PIL

292

tlie centre pin of which, passing through the latch, r s t,catches the eye of the ram by the hook, t, and is dischargedby the line r , when the men snatch it. The weight, s, is tocause the hook to catch ; and the loop ,f is attached to thewooden follower, which guides it between the uprights.

Machines of this kind are frequently actuated by steam-engines. A pulley, fixed on the end of the spindle, h, inplace of the handle, k, receives an endless rope from somewheel put in motion by the engine ; one man then attends it,to throw the spindle endwise at the proper time, to permitthe descent of the follower ; but we have seen one in whichlevers, and a connecting rod from the inclined plane, m, wereused to disengage the spindle the moment after the followerdischarges the ram ; by adopting these means much expenseof labour would be saved, as the steam-engine which is after-wards to be employed in pumping the water out of the coffer-dams, would drive the piles for them and for the foundations.

The piles of the works of old Westminster-bridge (a newone is now, 1858, in course of erection) were driven by a horse-machine, invented by Mr. Yaloue. A pair of the uprights( See Figures 1 and 2), but thirty feet high, were erected at oneend of a frame, which supported a vertical shaft, turned roundby the horses, and the framing was of course large enoughto admit a circular walk of sufficient size for them to workin, when they drew the ends of arms or levers projectingfrom the vertical shaft. The whole was erected upon a plat-form, which was built over a barge in the manner of a deck.The vertical shaft had a wheel or drum upon it, to wind upthe rope of the follower, and it was in the construction ofthis part that the invention lay. A section of the upper partof the vertical shaft and drum is given in Figure 8, and a planin Figure 9. Here a is the great upright shaft, or axle,turned by the horses attached to the levers, which are notshown. The cog-wheel, B, turns the pinion, x, having a fly, O,at the top to regulate the motion, and to act against thehorses, and keep them from falling, when the ram is disen-gaged. The drum, C, is loose upon the axle of the shaft, A,but is locked to the wheel, b, by the bolt, y. On this drumthe great rope, h, is wound, one end of it being fixed to thedrum, and the other to the follower, passing over properpulleys. In the follower are contained the tongs, whichtake hold of the ram, by the staple for drawing it up, asdescribed in Figure 2 ; d is a spiral, or fusee, fixed to thedrum, c, on which winds the small rope, t : it goes over apulley, and has a small counterpoise hung to the end of it,which hinders the follower from accelerating as it goes downto take hold of the ram; for, as the follower tends to acquirevelocity in its descent, the line, t, winds downwards uponthe fusee on a larger and larger radius, by which means thecounterpoise acts stronger and stronger against it ; and soallows it to come down with only a moderate and uniformvelocity. The bolt, Y, locks the drum to the great wheel,being pushed upwards by the small lever, 3, which passesthrough a mortise on the shaft, a, and turns upon a pin ; thelower end of the bolt is guided by passing through a piece ofwood, 6, fixed into the great shaft, and the upper end passesthrough an arm of the wheel; the lever, 3, has a weight, 4,which always tends to push up the bolt, y, through the wheelinto the drum ; s i is the great lever, turning on thecentre, m, and resting its end, g, upon the forcing bar, 5,which goes down through a hollow in the shaft, a, and bearsupon the little lever, 3. The other end of the lever, l, islong enough to reach the uprights, and has there a smallrope, extended from its end up to the inclined planes, so thatthe follower, when drawn to the highest, pulls this rope, andraises the long end, l, of the lever, depressing the other, andforcing the bar, 5. By the horses going round, the great

i l

P I L

is "

rope, h, is wound about the drum, C, and the rani g t)i eup by the tongs in the follower, till they come tof'

a» tl , (to,

it ca0 I.<!

t is 8 S

that P u ^ ( |,e

all®

■rS

inclined planes, which, by shutting the tongsopen them below, and so discharge the ram,down between the uprights and the pile,it by a few strokes as far into the ground asor as is desired ; after which, the top pa 1 '

off close to the mud, by an engine for tl.

Immediately after the ram is discharged, a p>e c ® offollower takes hold of the rope, which raises the en ^ ( j 0l vnlever l G, and causes its end, G, to descend, and P 1 ' dr***?the forcing-bar, 5, upon the little lever, 3, which, by ^down the bolt, y, unlocks the drum c, from the g re ^ olVJ) b jb ; and then the follower being at liberty, come® to ng 9its own weight to the ram ; and the lower ends^

slip over the eye of the ram, the weight of their

caf

heads

hi,

i it to

As

tlie

b» cl

b-

tlie

them to fall outwards, and fasten upon it: then4, pushes up the bolt, Y, into the drum, which loehgreat wheel, and so tlie ram is drawn up as befffollower comes down, it causes the drum, C, to -- g)ward, and unwinds the rope from it, while the u nir' tcrgreat wheel, the pinion x, and the fly, go on with aa ,, ir( i, tj 1rupted motion ; and as tlie drum is turning k® c ^ v ^ 0 n 1,1counterpoise is drawn up by its rope, t, winding ^

spiral fusee, n. druh 1 ’ ^

There are several holes in the under side of the jriithe bolt, y, always takes the first that it finds, when j vvh’ cstops by the falling of the follower upon the ram? h 0 '^stoppage the bolt has not time to slip into any 0 cr °°\ e j

u-oduced by ^ g „d

But the same effect is more certainly prlever, t, Figure 9, fixed on the framing, K,the vertical shaft; one end of this has a rol 6'>pressed upon by the great rope, n, while the ot 1

the vertical shaft; one end of this has a r0 .l g' r ’en<l ^ 0 e jt

the z? ^

down the catch, 5, of the forcing-bar, but as soon le' - ^rope slackens, it retires, and gives liberty to tne^

long

as the g rc

3, to push up the bolt. As long as the gw * ^llof^tension upon it, to support the weight of the y aIll ^| iethe crooked lever is kept in' close contact with^ ^it. V _

"keeps

up

as

tli efl

F 1 '

tb®

tl>«

ail 1 ’

A.t

that tl'^rs® 9

c i j " ■“ — the b°^’i Vi'

bar, and when that is depressed (to discharge jt do.

locking over its catch, 5, the crooked lever ce , r0 pe ) V ci'till the follower touches the ram ; the g rea ro0 j.ed e 'slackens, and the spring, v h, discharges the rt y to ^from the catch of the forcing-bar, and S lveS )( j t0 locksmall lever, 4, to push up the great bolt, a 1drum to the great wheel, when the ram is d iaas before. _ ., ia t u- , sl ,.

The peculiar advantages of this engine are, cg of b jtof the ram, or hammer, may be raised with the lie'A ,,1 iinstead of men ; that when it is raised to a P® l gt freereadily disengages itself, and falls with the u s pee<W|)ft itthat the forceps, or tongs, are lowered ^° w ” aI1) , a 11(1 ^ e s linstantly of themselves again lay hold of the ^ t he g®up ; on which account this machine wifi r ' ^ thenumber of piles in the least time, an “ ' tb®

labourers. Ariv eJl

The piles at Westminster bridge, whe gU t on, , th®above machine till they were quite firth, ''j® s ui'b ic6 ., t ei °,water, by a machine, to a level with * . e coh s !f gground, to build the piers upon. This tnac the Pp 0 ,-iU e ^a framing adapted to fit upon the 0PP er P a , {ra*° e t afixed fast thereto. The lower part , ,_ v j z0 ntofly

J ' nit

guides for the saw, which reciprocated ho 11 j |a j vtain depth beneath the top of the P'l®t, an ga w ""cause it .to advance ^ e -.,du'

*9 ?>

up to

the cut.

motion by ropes from each end, which "' el g oa t ofproper pulleys, to two men standing on a £

surface. After fixing the machine, beiof

co» au ; 0 ft