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tions; we must, therefore decline acceding to Prof. Johnson's request. We have already said that, as the citizens of Philadelphia are those who are most interested in the truth or falsehood of these charges, the most of which have no scientific bearing whatever, it is in the daily press of our city that the discussion ought to be carried on, and if the charges find their way into the newspapers, the friends of the parties concerned will, we have no doubt, reply, and the truth will be developed. But the questions, whether the Superintendent of the Philadelphia Gas Works has, or has not, "a direct or indirect interest in keeping up the price of gas;" or if he has such, whether it influences him against the adoption of proper improvements; and whether he does, or does not, "surround the subject of gas making with mystery," and other questions of this nature, we again most respectfully suggest to Prof. Johnson, have no appropriate place in our Journal, nor do we think they have in his edition of Knapp's Chemical Technology. COм. PUB.

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND THE ARTS.

Report on A. G. HECKROTTE's Self-Acting Safety Coupling for Rail road Cars.

The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination the self-acting safety coupling for railroad cars, invented by A. G. HECKROTTE, Washington city, D. C.,

REPORT

The apparatus consists of a flat box, figs. 1 and 2, containing the necessary arrangements for securing the head of the coupling bar A, which is received in an opening by guides which are constructed with a sufficient flare to allow of its entrance at any angle at which it would be likely to be presented. The bar on its entrance, finds itself opposed by a disk or friction roller. C, on one side and a tumbler, B, of peculiar shape on the other; a slight revolution of each of these allows the head of the bar to pass, until, in revolving, a notch on the tumbler is caught by a trigger, D, arranged for the purpose, and which prevents the bar, when acted upon by traction, from being drawn from the box. The trigger is allowed to extend beyond the box and front of the car, so that, when the train is brought into such a position as to endanger the passage of a car by being thrown too obliquely one to another, the trigger is acted upon by the front of the car preceding and the coupling is immediately disengaged.

The arrangement of the apparatus is such that the cars are coupled instantly by merely running them together, and the fastening is completed without any farther intervention; in this the chief merit of the invention consists; it also has the important advantage of permitting

the cars to be uncoupled at will, even when all the couplings are tightly strained, which cannot be done by the usual arrangement.

The committee are convinced of the great utility of Mr. Heckrotte's invention in the coupling and uncoupling of cars in a neat and effective manner, with much less danger to life and limb than the ordinary method.

The statistics in possession of the committee are not sufficient to assure them that the immediate uncoupling of cars in motion is more likely to prevent accidents than the retaining them together; there are facts enough, however, in which the lives of passengers have been saved by the continuity of the train being preserved, to warrant a doubt as to this question.

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Mr. Heckrotte has a very ingenious and neat method of constructing the tumbler, the shape of which requires great nicety in its formation; a plan of this is shown in the drawing accompanying the report.

By order of the Committee,

June 8th, 1848.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary.

Report on MR. S. COLTON's Improved Door and Pad-locks. The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania for the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination an improvement in Door and Pad-locks, invented by Sabin Colton, of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

REPORT

That the peculiarity of Mr. Colton's locks is this:Three circular metal disks are placed in a frame having three grooves cut in it of the proper size, in which the disks turn freely and independently on the same axis. This frame carries the detent or catch

which holds the bow in the case of the padlock, and is thrust back by means of a spring when unlocked. The circular disks project above the frame which carries them, and in one position, the projecting parts are cut down even with the frame, so as to allow it to move backwards and forwards freely in the lock. Each disk has a hole or slot drilled into it, to which a projecting point from the key fits, and it is so constructed that when the key is turned in a given direction, the disks can be brought to the position where they do not project above the frame; but if it is turned in the contrary direction, they can never be brought to this position, owing to the manner in which the slots. are cut in the disks. On the inner side of one of the faces of the padlock, three grooves are cut, into which the disks will fit. When the frame is thrust forward by pressing on the key, the detent which it carries is forced into the catch in the bow of the padlock, and in this position the grooves on the face of the padlock are immediately over and in the same line as the disks, and by turning the key the latter will enter them, and the lock is then fastened. Now turning the key in the opposite direction, the disks cannot be brought to the position where they all shall be out of the grooves on the face of the padlock. And when the motion of the key has been reversed in this manner, it is impossible to make a key from an impression of the wards, taken in this position. And as there is no rule for making the key, and no two are made alike, a key will only open the particular lock for which it is made. Thus rendering it a matter of extreme difficulty to pick the lock. The same contrivance is applied to door and fire proof locks. The frame into which the disks are inserted is caused to slide down (by pressing on the key) behind the bolt, and thus prevents it from being pushed back, and when in this position, the disks are turned by the key into the grooves cut for them. When by turning the key in the proper direction the disks are brought out of the grooves, the frame is caused to fly up by means of springs, and the bolt may be pushed back, and the door unlocked. The bolt is moved backwards and forwards by means of a handle like the ordinary locks of doors. And this is a great advantage in Mr. Colton's lock, that the sliding of the bolt is independent of the arrangement for locking it, thus diminishing the size and friction of the parts which the key has to turn, and allowing the key to be made of a small and convenient size. The keys of Mr. Colton's fire proof locks are very little larger than the ordinary brass dead-latch key. From the form of the wards and the key hole it is not an easy matter to blow the lock to pieces by gunpowder, as the charge would be blown out of the key hole before it would break the lock.

The Committee have only further to remark that Mr. Colton's locks are characterized by simplicity of arrangement and construction, and are not liable to get out of repair. They are a useful invention and an improvement over the ordinary form of locks, attaining all the advantages of the most complicated construction.

By order of the Committee,

WILLIAM HAMILTON, Actuary.

June 8th, 1848.

JOURNAL

OF

THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

FOR THE

PROMOTION OF THE MECHANIC ARTS.

AUGUST, 1848.

CIVIL ENGINEERING.

The General Railroad Law of the State of New York.

An Act to authorize the formation of Railroad Corporations. [Passed March 27, 1848.]

(Continued from page 13.)

Sec. 21. In case any married woman, infant, idiot or insane person, or any unknown owner, or owners not personally notified to appear, and who shall not appear after such notice on the appointment of commissioners, shall be interested in any such lands, real estate and property, the court shall appoint some proper person to appear before the said commissioners and act as attorney for and in behalf of such married woman, infant, idiot, insane person, unknown owner or nonappearing owner, not personally served with notice.

Sec. 22. If at any time after the location of the track of said road, in whole or in part, and the filing of the map thereof, it shall appear to the directors of the said company, that the line in some parts thereof may be improved, it shall be lawful for the said directors from time to time to alter the line, and cause a new map to be filed in the office where the map shewing the first location is or shall be filed, and may thereupon proceed to take possession of the lands embraced in such new location, that may be required for the construction and maintenance of said road on such new line, and the convenient accommodations appertaining to the same, and acquire the same either by agreement with the owner or owners, or by such proceedings, as near as may be, as are authorised under the preceding sections of this act, and use the same in place of the line for which the new line is substituted. Sec. 23. Whenever the track of said railroad shall cross a railroad VOL. XVI.-3RD SERIES-NO. 2,-August, 1848.

7

or highway, such railroad or highway may be carried under or over the track, as may be found most expedient, and in cases where an embankment or cutting shall make a change in the line of such railroad or highway desirable, with a view to a more easy ascent or descent, the said company may take such additional lands for the construction of such road or highway on such new line, as may be deemed requisite by said directors. Unless the lands so taken shall be purchased or voluntarily given for the purposes aforesaid, compensation therefor shall be ascertained in the manner in this act provided, as nearly as may be, and duly made by the said corporation to the owners and persons interested in such lands, the same, when so taken on compensation made, to become part of such intersecting railroad or highway, in such manner and by such tenure as the adjacent parts of the same highway may be held for highway purposes. Sec. 24. If any such corporation shall, for its purposes aforesaid, require any land belonging to the people of this state, or to any of the counties or towns, the commissioners of the land office, and county and town officers respectively having charge of such land, may grant such lands to such corporation, for a compensation which shall be agreed upon between them, and if they shall not agree upon a sale and price, the same may be taken by the corporation as is before provided in respect to other cases.

Sec. 25. If the transportation of property on the railroad of any company formed under this act, running parallel or nearly parallel to any canal of the state, and within thirty miles of said canal, other than ordinary baggage of passengers transported thereon, shall in the opinion of the legislature, divert business of transporting property from any of the canals belonging to this state, the company owning such railroad shall pay to the canal fund, on all property transported upon its railroad other than the ordinary baggage of passengers transported thereon, the same tolls that would have been payable to the state, if such property other than such baggage, had been transported on any of such canals. And every such company shall make returns, at such time and in such manner as the commissioners of the canal fund shali prescribe, of all the property transported on its railroad, except the ordinary baggage of passengers transported on the same. And the said commissioners are hereby authorized and required to prescribe the manner in which such tolls so payable to the canal fund by such company, shall be collected and paid, and to enforce the collection and payment thereof, and to make such regulations as they shall deem proper for that purpose; and every such company that shall neglect or refuse to comply with any such regulation shall forfeit to the people of this state the sum of five hundred dollars for every day it shall so neglect or refuse; and in every case of such forfeiture it shall be the duty of the attorney general to prosecute such company for the penalty, in the name of the people.

Sec. 26. If the legislature of this state shall, after the expiration of ten, and within fifteen years from the completion of any such road, make provision by law for the re-payment to any such company of amount expended by them in the construction of the said road, to

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