of it in the aggregate of the other articles." EXPERIMENTS MADE AT PLYMOUTH DOCKYARD. "The superiority of Mr. Cort's anchor is sufficiently evident on this trial; of his other articles, two stood, three broke, and three gave way. Of the Swedish, three stood, three broke, and two gave way." "The experiments upon the hooks and strappings of bolts, and upon the hooks, eleven in number, were also favourable to Mr. Cort's iron. Six of the articles made of the Swedish iron appear to have been straightened, and only three The Master Smith of this yard expressed his of those made from his; and two of these three opinion that Mr. Cort's iron, used in the articles not to the same degree as the Swedish. Three which were the subjects of the above experiof his indeed broke, and but one of the Swedish.ments is equal to any he ever made use of." GENERAL REMARKS. refining furnaces, three men-two at work to- are required to be feather-edged, for the laying. "The iron made by Mr. Cort, and tried against the best Swedish iron in the above experiments, was made from old ship ballast, which is a very inferior sort of cast-iron. The Orgrounds iron, against which it was tried, is the best refined, the strongest, and the toughest iron known or ever brought into use before Mr. Cort's discovery; about 20,000 tons of this iron are annually imported from Sweden, and paid for in money at a high price; besides which, about 50,000 tons of bars and slabs are annually imported from Russia; and about 30,000 tons of bar iron are annually made in England. But even if the whole quantity of a hundred thousand tons, one year with another, brought to market in this country in bars, slabs, rods, or other shapes, could be made by our manufacturers without the aid of this discovery, still the best of their iron (not only that which is made at the coke-fineries, but also that which they refine with charcoal, and of which the quantity supplied must always be limited) has not been esteemed of sufficient body, strength, and toughness for anchors, tackle-hooks, the strapping and hooks of blocks, bolts, and other ironwork belonging to the building, rigging, and naviga"And, upon the whole, notwithstanding the tion of ships, upon the perfect goodness of which expenses unavoidably incident to such a disthe lives and safety of so many of His Majesty's afforded at a cheaper price, to be paid and covery in its infant state, this iron can be useful subjects, the seamen of Great Britain, circulated at home, than has hitherto been must depend; only the Orgrounds, imported from Sweden, has been hitherto esteemed suffi- necessarily paid to foreigners, for an article so ciently good to be depended upon for these uses, very important to Government and the nation, or to be supplied for the service of Government; as the first sort of Swedish Orgrounds iron, but Mr. Cort's iron has been now proved to upon which the preservation of His Majesty's possess these qualities in a super-eminent de-fleet hitherto depended, but to which the iron gree; and, therefore, the chief questions seems manufactured according to this discovery has to be, whether it can be manufactured in suffi- been proved equal for use in all respects, and cient quantities, and at a reasonable price. As superior in many particular instances. Among to the first of these points, although the bar these, it cannot escape observation, that in all iron at present made in England and Scotland, the five different trials upon large anchors, after the former methods, is not more than weighing from 34 to 59 cwt., those made of the about 30,000 tons, as above stated, yet the furnace-refined iron had a manifest superiority reason is, that there is no larger demand in the these cases respectively, the anchors made of over those made of the Orgrounds iron. market for iron so inferior in body and strength the two different sorts of iron were drawn In all as much of this is found to be. The quantity of pig iron and castings annually made in Great equally against each other, with a purchase which it is almost incredible that either should REPORT OF THE ADMIRALTY COMMITTEE It has THE Report present the following "Recapitulation" of the substance of the Report, and the various recommendations which the Committee make. The ComMr. H. Chatfield, Master Shipwright of Deptford mittee consisted of Rear Admiral Smart, K.H., Dockyard, Mr. Andrew Murray, Chief Engineer of Portsmouth Dockyard, Mr. Robert Laws, Storekeeper of Chatham Dockyard, and Mr. builder," of 17 Paynton-terrace, East India Road. Robert Bowman, "Civil Engineer and ShipMr. Chatfield has refused to sign the report, and appended a lucid statement of his reasons for withholding his name from the production of his colleagues. For the succeeding remarks he is therefore in no way responsible; all the credit, and all the disgrace of them belong exclusively to Admiral Smart, and Messrs. Murray, Laws, and Bowman. The recapitulation is as follows: and an engineer officer attached to the Surveyor's in the fitting and equipment of ships, and to ex- They recommend that the morning meeting of the officers should be conducted in a manner to be of more service for communication and proper than is the case at present. Britain is not less than about 85,000 tons, have borne, before either gave way; and not- concert in carrying on the business of the yard withstanding those made of the Orgrounds iron They have made some remarks on the subdivision of the supervision as at present carried out which quantity might be very much increased by increasing the number of blast furnaces. At present, they are but about eighty-five in number in England, Wales, and Scotland, but than any other iron could have borne, or than amongst the chief professional officers of the many more might be worked if the encourage ment was sufficient by a demand for pig iron equal to what Mr. Cort's discovery must occasion when it is brought into general use, for the raw materials are in a manner inexhaustible. the hardest actual service can be expected to These elaborate experiments and severe trials, conditions (the details of which are fully stated) iron. TO THE EDITORS OF THE “ "The second strong circumstance in favour of this iron is, that even now in the infant state of the manufactory, it may be afforded cheaper than the Swedish iron. It is true that for the purpose of having the iron made, upon which the above experiments were tried, 60 tons of old ballast were delivered to Mr. Cort, and he returned no more than 29 tons 3 cwt. 0 qrs. 16lbs. in bars; but the bad quality of that metal, THE NATIONAL DEFENCES. and the quantity of rust and dirt adhering to it, MECHANICS' MAGAZINE." whereby the weight was increased, and some other circumstances disadvantageous to the state in your widely-circulated scientific misGENTLEMEN,-Perhaps you will allow me to yield, afford ample reasons why this should not cellany, for the information of those gentlemen be taken as a just criterion in that respect. For who are now proposing plans for the fortification instance, some of the ballast was in large pieces, of London, that I can suggest, and have long 5, 6, and even 7 cwt. and of such forms that it since made known to the Admiralty and the Gowas impossible to break them; so that it be-vernment, the means whereby all the central and came necessary to melt and run some of them down into pigs before they could be put into the finery-furnace. Others, which were put at once into the refinery furnace, were unwieldly, and therefore were both melted and worked with difficulty, and a very extraordinary waste. But added to these observations, the fact is ascertained, that in a regular course of working the densely-populated portions of London, Paris, St. Dockyards, and they have recommended that have the supervision of it. This will reduce the The Committee consider that the shipwright officers have devoted their time and attention too exclusively to the execution of work of the best quality, and within the shortest possible period, and that they have too much overlooked the question of the cost of the work produced. The fact that upon some urgent and pressing occasions cost is no object whatever in comparison with away from the due consideration of cost for prorapidity of execution, appears to have led them duction of ordinary work in ordinary times. These italics, and others which follow, are employed to facilitate reference to this document hereafter.-EDs, M.M. The want of a proper stimulus to Government | in detail the modes which they would recommend | officers for the efficient and economical manage- for the entries of the names of candidates for emment of the works under their charge being very ployment, and they have prepared forms and apparent in the Dockyards, the Committee have certificates to guard against the entry of inefficient recommended that the cost of every ship built for men or of any man inferior to any other who may ordinary, or completed for sea, and the balance be a candidate. They believe that if these forms sheets of the chief manufacturing branches, are strictly acted up to and enforced, they will showing the net cost of the work produced in produce the effect desired. The Committee have the different Dockyards, should be printed an- also recommended the entry of a greater number nually with the Navy Estimates, and presented to of boys into the yards, and have pointed out Parliament, and circulated to all the Dockyards. where they may be employed with advantage. If this were done, those officers who produced the The Committee have found that the systems of work at the cheapest rate would have credit for promotions have not been working in such a way it, and any officer who allowed the work of his as to ensure the appointment of the fittest men department to cost too much, would be brought to the vacant situations. They have, therefore, to account. Private manufacturers, also, would proposed some alterations in the arrangements, bave an opportunity of judging whether the and that the examination papers for the profesGovernment works were conducted satisfactorily sional officers should be issued from the office of or not, and would check any excessive cost. the Surveyor of the Navy under arrangements which they conceive will not throw much, if any, additional labour on his department, and will ensure uniformity at the yards. They found that by the present system of examination too little weight was given to practical experience and other points in the character of a man to fit him to be a good supervising officer, which could not be tested by any examination, and the possession of which tends to the want rather than otherwise of such knowledge as would enable him to be successful in a competitive theoretical examination on paper. The Committee found that the offices for the foremen or leading men immediately supervising the men in the different workshops were not generally well arranged to enable them to see their men while at work, and many of the shops themselves were badly arranged in this respect, and were lumbered up with material. They recommended that immediate steps should be taken to remedy this evil. The Committee have given much attention to the subject of superannuation to the workmen of the Dockyards, and they are very strongly of opinion that the present system has an injurious effect upon the service, tending to protect an inefficient man and prevent him from being discharged, because the supervising officer considers that after he has served a few years he has a claim upon the service, and that he would lose this by his discharge. The wages paid to the Dockyard men are considered to be lower than those paid to men in private trade, and partly on account of their future superannuation. A feeling, therefore, exists that they are deprived of something which they have earned, and which is their due, if they are discharged; and this leads to an unwillingness en the part of the officer to recommend them to be discharged, or even to report them to their superiors for misconduct, lest this report should lead to that result. The Committee have recom mended that for all future entries of workmen in the yards a system of deferred annuities should be adopted. so that every man on his discharge would take his annuity policy with him, and continne it thereafter or give it up at his own option. By this system the officers would be perfectly free to discharge inefficient or badly-conducted men at any time, and the men would have no cause of complaint: the annuity policy to be withheld if the man left the yard in the time of war, or time of pressure, when his services were required in the yard, and when other men could not be obtained. The Committee have considered the working hours of the yards, and have proposed considerable modification in them. In addition to some other minor alterations, they have arranged a new table of working hours, so as to allow the men one and a half hours exact stopping time for dinner during the whole year, except on Saturdays, and thirtyfive minutes stopping time for breakfast, except during seven weeks of the shortest days. The men, at present, are not allowed to stop for breakfast even in the summer time, which the Committee consider to be a very objectionable arrangement. They have also arranged the hours so that, without lessening the number of hours worked per week during the greater part of the year, the whole of the men of the Dock yard should leave off work on Saturdays at four o'clock. The Committee believe that these arrangements will be agreeable and beneficial to the men, and that they will also be beneficial to the Government, as the total number of hours worked in the year will be increased. The next subject treated of by the committee is that of the entries of men. They consider that the present arrangements have failed to secure in all cases the entry of the best men that could be obtained. They have pointed out The Committee have also taken the liberty of referring to the annual visits of their lordships to the Dockyards and the master of the workmen, and they submit for consideration whether this should be continued, with the half-holiday to the men thereafter, at a cost of about £1,370 for all the yards. The Committee have given much consideration to the three systems under which the payments are made to the workmen for their labour on work performed at the Dockyards. The first system is termed task and job, by which a definite sum of money is paid for each specific piece of work in detail according to an established scheme of prices without defining the whole sum for which a ship or structure is to be completed. The second system is known at the present day as day pay under check measurement," and is nearly the same as that formerly known under the term of "task and job, limited earnings." Under this system, the men are employed on a fixed rate of day pay, and the work performed by them is measured and valued weekly, by the scheme of prices for task and job work, and the men are paid the amount of their week's pay if the value of the work is equal thereto, but if a greater quantity of work has been done, and its value exceeds this amount, they are not paid this excess of earnings, and thus they are not paid for the whole of the work which they have performed, while if the value of the work falls short of their week's wages, they are mulcted to the extent of the deficiency, and do not receive the full amount of their fixed day pay. The third system is the employment of the men on day pay, depending upon the supervision of the officers for the exertions of the men, and, therefore, for the quantity of work performed. The Committee have shown in their Report that the system of task and job has been subject to much abuse. Sister corvettes of 1,462 tons, costing upwards of £3,000 more for shipwrights' labour in one yard than another, though both were paid for by measurement of the work upon them, under the same scheme of prices, and though the work upon both must have been nearly identical; and they have also pointed out other cases of similar discrepancy. They have also shown that the system of day work under check measurement is injurious to the service, as checking the energies of the men who know the prices for each piece of work and value the work as it progresses, and do no more than is sufficient to cover the amount of their weekly wages; and that done, they feel, and tell the officers, that they have no right to exact more. The Committee have recommended the discontinuance of both of these last-mentioned systems, and that all new ships should be built on a system of piecework, defining the price for the whole ship as in private trade. They are of opinion that one of the assistant-surveyors, and an intelligent assistant-master shipwright would require to be directed to make themselves acquainted with this system, as worked in private trade; and that a foremen from a private trade, accustomed to it, should be engaged to introduce it first into one of the yards, and subsequently into the others. The Committee make this recommendation because they attribute the failure up to the present time of obtaining for the Government under task and job work the same advantages that accrue in private trade from the system of piecework to the want of a proper knowledge of how to work it. The Committee consider that all work to which this system cannot be applied should be done by day work under proper supervision; and that all work should cease as soon as possible to be performed under the present system of task and job. The experience of every day confirms the Committee in this opinion, and they would recommend that the leading men should be arranged as soon as possible in the positions recommended in the report, and that all the men should be put upon day work with extra hours, till the arrangements are completed for building new ships by the system of piecework as recommended. The yards are at present worked under the system of task and job, and the cost of the staff of measurers at present employed amounts to the large sum of £15,252 per annum. This is in addition to the ordinary supervision, and for a staff of non-productive men. The cost of the ordinary staff of measurers, with their writers, messengers, &c., is £5,250, as provided for by last year's navy estimates. By the system proposed by the Committee these sums will be entirely saved, and all the advantages of piecework will' still be secured to the Government on all new work and extensive repairs. Eight of the corvettes before referred to cost, for shipwrights' labour, without fitting for sea, 109s. 84d. per ton, and one fitted for sea cost 173s. 11d., while it was stated in evidence to the Committee that a corvette, if built in a private yard, with scantlings, fastenings, and workmanship similar to ships in Her Majesty's navy, fitted for sea, would be about 52s. only per ton for shipwrights' labour. Allowing for any superiority of workmanship in the Dockyard, or other difficulties, the Committee can see no reason why ships should not be built for a price in the Dockyard at least approaching to that paid in private trade, if the same system of working the men as now recommended be adopted, instead of their costing, as in the case quoted above, more than three times as much. With respect to the present shipwright officers the committee are of opinion that there are too many grades, and that a want of clearness exists in defining the duties of each grade. They consider that the present leading men are in a false position, sharing in the earnings of the gang of men to which they belong when on task and job, and expected to perform the duties of a supervising officer on behalf of the Government. The Committee have commented fully upon this in their Report, and they recommend that the position and pay of the leading men should be raised, and that the class of inspectors should be done away with. They also consider that the foremen are more in number than are necessary. By the supervision as proposed by them in their Report, and which they feel confident will be sufficient and superior to the present system, an annual saving in salaries to these classes of officers will be effected to the amount of £9,463 per annum. The Committee have laid down definite rules for the appointment of leading men and foremen, which will ensure greater practical experience in these officers than has hitherto existed in all cases. The Committee have also made arrangements respecting draughtsmen for the mould loft, who require more education; and they have made arrangements for their promotion separately from the more practical officers. The Committee have given much attention to the subject of providing for a future supply of men, properly educated, to be fit to fill the position of the superior officers in the shipwright department. All the officers of the late school of naval architecture are now well advanced in years, and the want of properly-educated successors is becoming seriously apparent. At the last examination for assistant master shipwrights, not one of the candidates came up to the very moderate standard of scientific knowledge laid down as necessary by their Lordships' circulars of 1847 and 1853. The Committee have made recommendations respecting the promotion of the better educated and superior men from the class of workmen, and have at the same time recommended the introduction of superior class pupils to be trained in the dockyards, but without entailing any expense in the form of schools or professors, the number required being so limited. They have recommended the entry of two such pupils at once, two in three years, and one in every third year thereafter, which will be sufficient, with the superior men rising from the ranks, to fill the number of positions as assistant-surveyors and masters-shipwrights, and their assistants at the yards. The Committee consider that none but these last-named officers, about twenty in number, required to be possessed of superior scientific acquirements, and to be men of general know. ledge and general experience; and that all these officers should be looked upon as superior officers, and distinctly marked from the grade of foremen, who should be experienced practical men. The Committee have, therefore, recommended that a clearer line than hitherto should be drawn between these classes of officers, in the same manner as between the commissioned and noncommisioned officers of the army and navy. Respecting the joiners' department, the Committee have made some recommendations with a view to improve the supervision, and have recommended the increase of the use of machinery in that department in some of the yards. The wheelwrights department was found to require improvement in most of the yards, both as regards supervision and machinery. The Committee have recommended the entry of more painters, instead of continuing the practice of employing labourers to such an extent as has hitherto obtained. With regard to labourers, the Committee consider that the supervision over them hitherto has been far below what is required, and they recommend the appointment of two foremen, under the boatswain of the yard. They also recommend an increase of wages to the labourers, as they are satisfied that the wages of 13s. per week, as now given, are not sufficient to maintain a man in proper working condition if he has a wife and family depending upon him. The Committee found the complaint general that there were not enough labourers to save the employment of skilled artificers at high wages to do labourers' work, and they have recommended that labourers be added to the different workshops, and that two labourers should be attached to, and form part of, every gang of shipwrights, to fetch stores and remove chips, shavings, &c. They also recommend that scavelmen be re-introduced to work for the shipwrights, erect stages, assist in getting heavy weights on board ships, and other work. The Committee recommend that the saw mills, as is the case at Chatham, the millwright shops, and the smitheries at all the yards, and the block mills and distilling apparatus shop at Portsmouth should be placed under the chief engineer, for the reasons before referred to. The Committee have made recommendations for improving the efficiency of the metal mills at Chatham, as also the lead mills there. The Committee recommend that the East Ropery at Devonport should be converted into a spinning mill, in addition to the increase of the spinning machines at Chatham for spinning yarn by ma | chinery for the whole service, and that the laying The Committee recommend that more complete economical to work. the means of locomotion in the yards, and that a better standing than the present leading man of storehouses to be placed over the stores, to attend especially to the issues, as the clerks in the storehouses are occupied in their duties in the offices, and cannot attend to this duty personally. The Committee found generally a want of attention to keeping up a store of properly seasoned material, especially for joiners' use and for wheelwrights' use, and they recommend greater attention to this point. They consider that the contracts and schedules require revising, as well as the standard patterns. They have made remarks in their Report on several points connected with the receipt of stores, especially as regards the chemical analysis of copper, paint, &c., at Chatham, the repair of articles for store, the preservation of storesespecially made masts and mast timber-and the appropriation of obsolete stores. With respect to the Director of Work's department, the Committee recommend more concert with the department who are to use the buildings about to be erected; and they show reasons in the Report for this recommendation. They recommend an alteration in the system of taking the local contracts, so that the Government material may be more largely used; and they recommend the engagement of a few workmen, With respect to the dockyard schools the Com-under the clerk of works, to be employed on small jobbing work, now done by day-work by men mittee have made several recommendations. They under the contractor. consider that no boys should be selected above their companions to receive a superior education, and then be expected to return to their work thereafter as mechanics. They recommend that the school-room should be opened gratuitously in the evenings to a limited number of men as well as boys, and that the schoolmasters should then act in the same manner as private tutors to those who may be attending, giving instruction to each individually, and not as a class. With respect to the factory department the Committee recommend that the men should be continued as hired men; but that a system of deferred annuities should be introduced, free from the objections to the present system of superannuation for the Dockyard men. They do not recommend the introduction of task and job work into the factories. They recommend the printing and appending the balance sheets to the navy conduct the works under their charge economically. estimates to give a stimulus to the officers to They recommend greater control to be exercised by the storekeeper of the yard, and over the cash payments of wages of the factories by the accountant of the yard. They recommend addiThey recommend more definite pay and position tional supervision over the factory at Sheerness. to the junior superior officers of the factories, and that the qualification of those officers should be more thoroughly tested before they are appointed. over the stock of stores in the factory storehouses With respect to the clerks of the dockyards, the Committee consider that the examination before entry should include mensuration of surfaces and solids, as their duties require them to take the measurements of works and of timber and other materials. The Committee also consider that the discipline of the clerks in the offices is not in a satisfactory state, and they therefore recommend that the signing of the declaration enforcing obedience to all senior to them in their depart ment, as required by the instructions, should be attended to at all the yards. Clerks appear also In conclusion, the Committee remark "that to have been promoted by seniority alone in of the officer under whom they were serving, of the Dockyards; but they are in accordance with some cases, and without reference to the opinion many of the recommendations submitted by them are not supported by the evidence of the officers which is prejudicial to the service. The Committee have found that the quarterly certificate saying:-"The Committee have had occasion to the practices of private trade." They finish by that the conduct of the clerk had been satis-point out many alterations, but they have profactory during the past quarter, before he is to posed no changes where they did not think them receive his salary, has in some yards fallen into disuse, and they consider that it has failed in well-being of the service in the Dockyards, and necessary for the improvement and the future being useful by being too severe. officer is inclined to deprive a clerk of his whole faults, these faults are to be attributed more to the No superior they feel that wherever they have pointed out income by taking upon himself to refuse to sign system as a whole than to the men. Errors and this certificate merely because the clerk has not been so diligent as he might have been. faults will gather and increase with the age of Committee have therefore recommended, in lieu of every establishment, and few establishments of this certificate, that a certificate should be required parison with private establishments of the day; such old standing as the Dockyards will bear comfrom every chief officer under whom a clerk may but it is the comparison which the Committee be serving, before he receives the annual rise of have endeavoured to bring to bear upon them; pay due to his position, stating that his conduct and they think that credit will be given to them and attention have been satisfactory. The Com- for having had no other object in view in their mittee are of opinion that this power in the hands remarks than the benefit of the service." of a superior officer will be duly exercised by him, and will be productive of much good; but the refusal of the certificate should not be looked upon in too serious a light by the authorities in London, and lead them to believe that because it is refused an inquiry should therefore be made whether the clerk should be retained in the service; because, in that case, again, the strenuousness of such a measure would make the superior officer hesitate to refuse the certificate, and the object of stimu-ing those messages to the eye by the ordinary letters lating any young clerks who are capable of exertion, but who have only been idle or indifferent, would be lost. The The Committee have recommended a man of The following paragraph is going the round of the newspaper world: The Austrian (American) telegraphist, Mr. Hughes, has added another great improvement to the science of telegraphy. He has invented a telegraph which at once supersedes the whole system of telegraphic signals as now in use. The new instrument, without causing more wires to be used than at present, transmits messages, indicatof the alphabet. The advantage of the instrument is, that it can be used by any person who can spell a message. It is small and portable. Any railway guard may carry one in his pocket." We need only say we do not believe this. THE PUMPING ENGINE AT THE NEW. By Mr. ROBERT MORRISON, of Newcastle-on-Tyne." THE pumping engine forming the subject of the -present paper was constructed by the writer for the Whittle Dean Water Works, and has been erected near Benwell, a village about two miles west of Newcastle-on-Tyne, where filter-beds and an extensive pure water basin have likewise been recently constructed. About ten miles west of Benwell, at Welton, there are eight extensive collecting and settling reservoirs, called the Whittle Dean reservoirs, containing at their ordinary high water level 600 million gallons of water, but capable of holding a much greater quantity. The average low water level of these reservoirs is 360 feet above the high water line in the Tyne, and the water is conducted into the towns of Newcastle and Gateshead through a 24-inch cast-iron main by gravitation. Owing to the extension of these towns up the banks of the Tyne, considerable portions of them are above the level to which the water will flow direct from Welton. To supply these districts an engine and reservoir were constructed some years ago at Gateshead; which afterwards proving insufficient through the increased demand for water, the engine here described was erected, and can now at all times supply the highest districts by gravitation alone with an unlimited quantity of water. Down the bank opposite Benwell, at about the level of high water in the Tyne, runs the 24-inch Welton main, from which a 10-inch branch has been led up the hill side a distance of 2,240 feet to the filter beds already mentioned, which are placed at a level of 246 feet above the high water line in the Tyne. The water passing from the beds to the pure water basin is conducted to the engine suction pipe, and is driven through another 10-inch main 3,850 feet long into a second recently formed reservoir at the top of the bank at High Benwell, 412 feet above high water in the Tyne, from which the town is supplied through a 10-inch main. When it is not required to pass the water through the filtering beds or pure water basin, the 10-inch branch from the Welton main delivers the water into a well 20 feet deep, whence it is pumped by the engine as before to the second reservoir up the hill. The height from the bottom of the well to the end of the delivery pipe in High Benwell reservoir is 182 feet, which is the height the engine has been lifting during the experiments; for the depth of Read at a late meeting of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, water in the well has generally been about equal The pumping engine, which was erected twelve chamber I in the bed-plate to which the suctionpipe K leads from the well; and a back-flap valve of india-rubber is fixed at the extremity of the pipe K at the bottom of the well, 20 feet below the pump suction-valves. The delivery-valves are exactly similar to the suction-valves, and immediately over them, and they are connected by a horizontal pipe L parallel to the pump B, from which the delivery-pipe M leads off, proceeding direct to the main. A branch is carried off obliquely from the main to the air vessel, which is situated outside the building, and is 3 feet diameter and 12 feet high. Two small air-vessels NN are also fixed on the top of the pump B, immediately over the two delivery-valves. The steam cylinder is fitted with a separate expansion slide working on the back of the ordinary slide valve. This arrangement is shown enlarged in Figs. 4 and 5. Both slides are worked by fixed eccentrics, but the expansion is made variable by means of a slotted link R, vibrating on a centre fixed to the bed plate, and permanently connected to the rod of the expansion slide 0, which is attached to the centre of the link, the eccentric rod being connected to a sliding block worked up and down the slot by means of a engine is at work. There is an index on the side screw, which can be readily adjusted whilst the of the link to show the degree of cut-off. The exhaust steam is discharged into a cistern, S, cast in the foundation plate, into which the cold feed by this means the feed water is heated, and is water is injected through a perforated pipe, T; then pumped from the cistern into the boiler. A glass gauge on the side of the cistern indicates the level of the water, as it is desirable that there should not be more than 3 inches deep in the cistern. 4 feet stroke, and the pump B, which is worked |