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Mechanics magazine
- Bandzählung
- N.S. 5=74.1861
- Erscheinungsdatum
- 1861
- Sprache
- Englisch
- Signatur
- A146
- Vorlage
- Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
- Digitalisat
- Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
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- urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id507363582-186100013
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- http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id507363582-18610001
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- oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-507363582-18610001
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- Projekt: Bestände der Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
- LDP: Bestände der Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
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Mechanics magazine
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Band N.S. 5=74.1861
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- Titelblatt Titelblatt -
- Register Index I
- Ausgabe January 4, 1861 1
- Ausgabe January 11, 1861 19
- Ausgabe January 18, 1861 33
- Ausgabe January 25, 1861 49
- Ausgabe February 1, 1861 69
- Ausgabe February 8, 1861 85
- Ausgabe [February 15, 1861] -
- Ausgabe February 22, 1861 121
- Ausgabe March 1, 1861 137
- Ausgabe March 8, 1861 153
- Ausgabe March 15, 1861 173
- Ausgabe March 22, 1861 189
- Ausgabe March 29, 1861 211
- Ausgabe April 5, 1861 227
- Ausgabe April 12, 1861 243
- Ausgabe April 19, 1861 259
- Ausgabe April 26, 1861 281
- Ausgabe May 3, 1861 297
- Ausgabe May 10, 1861 313
- Ausgabe May 17, 1861 329
- Ausgabe May 24, 1861 345
- Ausgabe May 31, 1861 361
- Ausgabe June 7, 1861 377
- Ausgabe June 14, 1861 393
- Ausgabe June 21, 1861 409
- Ausgabe June 28, 1861 425
- Ausgabe No. 106 I
- Ausgabe No. 107 I
- Ausgabe No. 108 I
- Ausgabe No. 109 I
- Ausgabe No. 110 I
- Ausgabe No. 111 I
- Ausgabe No. 112 I
- Ausgabe No. 113 I
- Ausgabe No. 114 I
- Ausgabe No. 115 I
- Ausgabe No. 116 I
- Ausgabe No. 117 I
- Ausgabe No. 118 I
- Ausgabe No. 119 I
- Ausgabe No. 120 I
- Ausgabe No. 121 I
- Ausgabe No. 122 I
- Ausgabe No. 123 I
- Ausgabe No. 124 I
- Ausgabe No. 125 I
- Ausgabe No. 126 I
- Ausgabe No. 127 I
- Ausgabe No. 128 I
- Ausgabe No. 129 I
- Ausgabe No. 130 I
- Ausgabe No. 131 I
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Band N.S. 5=74.1861
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June 14, 1861.] THE MECHANICS’ MAGAZINE, 303 THE MECHANICS’ MAGAZINE. LONDON; FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1861. THE AUSTRALIAN SOVEREIGN. We were much gratified to find that before the last week’s issue of the Mechanics’ Maga zine— wherein such a course was recom mended—bad been distributed among its sub scribers, Mr. Alderman Salomons bad further questioned the Government as to the colonial gold coinage. We congratulate the hon. member upon having obtained from the Ministry more explicit, and, we may add, satisfactory, infor mation with respect to the Australian sovereign and half-sovereign than had been previously vouchsafed to the public. Although the reply of Mr. Gladstone is not of that decisive character which might be wished, yet we feel a confidence in the result of such a ventilation of the subject as the publica tion of the correspondence referred to will pro duce. Neither the Treasury, the Bank of England, the Colonial Office, nor the Mint, will be in a position to show that the imperiali- zation of the colonial gold coinage will be fraught with other than good both to colonists and inhabitants of the mother country. As we have previously shown, however, the simple method of overcoming the evil so much com plained of at the antipodes and at home is to furnish the Sydney Mint with dies identical in design with those used at Tower-hill. The ornamentation of the Sydney coins, either from defective engraving or some other cause, is inferior in an artistic point of view to those of the London Mint, and hence arises another reason for supplying them with dies of the same stamp as those of the latter place. The inconvenience and expense attending the existence of the two varieties of gold coins in circulation in Australia are only known to their full by those who have sojourned in that country. New emigrants arriving in the colony are very probably unaware till that moment of the fact that gold coins of a different impression to those circulating in England are in use in Australia. Consequently, when payment for labour is made them in those coins, they regard the money with most suspicious eyes, and frequently refuse it altogether. The new emigrant in Australia is, as it were, naturally doubtful of everything and everybody, and especially is he suspicious as to money matters. ITe misses on the sove reigns tendered him the well-known devices of the imperial coin, and straightway regards them as counterfeits. In the colony of Victoria police cases have frequently arisen from the refusal of emigrants to receive other than British-minted sovereigns, and quarrels and litigation on the same ground are common. Emigrants, too, on returning from the colony are subject to considerable annoyance. They remember, only, when on board the homeward- bound ship that the sovereigns in their “lockers” are Australian. Sharpers on the look-out for such cases are in attendance to exchange colonial for British money, but only on payment of a discount of Is. 6d. or 2s. in the £1, and this extortion the unhappy victim must submit to, or bring his Sydney sovereigns home, and be fleeced on his arrival in a similar manner. It is unnecessary toaccumulate evidence in favour of the change proposed; and when the papers pro mised to Alderman Salomons are published, we shall examine them carefully to return to the subject. THE FOULING OF IRON SHIPS. Lord Palmerston stated a few weeks since, in the House of Commons, that iron skips cannot “ keep the sea for any length of time “ where they cannot clear their bottoms of the “ incrusting and the vegetable matter that “ impede the steering and management of the “ vessel.” We quote the language of the Prime Minister as evidence of the deep interest which has been universally taken in the question, and of its commanding importance. This vegetable matter, that tries so severely the patience of our seamen and passengers on long voyages—that tries also the patience of thousands on shore waiting for expected friends, and that is most of all troublesome to our shipowners, who have to pay for its removal, has become an imperial question. Private individuals, public companies, even the Government, wants to get rid of the nuisance. It costs us millions annually. We hesitate to build an iron navy, because iron ships are not so serviceable on long voyages as wooden ships, and on distant stations, where there are no docks for cleaning them. We know that iron is more durable, and in many other respects superior, to wood for ships of war; but this vegetable matter is an obstacle in the path of progress. A new era in the history of naval architecture has lately commenced. For many centuries wood was the only material used for the hulls of ships. By the discoveries of successive gene rations, we had learned the means of preserving it from the destructive action of the elements. This result, however, was not attained until after the introduction of the compound of copper and zinc, called “yellow metal,’’ in 1823. But just when the old material—wood—was per fectly adapted for our use, a new material—iron —was discovered to be superior; and for the last twenty years the substitution of iron for wood, in the construction of merchant steamers, has gone on with a rapidity astonishing even to those who were its earliest and warmest advocates. “ Twenty years ago,” says Mr. Scott Russell, “ not a twentieth part of the steamers “ of England were of iron; and at the present “ time not one steamer in a hundred of our sea- “ going merchant vessels is of wood.” By expe rience we have learned that iron can be made to swim better than wood, and that vessels built of it are stronger, lighter, will carry heavier burdens, and are safer against fire and the perils of the sea than wooden ships of equal size. The prejudices of our sailors, and others connected with our merchant shipping, have gradually given way, and at last vanished. The fouling of the bottom of iron ships cannot be regarded as a sufficient reason for either refusal or delay in employing iron in the con struction of vessels of war. It is a difficulty to be overcome—not a barrier to stop improve ment. The material which has been found so valuable in merchant vessels, and in a very large proportion of our vessels of wav, may be expected to prove no less useful in the con struction of ships designed for long voyages and for stations, where there are no facilities for docking. The disadvantage is trifling, espe cially at a time when the construction of docks and harbours is becoming a local question in our colonies, and is daily attracting greater attention in foreign countries. Even if the discovery of some method of preventing fouling were un attainable or uncertain, we might discuss the question whether it was better to build iron ships for colonial and foreign service, and provide convenient docks for them abroad, or to continue the construction of wooden vessels of war. Would it be cheaper to employ wooden walls for the defence of our possessions and property abroad, or to build iron ships of war, and prepare docks in our colonies for their cleaning and repair ? The latter course, if not the most economical, which is very doubtful, would certainly, considering the interests of commerce and our merchant vessels, be the wiser policy. But the supposition that it is impossible to discover some method of preventing fouling cannot be seriously entertained. The fouling of wooden ships has been prevented, and why not also the fouling of iron ships ? The two problems are similar, and the solution of the former may be regarded as a step to the solution of the latter. A composition of sixty parts of copper, and forty parts of zinc, rolled hot, lias been found to afford protection to the bottoms of wooden ships ; and we now require a new com pound for iron vessels. The sheathing upon the Sans Pared, which lasted thirty years, and which lost only one and one-twentieth ounces per sheet per annum, was a compound of copper, zinc, tin, iron, and silver. The iron in this instance formed part of the sheathing, proving clearly that we require only some metal, or metals, 'to be either incorporated with the iron hull, or attached to it, which will serve the same purpose as the copper, zinc, and tin in the case of the Sans Pared. So near have we approached the required compound; so well-known are the gal vanic properties of these metals, and their re actions when in contact with sea-water; and so easy is it to conduct experiments upon them, that we cannot long remain in ignorance of the method of preventing the fouling of iron ships. Some persons have already supposed that they had solved the problem, but their inventions have not yet stood the test of time and ex perience. So important is this question at the present time, that we think some means should be adopted to stimulate our chemists and metal lurgists to greater efforts for its solution. Pro bably, one reason why it has remained so long an unsolved problem, is because so few men have been engaged in its study. Only in this country has it attracted any considerable degree of attention. Foreign nations can scarcely be said to have commenced the building of iron ships. In France, a few iron-plated ships have been built, but so lately, that the difficulty has not yet been felt, and cannot soon attract the notice of a nation without many foreign pos sessions or a large mercantile marine. The United States has only commenced to build iron vessels, and know nothing by experience of the chief objection to their use. We must, therefore, rely for the discovery of a method of preventing fouling upon native genius, unaided by our neighbours, or by the stimulus of foreign competition. It becomes, therefore, a serious question for us, considering our present posi tion, whether we should employ extraordinary means to hasten the discovery, or rely upon the ordinary stimulus afforded by our present system of patent law. Two parties arc chiefly interested in this question—the Government and our shipowners. Should either of them offer a reward for the discovery of a means of preventing the fouling of iron ships P A few weeks ago we suggested that Govern ment should offer a reward, and as the sugges tion has been generally approved, we may again refer to it. First, we may state that we have not the slightest expectation that the sugges tion, however strongly backed, will ever be acted upon, as such a method of stimulating inventive genius is not in accordance with the settled policy of our Government. Exceptions may be made, as in the case of the discovery of a means of ascertaining longitudes, when Harri son was encouraged to labour for half a life-
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