PREVENTING ACCIDENTS ON RAIL

WAYS.

The repeated accidents which have occurred on the Grand Junction Railway since its opening, have produced considerable excitement amongst those connected with the railway system, both as proprietors and travellers. It has been stated that more serious accidents have happened upon this line during the short time it has been worked, than on the Liverpool and Manchester during all the years it has been at the service of

the public. Numerous plans have been from time to time suggested for the prevention of such mishaps, and not a few have been published in our pages; surely from the whole of them some efficient method could be designed. We add to the list of suggestions the following: Plan by P. Lecount, Esq. C.E., F.A.S. (From the Railway Times.)

"Sir-I shall be glad to lay before the public, through your valuable publication, the following plan for conducting railway travelling, which will, I think, render accidents to passengers next to impossible; and

I should be glad if those persons most interested in the question will point out any objection to it, that they may, if possible, be obviated.

"I propose, instead of attaching the engine close to the foremost carriage, to fix the train to it by a chain of a sufficient length to allow the train to be stopped by the brakesmen when any accident happens to to the engine. The engine first meeting all obstacles, and being subject to upsetting, getting off the rails, &c., is the means, as railways are now worked, of doing all the ultimate damage to the carriages; but by my plan it will be next to impossible, with a proper look out, for any damage to happen to the carriages at all. The chain should be fixed to a roller, so that it could be wound up when the engine backed astern to keep it clear of the wheels; and when the train approaches the station, the engine and train should be gradually approximated, in order that the train might be brought into the station; this can be done by the roller with ease, as I have found by trial, that I can draw up a train of loaded earth-waggons with one hand when being towed by an engine, so as to render the connecting chain quite slack.

"Yours, truly,

Februrary 26, 1838.

66

"P. LECOUNT."

Plan by R. Prosser, Esq., C. E.

In tra

(From the Birmingham Advertiser.) "No system of telegraphic signals of the ordinary kind can be serviceable on a railway, because that implies that the road should be divided into stations, and an accident occurring between stations could not be communicated without great loss of time, and the velocity which the trains acquire on a railway will not admit of this loss of time. Any system of light upon a railway would be useless in foggy weather, for no artificial light with which I am acquainted, can penetrate a dense fog; either of these methods are clearly inapplicable. velling by railway, it has always appeared to me that too much was exacted from the engineer, who, in my estimation, has quite sufficient to attend to in working his machine. I would therefore propose that the engineer be placed, as in steam-boats, under the control of a captain or person whose sole business should be the direction of the train. I would furnish this person with as long a speaking-trumpet as it might be found convenient to carry. I should place another person behind each train with a similar apparatus; if these trumpets were mounted upon light wheels, I believe that a velocity of at least 20 miles per hour could be com

municated to the apparatus, upon the principle of the velocipede.

"In the event of an accident occurring between stations, either one or both of these apparatus could be started for assistance, and the trumpet used as a means of alarm, long before his arrival.

"By applying the ear to the small end, in the event of the train to which he belonged standing still, he would be able to hear the approach of another train in time to prevent accident, and before they hove in sight, could communicate his wants. I should also recommend that each of the stations be supplied with two speakingtrumpets, which might be used in the same manner as the others, for speaking or hearing.

"The above is merely an outline of the method 1 propose to your consideration: I shall now procede to give you the proofs upon which I ground its recommendation: -Soon after the accident of the 9th of September, I had a speaking-trumpet constructed, and with an assistant, I have held distinct conversations at more. than a mile distance; and, judging from the effect, this was by no means the limit, but I could not conveniently command a greater distance, or spare time from other avocations; of course, any artificial sound communicated through the tube would be heard at a distance depending upon the intensity of the original sound.

"I lay no claim to discovery, because I am aware that the speaking-trumpet is of remote origin, and that useful publication, the Mechanics' Magazine, No. 750, contains an extract from Blackwood's Magazine, under the head "Acoustic Telegraph,' which I enclose, because it will shorten this communication, and it contains in a short compass much which I had quoted at greater length from Nicholson, Somerville, Lieutenant Foster, M. M. Biot, Arnot, Young, Perrole, Chladin, La Grange, Derham, Morland, Gough, Hassenfratz, Dr. Moyse, Monsieur Charles, Walker, Robinson, Hutton, &c. &c. The modern application of the Stethoscope is a beautiful illustration of a mode of rendering audible, sounds too feeble for the human ear to discriminate without artificial aid.

"This communication might be made much longer. I have said sufficient to put you in possession of my notions, and although I have apparently added to the expense of each trip, I am sure it will be found not really so; but I am quite confident that, by the adoption of this plan, a further sacrifice of life may be prevented, at a cost too trifling to form an objection, and furnishing a means of telegraphic despatch along the

Sir,-To corroborate my statements made in one of your late numbers respecting" railway mileage," I subjoin those sections of the " London and Birmingham Railway Act," that appear to have been, either misunderstood, or overlooked.

"Section 171. And be it further enacted, that all persons shall have free liberty to pass along and upon, and to use the said railway, with carriages properly constructed, as by this act directed, upon payment only of such rates and tolls as shall be demanded by the said company, not exceeding the respective rates or tolls by this act authorized, and subject to the rules and regulations which shall from time to time be made by the said company, or by the said directors, by virtue of the powers to them respectively by this act granted.

"Section 173. And be it further enacted, that it shall be lawful for the said company to demand, receive, and recover, to and for the use and benefit of the said company for and in respect of passengers, beasts, cattle, and animals conveyed in carriages any toll not exceeding the following: (that is to say,)

"For every person conveyed in or upon any such carriage, the sum of two pence per mile. For every horse, mule, ass, or other beast of draught or burthen, and for every ox, cow, bull or neat cattle, conveyed in or upon, &c. &c. &c. 1d. per mile. For every calf or pig, conveyed in or upon &c. &c. d. per mile. For every sheep, lamb, or other small animal conveyed in or upon &c. &c. td. per mile.

"For every carriage of whatever descripnot being a carriage adapted and used for travelling on a railway and not weighing

more than one ton, carried or conveyed on a truck or platform the sum of four pence per mile.

"Section 175. And be it further enacted, that it shall be lawful for the said company, and they are hereby authorized to convey upon the said railway all such passengers cattle and other animals, goods, wares, &c., merchandize, articles, matters, and things, as shall be offered to them for that purpose, and to make such reasonable charges as they may from time to time determine upon, in addition to the several rates or tolls by this act authorized to be taken; provided always that it shall not be lawful for the said company, or for any persons using the said railway to charge for the conveyance of any passenger upon the said railway any greater sum than the sum of 34d. per mile including the rate or toll hereinbefore granted.

[By Sections 180 and 181, the company are allowed to reduce tolls but not to reduce them partially in relation to persons or things.]

"Section 216. And be it further enacted, that in all cases on which the said company of proprietors shall carry for their own profit any passengers, cattle, or other animals, goods, wares, or merchandize, articles, matters or things, a separate accompt shall be duly kept, shewing the amount of rates or tolls which would have been received by the said company for the use of the said railway in respect of such passengers, cattle or other animals, goods, wares, or merchandize, articles, matters or things if carried by any other party or parties; and the overseers of the poor of the several parishes and townships through which the said railway shall pass, shall have free access to, and liberty to inspect the same at any times during the first fourteen days in the months of February and August in each year."

I am, Sir, your's &c.

CHRIS. DAVY.

NOTES AND NOTICES.

Comparison of Speed.-The comparative speed per second is, of a man 4 feet-a horse 12-a rein-deer 26 -a race horse 43-a hare 88-agood ship 19-the wind 82-a cannon ball 1,800. The comparison says the Railway Times, might, we think, be carried with advantage a little further. A railway steamer, travelling at the ordinary rate rate of 30 miles an hour, performs 44 feet per second, which is eleven times the speed of the man walking, nearly four times that of the good horse, twice that of the rein-deer, and only about one-half less than the swiftness of the wind itself. But man, horse, aud rein-deer, all become soon exhausted-even Boreas is sure to "crack his cheeks" before long; while the railway steamer is as fresh and strong at the end of a long journey as at first starting. Miles to it are but as

paces to others. A racer, such as the Flying Childers, might possibly rival the steamer for the last half of a single mile heat; but we know a Firefly that would do more miles in one day than 360 Fiying Childerses. Again, a racer doing one mile in two minutes, and no more, can but carry a feather weight for that brief time and distance, while the steamer could draw the Grand Stand, and half the sporting world along with it, from Doncaster to Newmarket, and thence to the Hippodrome in one day.

Projected Improvements at Deal.-Strenuous exertions are to be made this summer for the revival of the prosperity of Deal, a town which has been in a declining state ever since the return of peace. The principal improvement projected is the erection of a commodious pier, giving every facility for landing and embarking, with a view of attracting some part of the shoals of Londoners, who at present get no further than Margate and Ramsgate, in their summer pleasurings. Arrangements have been made with the Commercial Steam Navigation (ompany, for running a packet daily to and from the metropolis, as soon as the pier-which is to be of wood-is ready to accommodate the passengers. By these means Deal hopes to recover some of its importance in the scale of towns, and commence a race with its neighbour Dover, which has sprung up into consequence as a watering-place within these few years, aided not a little, it must be acknowledged, by local advantages and poetical associations of which Deal cannot boast. Deal has indeed a castle, but she possesses no "Shakespeare's Cliff;"-nor perhaps will Dover ere long, should the South-Eastern Railway Company continue operations on the scale they have begun upon.

The Prepared-Charcoal" Stove.-The question as to the healthfulness of the prepared fuel burned in the new stove, whose exhibition at the Jerusalem Coffee-house and the principal scientific societies of the metropolis has excited so much attention, will soon be set at rest. The patentees announce that they are now ready to supply the demands of the public; so that the new wonder will soon be brought to the test of experience, which has proved fatal to so many wonders of the kind. We shall give an engraving and description of the stove next week. The inventor, Mr. Joyce, has just taken out a second patent, for further improvemnents in the apparatus.

Subterranean Travelling.-The line of railway between Lyons and St. Etienne, the largest manufacturing town and richest coal district in France, is only thirty-four miles in length;-yet, such is the unevenness of the country, and so great has been the anxiety of the engineers to preserve as complete a level as possible, that there are actually no less than twenty tunnels between the two termini! One of these is a mile in length, while another, which is half a mile long, is carried under the bed of a river which crosses the line.

Wonderful Changes.-The Swedish City of Gottenburgh is built principally of stone from Aberdeen, and it is a well-known fact that the dust-heap which was wont to grace the top of Gray's Inn Lane, is now a component part of the city of Moscow, to which it was exported as a material for brick-making, after the conflagration of that city. Greater changes than these are daily brought about by our extended commerce. The first mile out of London of the Kingsland Road is actually macadamized with Chinese stone; a fact which appears incredible until it is explained that the material was brought over in the shape of ballast in the ships

of the East India Company, and disposed of to the road-contractor (who little cared how far it had come) at a cheap rate. In return for this, it is said that the Chinese are indebted for a part of the materials for their porcelain to the English ships, which take out in a similar way the fine chalk of Northfleet and its neighbourhood, which is found to be particularly well suited for the purposes of the manufactures of the Celestial Empire.

The Rocket Safety Apparatus.-A Mr. Gyngell made experiments on the Green near Brecon, with some rockets of his invention for communicating with stranded vessels. He discharged several rockets of different weights. The rope was coiled on a cone formed of light rails of wood, and was carried out the distance of from 3 to 5 hundred yards according to the size of the rocket attached to it. The 2lb. rockets carried nearly 300 yards, and one 6lbs. conveyed the rope a distance of 500 yards, into the fields over the river Usk. Mr. Byers, of Swansea, in a letter on this subject which we inserted a few weeks since, remarks that if rockets could have been obtained at the time of the wreck of the Killarney Steamer, a number of lives might have been saved and the survivors would have been delivered from their dreadful sufferings. He also adduces another case in which they would have been of great service -that of a small vessel seen in distress off the Steep Holmes, by the Lady Charlotte steamer, but after the most strenuous exertions was obliged to proceed on her voyage without being able to effect an approach. It is very seldom that an instance occurs of a vessel striking on a lee shore a greater distance than a quarter of a mile from land; a convict ship was lost about three years since off Boulogne, within 400 yards of the shore, and more than 200 lives were lost. We need hardly point out the utility of the rocket in such cases, and we hope that ere long no vessel will leave port without being provided with this simple and cheap apparatus, the outside cost of which does not exceed 21.; indeed we do not see why the legislature should not make it compulsory.-Silurian.

English Linens in France.-The French manufacturers complain bitterly of the great increase wbich has taken place of late years in the importation of English and Irish linens and linen thread, and call loudly on their government for a higher rate of duty on the foreign goods. It appears from their statements that the quantity has increased upwards of two hundred fold between 1831 and 1837, and that the value in the latter year amounted to something more than seventeen millions of francs, or over seven hundred thousand pounds sterling!

A plan for copying the outline of mouldings, &c., similar to that with which Mr. Heineken has favoured us, was published in our fifth vol. p. 57.

Errata.-Page 4, 2d column, 19th line from top, for "importent" read "impotent;" page 6, first column, 15th line from top, after the word "of," supply the following omission:-" those on board, which ended in the discovery of" flames issuing,&c.; page 5, 2d column, 17th line from top, for "striking" read "strikingly."

Mechanics' Magazine, Complete sets. The proprietor of the Mechanics' Magazine has now effected the repurchase of the earlier portions of the stock of this journal from the parties who were possessed of the same in the right of his first publishers; and he is now able to supply several complete sets of the work. Price, twenty-seven volumes, half-cloth, £11 7s.