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AUG. 2, 1901.]

E N G I N E E R I N

G.

139

P I PE - FLANGE

DRILL I

NG

M

CHINE

.

CON 'TR UCTED BY :MR. OEORGE ADDY, SHEFFIELD.

(For

D

esc i

ption, s

rf

14

5. )

- . --..... '-- -

. . . . . . . .v.

- . . . -

....

'

_

,

THE

INSTITUTION

OF ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERS IN GERMANY.

Conclu e from page

126

.)

THE M UNIC

IPAL

EL ECTRI C

IT

Y w

OR

KS AT

N

UREUBER

G.

AN acc

ount

of these work

-s

will be found

in

EN G INEERI NG, vol. lxvi., page 845, our issue of

December 30

, 1898.

Tw

o

new vertical

co

mpou

nd

engines,

of the Mas

chinenf

a

brik

Ni ir

nbe

rg,

with

monophase dynamos, have been

in sta

lled, each of

900 ho rse-power . Th ese engines run at 93.75

revolutions, whilst the

old

engines of 500 horse

power make 125

revolu

tions.

Pa r

a.lle

lising

appears

difficult

under

these circumstances

;

but

one

of

the

big ge

nerat

ors

was started

and

stopped

aga

in

in parallel with the others without trouble. Alto

ge ther 450 motors, co

llectiv

e

ly

of 1300 hor

se

-power,

have b

een

joined

to

the mon

op

h

ase central

station;

they are

most

ly of 10

horse-power

and

less, with a

m

axi

mum of 50 horse -power.

Three alterna

t

in

g

current arc lamps

are

put in series on

the

low

tension mains of 250

volt

s. The electric tramways,

which

have a pretty hard service on the crooked

hilly streets, are no

t

worked from the

monophase

cen tr al.

Their

power stat

ion

was

built by the

A.

E. G., of Berlin,

and

later, was

extended by

t

he

Schuckert

Company.

The

Hunt

coal

disc

harger at

the monophase central was examined with inter

es t

.

The full truck

desce

nds

by g

ravity ;

n ear

the end

of

its

path it

picks up

a

bar, placed

across

the

tr ack at the

de

sired spot ;

the

bar is attached

by

a

wire rope to a counterweight which draws the

truck back as soon as the coal is discharged. Th is is

effected by the two

sides

of the truck swinging o

ut

when

the

vehicle

st rikes

a

gainst

a

fr

og.

Leaving Nuremberg

at 7

A M

on Wednesday

morning- members were kept to

ea

rly hours

he

party arrived at

Frankf

or t -on-the-Main by noon,

and were entertained at lunche on by

the

Elek

tricitats

A ~ t i e n G e e l l s c h a f t vorm. La

hm

e

yer and

Co.,

Pr

ofessor

Salom

ons,

Directo

r F . J o

rdan,

Messrs. Astfalck, Collischonn,

Profess

or

Epstein,

and other members of t he firm, doing the honours.

During their stay

at

Frankfort, and on the excur

sions to Wiesbaden and Homburg, members were

the

guests

of

t

his

firm,

except

at

t he

dinn

er

at

t he

Palmen

G

arten,

which was given

by

the

Electr

o

technische Gesellschaft

of Frank fort.

THE E. A. G., voRl\I. L AHUEYER. AND Co.

Th

e L a

hm

eyer Company is intimately c'-mnected

historically

with the Frank fort Electrical Exhibi-

r

I " "

'

- '

ti

on

of 189

1.

Mr .

W.

La

hmeyer

open

ed

his

bu

s i

ness

in the autumn

of 1890,

and

w

orked

chiefly for

the coming exhibition.

In addition

to the famous

transmission from Lauffen to Fra.nkfort, t here was

in 1891 another electric power transmission of tri

ph

ase currents from Offenbach

to the Exhibition,

a

di

st a

nce of six miles. Th is was La

hm

e

yer and

H as

selwander's wo

rk.

Mo tor generators

in

the Exhi

bition converted

the

triphase currents in to con

tinuous currents, a nd Lahmeyer also exhibited his

first r

otary

converters. The n ew works

in the

H och

st e

r

stra

sse, which \Ve

re

visited

in the afte

r

noon, were built in 1892, and the nam e of

the

firm

was changed

in

to its actual style. Mr. L a.hmeyer

had, how

eve

r, soon to retire owing to ill health.

Bes

id

es

numerous

agencies,

the

firm has affiliated

co

mp

an ies in Bucharest,

Lond

on,

and

Milan.

The

E. A.

G.,

late La

hmeyer,

are

manufacturing

electrical engineers

in the

stricter sense of the word.

Th eir ra nge of

work

comprises almost everything

covered

by the German

term of

' s t

ron

g current

technics, to

the

exclusion of

inst

ru me

nts,

tele

graphic and

te lephonic apparatus, &c.

Electric

machin ery, central stations for ligh t a

nd

power,

moto rs for pumps, cranes, transformers, electro

chemical plants, &c., are t

heir

specialities. Th us

t

hey

desi

gn

and

put

together switchboards,

be

cause

the

switchboard

is

a v

ery

es

se

nt ial

part

of

any

ele c

tric

scheme;

but they do not manufacture a

ny

of

the

in

st

ruments. The factory c

onsists

of two blocks

of buildin

gs

, mostly four-floor edifices, separated by

a. street, th

ro

ugh which one of

the three

railway

connections of t

he

works passes.

The

blocks are

kn own respectively as the east and w

est

block; th e

latter dates only from la

st

year. Th e river is too

far off for connection . The main sh

ops

are labelled

A,

B,

C, D

;

the

yards between them serve as

stores,

and are

bridged

by travelling

cranes.

The

total

area of the site is 310,000 square f

ee t

, and

the

factory now employs 2100 men and a staff of 756

members.

The ele

ctri

c

central

station of

the

works conta

in

s

three

water-

tube

boilers with superhe

aters

, and two

vertical

engines

of 275 horse-powel', at 1

50

revolu

t ions, each driving a continuous-current generator on

the

one, and a t

riph

ase generator on the other side.

Th

e

great

generato

r

set, driven

by

a co

mp

o

und

en

gine

of 1500 ho rse-power, which the firm

exhibited

at

Paris

las t

ye

a

r,

was of the sa

me construction.

To

the shaft was keyed on the one side a triphase

ge

nerator

for

currents

of 5000 volt s, and on

the

other a continuous-current dynamo fol' currents of

-

pI

-

t.\.. .... _ _

..._

_

500

volts ; t he 6 -pole w heel

of

the former,

which

had a.

diameter

of 19 ft . a

nd

weighed

64 tons,

se

rv

ed as a flywheel for

the

se t.

The

exciter fixed

to the triphase- current side formed the

third

dynamo on the

same

sha ft . We s

hall

see that

in some of th e

ir

installat ions the t

wo genera

tors

are placed on the same si

de

of th e engine.

The

firm recomme

nd

s

this combination

driving,

and constructs also double machines, with

two

armatures in j

uxtapo

sit ion, large flywheel arma

tu res,

and

fu r ther armatures with two separa te

windings. An accumulator

battery,

a booster,

and

some portable

eng in

es, c

omp

lete the

power

plant

of the works. ingle electric motor driving

is less conspicuous

than

belt driving. The heavy

machines have, of course, their separate moto rs,

and the

company has its own way of fixing

m

otors

to the walls and ceilings.

The

l

argest

lathes in t he B shop can

tak

e frames, magnet

wheels, and armat

ur

es 20.5 ft. in diameter, and

these pa r

ts

are

t

urned

and

drilled

while

in

t he

vertical position

in

which

they

will

afterwards be

e

rected. The

first tools work on

the

stati

ona

ry piece,

afterwards the piece is

pu

t between centres and

finished while itself revolving. The armature sheets

of large co

ntinuou

s-cur

ren tgenera tors

are ass

embled

and then milled together while

lying

horizo

ntally.

The

milling tools s

lid

e

up

and

do

wn

on

vertical

rods, and three such sets wo

rk

simultaneously

on the same armature. Each machine makes

two slots in four minutes; th us six slots are

finished in that period.

In some

cases

the

oval

holes of

the

armature sheets a

nd

t he s lot opening

towards the circumfere

nc

e are stamped in

one

operation ; this is done only for ve ry la rge sizes.

The bedplate

of

one milling machine

can

be turned

through

90

deg. for the

sim

ultaneous finishing of

two

su

rfaces at

right

angles to o

ne

anothe

r.

Many

of the

machine

tools come from Collet and

Engelhard, of Offenbach, a name t hat was also

often to be seen in

the

'chuckert Works. Others

ar

e of

American or

igin.

Among

the latte

r, the

Gis

holt

tool-

grinding machines de

serve men

tion

.

Shafts, wires, and hollow tools

are

ground on the

long-hole grinding machines of Reinecker.

Piec

e

work,

we

n eed hardly po

int

out, is the general

practice

in the

works.

In

the d ~ s c - s t a . ~ p i n g

~ n d

slotting shops, Lahmeyer's magnehc

holdm

g deVIces

are

used for s

egme

nt sh

ea

rs and

elotting

and stamp

in

g machinea.

The controller

departm

ent furnishes

various

styles

of

controllers for machinery ,

but

no car

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N G I N R N

G

[AuG.

2, rgot.

controllers, although the firm builds motors for THE MuNICIPAL

MoNO

PHASE ELECTRICITY WoRKS

tram- cars, automobiles (constructed as double

OF

FRANKFORT.

now being introduced in

Frankfort

hotels and

private residences, have much

in co

mmon

wi

th the

pump motors

just

alluded to.

The

lifts are built

by

Messrs. Wiesche and Scharff, of Frankfort, and

t he party saw two of them, just installed in the

house of Messrs. Lonhold, in the Kaiserstrasse.

There was no time for an inspection. The motors

are fed

by

monophase currents of 220 volts, and are

started with the aid of

the

electrolytic condenser

mentioned, whose operation is automatic.

Worm

gearing is applied ; there is no speed regulation.

moto rs),

and

mining locomotives. In

the

con- In

the

monophase electricity works of the

s t ~ u c t of cranes, the firm works in conjunction municipality in Speicherstrasse, the members found

W i t ~

the Benrath Engine Works, near Diisseldorf, the machinery of Messrs. Brown, Boveri, and Co.,

whiCh have come to the front of late with their of Baden, in Switzerland, and of Swiss practice,

axial pillar cranes and other types.

The

cranes which they had examined two years ago. The firm

are, as a rule, fitted with

three

continuous-current has a manufacturing branch at Frankfort, and

n1otors, which

are

controlled by

the

aid of t wo their manager conduc

te

d the members over the

levers, o

ne

for each hand;

the

levers

are

manipu- sub-stations. In the power station,

the

chief

lated in the sense of the desired motion of the engineer, Mr.

Kayser,

was the guide of the party.

jib or chain, and the constructions are patented The

station

lies a little way off the River Main,

specialities of

the

Lahmeyer Company. and is separated from

it

by a railway line, over

The

heavy

rain threatened to

spoil

the

Palmen-

which

the

Ruhr

coal, arrivi ng

by

boat, is

taken

by

garten dinner

in the evening,

and

was also indirectly

an

elevated structure.

The

Main water is puri

responsible for

the

non-arrival of

the

members' fied with soda and lime,

and

pumped into high

luggage.

But

luggage

frequently

went wrong with- cylinders, which also receive the conden8ed water;

out any particular cause. Mr. Ha sslacher, Presi- the oil is

drawn off

and the water filtered

through

dent of the Frankfort Elektrotechnishe Gesell- wood wool. The boilers are of various types and

schaft, pr esided, assisted by the burgomaster, Dr. pressures ;

the

generator units, we should at once

V r r e n t r a p p

the British

Consul, Mr. Oppen- mention, are of different powers.

We

find six

heimer,

and

others. Dr.

H. Th.

Simon enter - Steinrniiller boilers for a steam pressure of 142 lb.,

tained the party with

his

singing

arc

lamps, which

with

superheate rs of

about

a quarter of the boiler

produced

the British (and Pr ussian)

national air

so hea ting surface;

six

small Kuhn boile

rs

for steam

well that the company rose, and Mr. J. S. Raworth of 128 lb., now being replaced by four large Kuhn

st ruck the

right

note in his amusing reply for " The boilers for steam of 215 lb.; and also boilers of

Ladies," whose health had been proposed

by

Dr. Messrs. Simonis and Lanz, likewise for a pressure

Astfalck. Members

and their

ladies

had

much of 215

lb

.

Th

e coal consumption is

stated

to

be

cause for appreciation,

and

Mr. Raworth expressed 3lb.

per

kilowatt hour.

their

gratitude in happily-chosen

phras

es. The steam engines, all of the horizontal tandem

. .type, were supplied by Kuhn, of Stuttgart, and by

THE MUNICIPAL ELECTRICITY WoRKS, FRANKFORT- Sulzer Brothers, of Winterthur. The pumps of

BocKENHEIM

.

the

former

are

placed vertically, those of

the latt

er

The Municipal Electricity Works at Bockenheim, hori

zo

ntally. The governors act

in

all cases only

"

suburb

of

Frankfort, are

chiefly

intere

sting as on

the

high-pressure cylinders.

The

generators

one of the earliest examples of

t r i p h a s e

u r r e n t are 500, 1000,

and

2000 kilowatt dynamos, two or

distribution.

They date from 1892, and as a great more of each, eight altogether; the latter very

demand for motive power was expected, direct powerful generators, now under construction, will

high-tension supply without substations, and with supply triphase currents, whilst so far n1onophase

batteries for lighting, to be charged during day- currents are alone generated. Current is gene

time

by

motor-generators, was originally planned.

rated

at 3000 volts and 50 periods ; over 5000

Th

e central station, which was

built by the

Lahmeyer horse-power

in

motors, mostly asynchronous, are

Company, now contains four

triphase

generators joined to the mains, the total power factor

rem

ain

of 1040 kilowatts, and six continuous-current gene- ing as high as 0.8,

it

was said. Owing to some

rators aggregating 400 kilowat ts. Triphase cur- misunderstanding, no electrician was present to give

rents

are supplied at 700 volts

and

40 periods, further explanations. To inform the attendant at

motors down to 3 horse-power being put directly the switchboard of the relative positions of the

on the mains.

The

original two-wire distribution cranks, contacts of a bell circuit have been placed

of the continuous currents has been abandoned in on the revolving spider and on the frame of each

favour of the three-wire

system

with 110 volts generator.

on each side of the earthed wire. There are The transformer station of the Schiller Place is

a substation containing a motor-generator; a situated directly under this public square, which

converter station

containing

three

conver

te

rs, is

f l a n k e ~ by

the

Zeil, t he main

bu

.si

ness

r ~ e t

together of 210 kilowatts, feeding arc lamps ; a of the 01ty.

The

transformer statiOn .co ltams

motor-generator plant in

an

electro-metallurgical

three

sets, each of 750

h o r s e p

_ c o n s i S ~ I n g of

establishment

of the city, to reduce triphase a monophase synchronous motor dnv1ng a SlX-pole

currents of 700 volts to monophase currents of 65 continuous-current dynamo, generating currents of

volts, &c. Altogether 147 motors, aggregating 600 volts for

the

electric tramways a.nd .arc lights.

1325 horse-power are joined to

the

central. There are no glow lamps on these circUlts ; eleven

' arcs are placed

in

series .

The

sets can

be

started

THE MuNICIPAL

ELECTRICITY WoRKS

AT

from

the

busbars with

the

aid of

the

continuous-

WIEBDADEN.

current dynamos

running

as motors and a buffer

The Municipal

Electricity

Works

at

Wiesbaden, battery, permanently connected across the tramway

likewise a plant of the

E.

A. G., late Lahmeyer and terminals, of 276 cells of the Pollak Accumulator

Co., built in 1897-8, and extended in 1900, possessed 001npany, of Frankfort. The b

atter

y is two years

special

interest

in their time, because triphase old, and has given full satisfaction. The booster

currents

were used for lighting. Before ventur-

set

consists of a synchronous motor, a continuous

ing on this enterprise, the

m u ~ i c i p a l i t y

cons

ulted

current generator with two commutators, one

Professors

Schrodter, of Muruch, and Weber, of yielding current of 500 volts for the arc lamps, the

Zurich, as well as other experts. The original plant other 600 volts for charging the battery, and the

comprised four triphase generators, directly driven, exciter for

the

latter, all on one shaft. The fine

as

at

Beckenheim,

by

horizontal

tandem

engines switchboard is fitted with precision

instruments

of

from

the

United Engine Works, Augsburg, running Siemens and

Halsk

e. Ample space is left behind

at 90 at Bockenheim at 100) revolutions. The the switchboard;

the

high-tension fuses were

extension

was made chiefly for the benefit of

stated

to be aluminium wires. The big motors

the projected tramway lines. But the

Lahmey

er

run

very quietly.

Company coupled the new compound e n g i n e ~ both The pumping station visited is situa

ted

in the Old

with continuous-current generators and tnphase Mainzerstrasse,

in

the oldest

part

of t he town, and

generators of equal power, and

the

exciters

are

contains one 50 horse-power pump and two 13 horse

mounted

on the same shaft, all on

the

same power pumps, driven by motors through belts and

side of the engine. The sets have thus a

st

riking double brush clutches. Looking

at

the exceedingly

appearance, and the

central

s t a t i o ~ ~ o w

c o ~ t a i n s

neat motor floor and the pumpbasement underneath,

one engine of 150 horse-power, dnVIng a tnphase nobody would suspect that there is a sewage e l ~ be

dynan10; one of 300 h o r s e ~ power, driving one con- hind

the

sliding door. The motors are started 1dle,

tinuous-current

and

one tr1phase generator, each of with theaidof a p a c i t y r e p r e s ~ ~ t e d u ~ b e r

250 kil owatts ; two

e n g i n ~ s

driving each one con- of iron plates, connected n

ser

ies, dippmg ~ t o dilute

tinuous-current

and one tr1phase gene rator, each of soda solution. For the large

mot

o

r,

wh10h

runs

800 kil

owatts

; and two engines,. driving

e a c ~

only directly on a 2850-volt circuit, this electrolytic con

one triphase generator of 2 5 ~ kilowatts. This denser is joined in by hand. In the case of the two

rangement is to render

it

possible

tha

t

the

respective smaller motors, a switch effects the necessary con

engines

are

always

run

under

almost full load.

To

nections.

This

switch, one for each

motor

, looks

the

central station

are

joined 98 transformers, 300 like a tr iphase

-current

switch ; throws

in

~ n d o

ut

arc lamps, 29,650 incandescence lamps 150 motors both

the

iron plates and

the

roststances, which

are

of 520 horse-power, and other app.aratus. The all in

serte

d in the

rotor

circuit.

station was visited on Thursday mornmg. The monophase motors for

th

e lifts, which are

HOl\1BURC. AND TJIE SAAI.DURO.

For

m

ost

memb

ers

,

the

visit to

Homburg

and the

Saalburg, on

the

afternoon of

Thur

sday, July 4,

formed

the

e

nd

of

the

official programme.

For the

return

journey

was to begin ne

xt

morn ing wi th a

boat trip down the Rhine, and the number of mem

bers who visited the op tional spots of interest-the

Elberfeld Monorail Line, the Ship Canal Lift near

Henrichenburg,

and the

Electric Mine Pumping

Plant in

the Zollvere

in Co

lliery,

near Essen-was

small. Foreseeing

that

members,

satiated and

tired,

would hurry back wh

en

the official programme

was exhausted, without troubling about side

trips of uncertain temptations, we ventured to draw

attention to the importance of those features in our

issue of

June

21, which appeared before th e

members

sta

rted on their excursion.

At

Elberfeld

the party still presented a fairly good muster, some

members, including Mr . A. Siemens, having gone

by train to Co logne instead of taking the boat.

But

the rest

of

the

programme was almost neglected.

t is a pity.

For

the Oanal

Lift

is certainly most

interesting to

the

electrician as well as

to

engineers.

We go back to the

Homburg

excursion. Having

reached H omburg by train, th e party proceeded

by electric tramcars th rough th e st reets of the

fashionable health resort, and of the adjoining

village of Dornholzhausen, where the Saalburg line

proper begins-a normal gauge single track,

2.

5

miles

in l

engt

h. It

wa

s opened last summer, and

forms a continuation of the

Homburg

tram-line.

The whole trip, of 4 miles, from the Homburg railway

station up to the Saalburg terminus occupies 40

minutes. I t is pleasant riding ;

the

visitor has

the forests of the Taunus Mountains on his left,

when

he

is nob himself

in the

woods.

The

rise is

650

ft.,

the average gradient 1

in

25, the

steepest

gradient 1 in 18; there are some awkward curves of

82 ft. radius on steep gradie

nt

s in the lower portion

of the line. Above, the line ends in a loop to avoid

shunting, the centre of

the

sweep being occupied

by

the waiting-hall.

The

overhead wire

is

suspended

from one or two skeleton masts.

The trains

consist

of one motor car, fitted

with

two 20 horse-power

motors, and one trailer car ; they are provided

with a mechanical brake of eight blocks, a mag

netic brake and an electric short- circuiting

brake.

The

Saalburg line cars are heavier

than the

town tramcars,

but they run

over

the

same tracks.

A

charge of 7d. is made for the

whole journey. The line and the Homburg

Electricity Works, which supply the power and

also light, w re built by the Lahmeyer Oompa.ny.

The power

stat

ion is

not

conspicuous ;

in

fact, it

hardly has the appearance of a central station dating

from 1898. The engines

are

all vertical. Two, of

150 horse-power,

are

coupled each with a 90-kilowatt

continuous-current generator; two further engines,

each with one continuous-current generator, also

for 90 kilowatts

at

250 vo

lt

s,

and

one traction

generator for 180 kilowatts at 600 volts. This

l

atte

r combination is peculiar.

The

two armatures

are

fixed on the same shaft, the one behind the

other, and the larger armature of the traction

dynamo, which is next to the engine, acts as

flywheel for the whole

se t

. The flywheel armature

saves space,

but

the advantages of coupling a

traction

and

a light dynamo with

the

same shaft

are

not

very apparent. The

provisions for

current regulation comprise o battery of 275 cells

and two boosters, each of 60 kilowatts. At present

the works feed 14,835 incandescence lamps, 180

arc lamps (on thre e-wire circuits), 53 motors,

and 58 miscellaneous apparatus. considerable

extension of

the

station is planned for an electric

railway between Franldort and

Homburg

. The

railway journey now occupies 26 minutes, and the

electric service is to be kept to about

the

same

speed.

The Saalburg is the b e ~ t preserved R oman

castle or fort on German territory. I t belonged

to the frontier fortifications, extending in a

line, 350 miles in l

engt

h, from the a n u b ~

7/23/2019 Engineering Vol 72 1901-08-02

3/35

AuG.

2 rgo1.]

near

Regensburg or Ratishone to

the

Main and,

through the Taunus Mountains, to the Rhine

at

Andernach, below

Co

blenz.

t

consisted of walls,

locally known as devil's walls, or of- palisade

t renches,

and

was fortified by towers

at

distances

of about a mile, and by for ts or camps like the

Saalburg, at greater intervals. , The Saalburg site

was first built upon by Nero Claudius Drusus, step

son of Augustus, and younger brother of the

Emperor Tib erius, about 10 B.C. Twenty years

after, his son Germanicus, later adopted by

Tiberius, renewed

the

fortifications which h

ad

been deatroyed after the defeat of Varus, 9 A.D.

The outer po

rt i

ons of t

he

encampments, which be

came

the

nucleus of a

sett

lement of some import

ance, date from the second century,

and

the walls

of

the

outer quadrangle were not quite parallel

to those older inner walls.

The

oldest memorial

stone found dates from 139 A.D . ; it is dedicated to

the Emperor

Antoninus Pius , to whom

the

palisade

trench, a few hundred yards north of the fort, is

ascribed. The settlem

ent

was finally destroyed

about 280 A.D. During the storms of the i g r ~ t i o n

a

nd the

subsequent centuries,

the

ancient origin of

the ruin

s was completely forgotten, though

the

buildings and walls formed a quarry for the neigh

bourhood,

until

Elias Neuhof,

in

1747, advanced

the thesis that the supposed ruined castle of some

Franconian knight was a Roman stronghold.

The

Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg took an interest in

the

matter

a

nd

acquired t

he

territory.

But

syste

matic exploration only began with the annexation

of Homburg by Prussia in 1866, a

nd

the Emperors

William I. Frederick, and William

II.

notably

the

la

st

-mentioned, have done their best to encou

rage

the

restoration of this archreologically most in

teresting relic. The buildings are now being re

stored in a thoroughly historical manner,

f i n ~ U . y

to

be converted into a museum of Roman antiquities;

many treasures of the highe

st

archreological value

have aheady been secured. The work is in charge

of an influential Imperial Commission and superin

tended by Baurath Jacobi, who conducted

the

party

and took great pains in explaining everything that

might interest members. Mr. Alexander Siemens

kindly acted as

in t

erpreter, as he generally did.

A technical journal cannot devote much space to

ancient history, which in this case is a pity. The

engineex is not less likely

to

profit from historical re

search

than

do

other

educ

ate

d beings; though many

people, unfortunately, regard history hardly as a

branch of education

to be

cultivated.

Th

ough the

Romans we

re

better architects than engineers,

there was enough to excite

th

e

in t

erest of

the

engi

neer. The baths are in a singularly well-preserved

condition, and demonstrate once more that

th

e

Romans

und

erstood the

art

of bathing. The drainage

sy

ste

m of every building seems to have been perfect.

From a well quite recently explored-the Romans

were very particular abouta reliable water supply

old lea

ther

sandals have been unea

rt

hed, which look

as if they would have stood more than a couple of

seasons. Nothing would have betrayed

that the

key with which Mr. Jacobi pointed to some of his

treasures was not a piece of modern locksmith

work, if he had not told his hearers that it was the

key of one of

the

guard rooms, nearly 2000 years

old-one of the eighty odd keys, some just a couple

of

in

ches long, others larger

and he

avier,

that

have

been found in the encampme

nt.

The wards are all

different, and their illustrat ions make

an

ins

tr

uc-

tive show in t he monograph of the finds. A fine

variety of locks, very modern in aspect, has also

been discovered; the sacrificing knives have fortu

nately become obsolete; but

the

iron planes might

possibly

be

condemned as infringements of

patents

of the last decades.

Dinner wa.s

served

in

t he evening on

the

te

rr

ace

of

the

Kursaal at Homburg, overlooking

the

park,

which was illuminated

in

honour of

July

4,

and

the

party returned by

the

latest train, once more

to join their hosts

in

the

Hotel

Bristol.

00 N

OLUDING

REMARK

S.

Th

e excurs

io

n to Germany was thoroughly enjoy

able and inst ructive. Ample food was

prov

ided for

mind

and

body. Indeed, sometimes t he hosts were

too kind. But if

the

body had n

ot

been refreshed

in

so pleas

ant

a m

an

ner,

due

honour might n

ot

have

been done to the exhausting p rogrammes. Yet

the

ra

nd

hospitality offered

at

Hanover, Be rlin, N

ur

em

berg, and Frankfort became almo

st

embarrassing ;

t Dresden, members were more le

ft to

themselves.

More could certainly not have been inspected in

the t ime at disposal. n some respects it might

E N G I N E E R I N G.

have been preferable possibly- if impressions may

be ventilated in this place-if the visit had not been

to Germany

in

general, but had been confined to

Berlin, and, say, Dresden, taking Hanover and

the

optional features

n The

excursion was first

spoken of as thevisit to Berlin. In th

at

case members

would have had more leisure

and

a less trying time,

while a good deal of interesting wo

rk

could have

stood over for another visit. We can quite under

sta

nd

that there would have been weighty objections

to such

an

arrangement, and we certainly do not

wish to criticise

the

general dispositions.

Members are much indebted to all who had

to do with the arrangements, and it is to be

regretted th

at

there was, on the way home, no

opportunity of giving expression to that sentiment.

Mr. Alex.ander Siemens, the leader of the party,

retur

ns with an increased popularity, a

nd

t he ever

obliging secretary, Mr. W. G. McMillan, and the

clerk of

the Inst

itution, Mr. Tree, pla

ce

d them

seves so entirely

at

the members' disposal, that

there was a danger of their kindness being abused.

t would have been more than a pleasing duty to

pass the customary vote :i of thanks.

The striking growth of the Ger.man electrical firms

was a subject of frequent commen t, of course. To

discuss that

point would involve reopening

the

question of the causes of Continental progress.

We do not desire to enter upon t

hat

wide subje

ct

now . We should finally come back to the advan

tages of good schooling and technical training,

and

to the readiness wit h which the Continental manu

facturer adapts himself to particular

n ~ i t i

and

to the wishesof his customers, and follows up lines

of research which offer no promise of direct profit.

But

a few remarks may not be

out

of place. That

fine spacious works are not incomp

at

ible with the

rules of wise economy is understood

in

this country

too; but the practice might be more universal.

The proportion of engineers and electricians, and

members of

the

staff

in

general, is large

in

German

works. In some of the works visited there

wa

s

one member of the staff for every four or even

three men. These employes have almost with

out exception passed th rough a technical school

and have had their practical training. They do not

begin wi th high salaries, nor do their salaries im

prove in the course of years so much probably as

they would over here. But

the

young men have,

or had, fa

ir

chances, and

in

some cases hopes of

pensions before they attain exceptional ages ; they

can generally spend ome years

at the

manufact ur

ing branches of their firm in Austria, Russia, &c.,

without detriment to their privileges; they work

in very good offices, and much is done for the ir

comfort. That is a great attraction for the men as

well. To

be

able to enjoy a fair dinner,

in

a nice

tidy hall, well cooked, at a cheap r

at

e; to read his

paper

in

t

he

club-rooms,

and

listen

to

lectures, to

buy his provisions in the stores, to take a bath,

to have his cupboard, to dwell in comfortable

houses, &c. ; all these are points of great im

portance, which help to keep the workman

fairly co

ntente

d. I t is essential, of course, that

hi

s paper is his own choice, and not what his bene

volent employer considers proper for him" o read.

The men like to have a voice in the regulation of

the social features,

and

have mostly obtained it.

:

Th

e

re

are

the State

funds against accidents, ill

ness,

and

old age, to which

the

men have to contri

bute. They grumble that their share of the burden

is too great, and their share

in the

profits-if any

too small. Yet mo

st

of the works had a good

stock of old experienced hands. f the man is

injur

ed by an accident, he is

pretty

sure of his

compensation, and has not to worry about lawyers

and

law costs; it is a rare exception

that he

need

consult a lawyer. The British workman, of course,

knows these facilities,

and

his employer is, on

the whole, perhaps neither more nor less ham

pered by t

he

Government

and

local authorities,

than his German colleague. Red tape is certainly

not unknown in Germany. Like

the

workman,

the

German manufacturer used to complain about the

sums

the

Government forced him

to

contribute to

the various funds. But that is ancient history

now.

The

electric tramways have had to fight

for

the

recognition of

their

rig

ht

of existence,

as they have had over here. There were gaC

and other monopolies in the way of the elec

tric light. In o

ne

respe

ct

the Prussian manu

facturer seems, indeed, to be favoured. Appa

rently

he

may l

et

his chimneys smoke as much

as he likes. There is a kiad of smoke pre

vention law ;

but the

police cannot,

it

would

appear, take

the

initiat ive to enforce it ; nobody

interferes, and

the

works send so-and-so many tons

of coal up the chimney every day.

It

is a question

able privilege. not account for the splendid

development of

e r m ~ n

industry, nor explain the

depression under which the electrical industry in

particular now suffers.

ENGINEERING' V ALUATIONS.

Continued j r

orn

page

43.)

In

t

he

case of leaseho

ld

property,

in

addition to

the varying conditions to which we have already

alluded, there is the certain reversion of the land

to the superior landlord on the termination of

the

te

nancy. I t is therefore imperative that the de

preciation should provide a sufficient reserve to

extinguish

the

capital originally expended by

the

time the lease expires. This reserve, or sinking

fund, would be better kept diStinct from the state

ment of estimated change of value because it is an

actually fixed charge,

an

acceptanc

e,

which will

fall due

at

a fixed date ; whereas the estimate can

only become operative if

the

premises are sold

befo

re

the end of the demised term.

Buildings

cvnd

Whatrves

.- The cost of preparing

the ground for occupation, a

nd

of m

ak

ing roads to

and from the premises, shouldbe included in"the

va

lu

e of t

he

land ;

the

buildings an:d wharves are

better kept separate in an account of their own, as

some modification of conditions will . arise therein.

The state and prospects of trade; the development

of the district in which the works are

situated;

the advantages which may be gained by removal

to another part of the town or country ; mu

st

all

in

the engineer's cognisance when he values his

buildings, just as they are when he values his land.

n

addition to these

he

must provide for a fall

in value, due solely to lapse of time, which is not

necessa

ry

in the case of freeho

ld

land. Buildings

and wharves have a. limited life just

in

the same

way, though

not

so determinate with regard to time

as that enjoyed by leaseho1d property. The limit

of this life will be determined by design and

stability oi construction, method of user

and

t

he

repairs and renewals done to the buildings. These

will vary considerably in different factories,

and

even in dive rs portions of the same factmy ; so th

at

the rate of depreciation can only be properly deter

mined by

an

engineer

or

builder of experience,

and

probably can be mo st correctly gauged by a quali

fied officer of the firm, who has

the

premises

under

constant observation.

The

design of the facto

ry

may affect the

term

of

its profitable employment, but only in ari unfavour

able direction.

f it

iR a superior one,

it

can,

in

its

good points, be copied, or even improved upon,

in

the

building of other factories ; there cannot be a

monopoly of a bu ilding design once put

in

execu

tion, although there may be seme portions of the

erection protected by patent rights, for which por

tions a royalty, or higher price, may have to be paid.

If the des

ig

n is defective, and does

not

provide

sufficient strength for the work intended to be

carried on therein, or spa

ce

s

uffi

ci

m t

for its con

venient arrange1nent without crowding machinery

in such ma

nn

er as

to

create undue

st

ress, then

the

wear

and tear

of

the

building will be

in

creased

by

th

e defects

in

t

he

design. Indeed,

it

may possibly

happen

that

arrangements which were sqfficient at

the commencement of the business f o r t h proper

conduct of

the

work, became inadequate after

the

lapse of time, owing to changes arising from the

construction

an

d running of machinery. Many of

the older buildings formerly erected as spinning

mills in Lancashire are now useless, or

at

lea

st

economically disadvantageous, in conse

quence of

not

having sufficient floo r space for

the larger frames now in use. n engineering

factories t he speed

at

which

the

machinery is run

may be increased,

and

thus vibrations may be set

up which were not contemplated by the architect.

In t

he

instance of spinning mills,

the term

for

which they can be used in that is undoubtedly

shm:tened ; as, although

the

owners may for a time

continue

to

use them

at

a decreased rate of profit,

the

press

ur

e of competition will force

the

rebuilding

or a"bandonment of t hem before they a

re

- as build

ing used up. In

the

case of increase of speed

of machinery,

the

additional strain thrown upon

th

e buildings will

not

on

ly

increase

the

cost of

renewals, but will also tend to tear them

to

pieces

and des troy them

in

a shorter period of time

than

that

which was an ticipated

at the

time of their

erection. The

fi

rst is a contingency which can

be

7/23/2019 Engineering Vol 72 1901-08-02

4/35

E NG I N E ~ R

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TAL-Y-CAFN ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER CONWAY,

NORTH WALES.

MESSRS.

DAVV

SON AND FYSON, MM . INST. C.E, ENGINEERS, WESTMINSTER; MR. ALFRED THORNE, WE

T ~ I I N

CONTRACTOR.

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ALFRED THORNE,

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7/23/2019 Engineering Vol 72 1901-08-02

6/35

144

E N G I N E E R I N

G. [AuG . 2 1901.

t

imat

ed by an e

xperienc

ed

valuer

ou t

s

id

e

the

ce of the firm

;

the seco

nd

oan be best,

and,

,

sometimes

only,

app

r eci

ated by

an engineer

e

in

g

in const ant and intimate

re

la

t ions

hip with

e co

nd uct

of

the work. In

either

c

ase it is

p

e

ra

t ive th

at, when

t

he circumst a

nces arise, t hey

be

giv

en

effe

ct to by an increase in

the r

ate

f

depreciation.

and

ovens sho

uld

be treated

apart

from,

and

on a

hi

gher sca

le,

t

han

machine a

nd erecting

sh

op ;

whil

st it

is self-evid

ent

th

at

grou

ping them

in

an

average

,

wh

erein offices,

store

s, a

nd joiners'

shops

are included, would be

li

able

to

lead to grave

e

rror

.

nary d

es tructi

o

n,

of

building

s

or

pl

an t

.

The

fo

rm

g

iven in ENGINEERING

was divid

ed into

monthly

accounts for

the

purp

ose of

allocat

ing the establish

nte

nt

charges accur

ately

over t

he

various

pr

oducts of

each

department

of

the

works.

Th

e

six or

twelve

m

ont

h

s'

totals

taken from such

account will furnish

thc

amount

of depreciation r

equired

by the engine

er

f

or

his v aluation statement . Where such

an

account

is n

ot kept, then,

a simil

ar record

should be pre

pared fo

r the

present purpose,

but divid

ed

in to

term

s of

stocktaking, as

in

the

fo llow

ing form,

i n s t e ~ d of m

on thly

p

er

iods :

Th

e constru

ct

i

on

of the

building, apart fr

om

it

s

es

ign, will also materially affect its len

gt

h of

li f

e.

ny undue

and miserly saving

in

th e fir

st cost of

shows

it s

elf,

after

a few

years'

wea

r,

in t he

emen t

of

incr

eased r

epa

ir

s,

and

a

nearer

date

t

he absolute

n ecessit y for

re n

ewal. Th e

re

building in

fa

ctory and work

s

hop

er

ec t

ions

well

as in dwelling

-hou

ses

; all symptoms of

work,

which in

the

first instanc

e

may

h

ave

cov

ered by

s

up

erficial finish,

must

be care

wa

tched

;

and

t he e

ngineer

mu

st not

permit

imself

to

be

beguiled

in t

o

the

belief

that

t

he

original sin can be

rem

ed

ied

by

l

av

i

sh rep

a

ir

s.

omet

hing

inay be done in the

:way of

strengthen

in

g th e

building

s

by addition

s

or

r enewals, but

in

gen

e

ral it may

be recog

nis

ed

that

je

rry

buildfng is

fo

ll

owed

by

t

he Nemesis of

s

hortened

life.

0

....

-

l

- cS

..

....

>

1

B

uildings.

1890.

I

1891.

1892.

- - -

J )ngine

and

Boiler

-H

ouse.

Es tim lted Life 50 Years, P urchased nt or

Cost

200l.,

Less Old Material 20l,

In

all oases,

whate

ver m

ethod

of

depreciation

is

adopted,

i t

should be

clearly un derstood t

hat

current repair

s a

re

charged

to

reve

nu

e ; t h

ey do

n

ot

a

dd to the value

of the buildings

in

any way, but

m

ere

ly

r

estore

them ,

so far

as

repair

s oan,

to

the

con

dition in

whioh t hey

stood

at

the

previous

stocktaking. It is

well

to

cl

ear

ly

separate these

two items of charge. Th e repa

ir

s are merely

ex

penditu

re

to pre

ve

nt an

accelerated r

ate

of waste,

an

in

s

urance

fund to

prevent

the

property

becom

ing

valueless before

it

s a

lloted through

sheer

ne

glect

.

The

depreciation or

re

serve fund

is

a

device

to av

o

id

w

aste

of capital co

nse

quent

on

lapse

of

tim

e, or

chan

ges compelled

by

impr

ove

men

ts

a

nd inv

en tions

in ma

c

hinery

or processes.

It is

difficult sometimeA

to

define

what

is

merely

a re

pair, to be debited to the re

ven ue of t he year,

and

what

is a

re

sto

rati

o

n,

renewal, or r

ep

lace

men

t ,

to be

c

har

ged

to

the

depr

eciat

ion fund

in

which

it has

a

lready

been

provided

fo

r. 20,

3 12

o 1196

8

o

I

s

12

01

1

92

16

o

1 3 12

01189 4

9

I t

is, however, possible f

or

a

work

s

hop

or fac

tory

to escape t

he imputa

t ion of

jerry building; inde

ed,

to be

sufficient

ly

we

ll built to

.

an

swer

all

the

pur

p oses for which it is inte

nded

at

th

e time

of

erec

ti o

n, and

yet

to eventually bec

ome

as un

s

uited

for

its

purpo

se

as

if the

work

h

ad been

scamped,

an

d

the strength unduly stinted in

t

he first

insta

n ce.

Th e t,

endency

of modern

workshop

practice is in

t he

direction

of

la rger

a

nd

he

avier ma

c

hin

es

an

d in

creased

speed of running. The dangers, therefore,

which have

to be

guarded

against,

and provided

for

by

some

mann

er of

re s

erve

fund, in th

e case of

badly-buil

t or weak workshops, h

ave eq

ua

lly to be

expecte

d

and prepared

for

in

t hose which h

ave an

additional strain

of weight

or vibration pla

ced

up

on

them, withou

t a

ny

sufficient m

arg

in of

stren

g

th to

meet

i t .

But all

wo

rksh

op

buildings are

n

ot

subject

to

t

he

same

contingencies;

the wear

of

so

me

portions

is at a

much more rapid rate

t

han

that of o

thers, whilst

the

altered

cond it ions

im

posed

by

heav

ier

machinery or

quicker running,

will

pr

oba

bly

aff

ect

only

part

of

the premises, leaving

the

remainder

in

its pristine

st a

te .

This,

of co

ur

se,

is supp

osing

the buildings

to

be

detached, and

in s

uch

case it is desi rable,

bo

th f

or correctnes

s of valuat ion

and safety in

estimat

ing

depreciati

o

n,

t h

at they

should

be

sub

d

ivided into

t wo

or

more classes .

Thu

s, whilst

offices, sto

rehou

ses,

pattern-shops, engine

a

nd

bo

iler

houses,

are

not

generally

subject

to

such

changes

of

user as is

here referr

ed

to, the

fo

undry,

smi

thy,

machine and erecting

shops, have

fr

om

the

commencemen

t

to

under

go

much rough

er

usa

ge,

and are

more

liabl

e

to

the impos

ition

of heavier

weig

hts

and

greater running

speed as

t

he trade

c

hange

s or develops.

The percentage

, therefore,

;

which

wo

uld

b e suffic

ien

t

for

t

he

one would be

inadeq

u

ate for

t he

other; and

if, on the

?t

her hand,

the high

er rat e we

re taken as the

baslS,

f?Ome

of

t

he

buildings

wo

uld appear

in the

records of

the

firm

as

valueless, whilst s

till quite

fit for

their

in

tended

purp

ose f

or

many

years.

.

Again,

buildin

gs

are

fre q

uen

t

ly found m an

engin

e

er's yard, more

or

less temporary,

con

structed

of wood

or

iron,

which

will seldom

la

st so

Iona a

time

as

s

ubst a

nt ial

sto

ne or

brick

buildings.

F

o ;

how l

ong

a

peri

od

they

will

be

serviceable

depends

la

rgely on their

and.

the m ~ n e r

.of

t heir

construction.

Th e EngllSh clim

ate

,

mth

1ts

great

al

te

rn

ations of

wet

~ n ~ dry

wea.the

r, is

n

ot

we

ll

sui

te

d for woo

den bmldtn

gs, partiCularly of a

li

ght char

acter,

tpo

ugh

these climatic co

nd i

tions

may he

-modified in h ~ i r

result

s

by

c ~ r e f u l

and

r eg

ular atte

nt i

on to .and

r

epatr

s. .

Ir

on

erections

are more se

rv iCeable, if s

trongly

bu1lt

and

ca

refully and truly fitted'; but ~

ma

ny

cases.

they

are

run up

on

li

ght col

umn

s, wtth badly destgned

and

wor

se fitt

ed roof

fr

aming,

and

covered

with

galvanised g a t e ~ iron.

.

Subjec

te

d

to

the

action

of wind

and ram, unp

am

ted and

n eg

le cted

,

they are

quite

worn

o

ut in

15 or 20

year

s,

and

their

materials

are th

en

only value. of

very

inf

e

ri

or sc

rap.

A r

ate

of depre01at10n

Y h10h

would

be sufficient t o

protect

t he

e ~ s ~ g a t n s t

loss on

permanent brick

or

stone

bU1ld1ngs wou

ld

,

be

totally

inadequate for these temporary wood or

ir

on ones . . .

. A

furth

er

analy

sis

is

des

irabl

e for su?h build1ngs,

9r po

r

tions

of buildings,

as are speedily destroyed

by

the

ope

rat i

ons

of ma

nufacture.

Th us

1

furn

aces

Th

e division in to the two classes cari on

ly be

Pitting

and Erecti UJ Shop.

d

eter

mined

by

a technical

expert, with a

thorough

knowled

ge

of

the bu

siness, and of the s

pe

cial Ei timated Life 80 Year.i, Purchased

at

or Cost 500l.,

circums

tanc

es affecting

the part

icular firm.

Th

e

Les

3

Old Mat erial 65l.

method which has grown

up

during recent

50

5 8 9 49 6 11 3 i 8 91491 2

o

I 5 8 91485 13 9

y

ears

of

le

avi ng

the trading

accoun ts

and

balance _...:._ _

:.___--...:. : _

: __

she

ets

of limited companies p repa red by, or under

I t

will be observed

that

these items of

depr

eci

t

he direc t

ions of, the audi tors of

the

c

ompa

nies, ation will

reduce

t he values

to

the estimation for

has

tended

to blurr the lin

e of

demarca

t ion. Publif; o

ld

m

ate

rials at

the end

of the respective

peri

ods.

accountants, especially

those brought up in the When buildin

gs

are pur

c

ha

sed at inflated prices,

prof

ess

ion

from

their

yout

h, hav

e seldom an ex- they should be

writ

ten

down

to

th

eir

ac t

ual value,

ha

ustive

knowledge of :a

ny

business beyo

nd the as

compared with

othe

r buildings

in

the neighbour

sk

ilful a

nd

o

ften sop

his t ical manipulation of

the

hood,

at the

first

stockta

king.

Thu

s,

in

the

in

s

ubmitted to

them;

none

can h

ave

any

st a

nce above, the eng

in

e a

nd

boiler-house are

exte

nsive

kn

owle

dg

e of all the va

ri

ous

kind

s which

actually

wo

rth at

a

normal

valu

ation

200l

., an

d

come

under

r eview

in

an extensive practice. I t

the

fitting and

erecting

shop 500l

.,

t hose

being the

will the

ref

ore

be

almo

st

axiomatic

that

t he

more

p

ri

ces

in

o

rdin

a

ry time

s of simil

ar

buildings near

extensive the practice of a public acco

unta

nt , and thereto , or th e amo

un

ts which li

ke

buildings would

t

he

more e

minent

he is

in

hi

s o

wn

profession, t he cost

if ere ct

ed

by

t he

company

for

their ow

n use .

less qualified he will

be

t o

adv

ise the directors on It may, however,

happe

n that

premi

ses are wan

ted

the amount to

be wri

tt e

n off for de

preciat

io

n, or

a.t a

time

when all

the

works

are

busy,

and

no o

ne

th e va

lua

tion of

thei

r

fLxed

assets. Th ese are is inclined to sell

except

at a figure which will not

matt

e

rs

whi

ch can

only

be

d

etermined by

an

ex

- m

ere ly

a

ll

ow of

rep

lacement,

wit

h

probab

le im

part

having

such

a thorough tec

hni

cal

training and

provements,

but

yie

ld a

s

ubsta

nt i

al

profit

in

commercial

acq

ua

intance

with

the

business

und er

a

ddi

t ion. To

pay

such a

pric

e may be economica

l:

r eview

as

will

enab

le

him

truly and

soundly to

a new

inven

ti

on, or an

impr

ovement

in

some

appreciate the

various compl

ex

factors

by

which

it artic

le of general demand, m

ay be pl

ace d at once

is affected.

Such app

rec

iat

ion be ex- on the ma

rket,

if buildings

and

mac

hinery can

pec t

ed in

a professional ge

ntlemen

whose

duti

es

be obtained to

manuf

acture

it.

Th

o gain

by

and invest

igations n ever

le

ad

him

beyo

nd

the

pay ing a higher price for

imm

edi

ate

possession,

elementary scientific

kn

owledge imparted in

the

even of

inferi

or premises, may

be

gr

eate

r t h

an

the

junior

classes of a technical school.

The danger

saving effected

by

waiting

to erect an

improved

and unfitness of the present practice has

been

f

actor

y at a reduced cost. But such conditio

ns

recognised

by

t

he Bo

a

rd

of

Trad

e.

In

the do n

ot

u

sua

lly re

peat

themselves

in

such cycles

Bill prom

ote

d by that Board for the amendment

as

to secure another urgent

purchaser

at the

ti

me

of

the

Co

mpan

ies Acts

it

was proposed,

in the 31st the

fir

st

pur

chaser wishes

to

e

ff

ect a sale.

I t

is

clause,

to

e

nact t

h

at

:

The auditors

of eve

ry

on

ly

a

reasonable expectation

that

t

he

normal

comp

an

y sha

ll

r

eq

uire, and

the

directors of

the

conditions of the dist rict will govern

the

seco

nd

company

sha

ll

sup

ply to the

auditors, a balance- sale,

and the

superlative profit made on the first

sh

eet

(refened

to in this

Act as

the private

balance- sale will di

sappear on

the second. Lea.ving, for

sheet) giving the

deta

ils o n

wh

ich t

he shareh

ol

ders'

the moment,

the

consid

erat

ion of deal

ing

with

this

balance-sheet

is founded. f this instruction be

discrepancy in

the

profit and loss account of

the

carri

ed

out in it

s

sp

ir i

t

and

in t

ent

io

n,

if the per- company, it is self-evident that

the

eng

in

eer

must

manent manage

rs

apply themselves to

the prepara-

allow for it , if he desi res to have before

him

a

t ion of more correct

and

scientific va

luat

ions

than

r ecord of the

amount

for which he

may

reasonably

they have

accepted in the

past,

we sha

ll get

quit of

expect

to dispose of his premises.

This

will also

the

arbitrary

and

rule-of-t

humb percentage

depre-

app

ly

in

case of a

te

m

porary

inflation of

the

ciat ions which h

ave

so long disgraced our

joint-

m

arket

value of

real

proper ty in any town or

stock

com

pani

es acco

un

ts

.

district, when suc

h

in

flation

is the re

su

lt of tern-

A much

better

plan

than

percenta

ges

ha

s

been

por

a

ry

causes,

an

d

no

t

cl

ue t o a

ny

spec

ific

ad

van

suggested, which is,

to

fix the period which each tage which is like

ly

to

be pe r

ma

nent, and

ca

nnot

separate

building m

ay be

expected to last,

on

t

he

r eadi

ly be

obtained

elsewhere.

assump t

ion

that a

ll

nee

dful

r

epai

rs, pa

in

t ing, and I t may

appea

r at first sigh t that ex

ac t

ly the

whit

ewas

hin

g,

are

regularly execu

ted

as

requir

ed ;

contrary

course s

hould

be

pursued

in

the

case of

and

to

estimate

the amo

unt

the old m a t e r i ~ \ l will

pr

o

perty purchased dur

ing

a period

of depression,

afterwards brin

g

at

a br

eak

-up sale.

Having

fixed

or at

a forced

sa

le.

Here und

o

ubtedly

there

is

an

this time

and amo

un

t , the difference b

et

ween

the first

advantage which, in th e event of a

re

-sale

during

cost

of each

bu

ilding

and the

price obtainable for t

he

a period of

normal

prices,

and with

o

ut any de

old

ma t

erial

mu

st be di vi

ded

in to the

numb

er of crease, would

be

tak

en

full

cre

dit f

or

.

Bu

t to

yea

rs

of i

ts

life,

and written

off

annually.

One

increa

se

the valuation

of

any

permanent

asset

method of doing this has previously b

een ex

plained

bey

ond the price paid for it

requires

very grave

in reference to engineering costaccounts.*

By this

consideratio

n.

U

nder

no

circumst a

nces should

it

method

the

loss

in

value, which is constantly in be done un

ti

l

the

depression h

as

pe

rman

ent

ly

pr

ocess

througli

ord

inary

user, or the

mere

ac t

ion of passed away,

no

r

un

t il

there

is

n re

asonable

pr

os

the

we

ather

'

in

lapse of t ime, will

be automatica

lly

pect

tha

t the

hi

gher figure could

be

obtained

if

the

provided

for,

and

t

he valuer

has only

to direct his property

were offered for

sale

. There is,

apart

atte

n t ion

to extraordinary add

itions, or

extraordi

-

fr

om

technic

al knowled

ge

and sk

ill,

in

the con

st

itu

*See

ENGINEERING,

Janu

ary

1

9,

1894, page 69.

t ion of

most

men, a propensity

to overrate

their

own poseeseion

s? aqd t

sanguine belief

in

t

he

7/23/2019 Engineering Vol 72 1901-08-02

7/35

AuG.

2, 1901.]

estimation

in

whi

ch they

will be

held

by

othe

rs ;

and

un

l

esR this tendency

is

strictly

contro

lled

it

may l

ead to

serious financial t roub le. '

To be oontinued.)

PIPE-FLANGE DRILLING

MAOHINE.

'\Ye.

illu

strate .on page 139 a

hori

zontal

drilling

mach10e for bormg the bolt holes

in

pipe

fl

anges

which has

been recently constructed by

Mr. G e o r g ~

Addy,

of the

W averl ey Works, Sheffield. The

machine will take in pipes up

to

12ft. long, and drill

fl

anges up to 33 in.

in

diameter. The bed is 19ft .

long

and

2

ft.

6

in.

wide;

i t serves

to

s

upport the

saddle for the two drilling heads. Th ese saddles

can be traversed along the

bed

by a rack and

pinion

the latter being rotated by the star-wheels shown:

The

dr

iv

e

is

co

mmunicate

d to the

drills

from t

he

belt

cone by bevelled .gearing and splined

shafting,

iu th e

usual :ay . As wlll be seen, the weight of the

drill

h e a ~ s IS counterbalanced

by a

weight

h

ung from

a

cham

attached

to the sadd

le

a n c L p a s s i ~ o v e r the idle

pulley at the top

of each of

the drill eo

umn

s. The

r i l ~ are adjustab e vertica

l,

and transversely through

a

dtstauce

of

3l

m., and

both

band and self-act

in

g

feeds at:e p

rovided

: T ~ e pipe

to be

dr i

lled is

sup

p o

rt

ed m the spe01al p1pe saddles s

hown,

which are

fi

t ted w

ith

removable V-pieces, which can be

changed

to suit the diameter of pipe to be

cl

amped

. A

set

of

su

ch V

's

of

different

sizes form

part

of

th

e outfit of

the

machin

e. Th e total weight of the tool is to ns.

TAL-Y-CAFN BRIDGE, NORTH WALES.

T

rrE

Ta l

-y-Cafn

Road Bridge over

the

River

Con

w

ay

in North

Wales,

connecting

the

counties of Car

narvonshi re

an

d De

nbigh

shire, is built on

the

s

it

e of

an ancient ferry which had probably exist

ed

from

ea rly British times. The place itself is of considerable

historic

inter

est. A la r

ge

artificial mound, called

Bryn-y

-Castell,

which defended the

ferry on th e

Carnarvonshi

re side, is supposed to have been a wa tch

tower belonging to Conovium, and in the Roman

p

er

i

od

the ferry must

have

been for the

road

from

Deva and

Va

ris to Segontium.

This

r

oad pa

sses

fr

om

Conovium ove r the Bwlch-y -ddanfaen; and by the

road

near

Ab er, a Roman milesto ne, with the words

A

K anovio Mille Pt1.ssuum VIII.,

was found

in

1883.

This had always been an imp :>rtant ferry to the

people

of Carnarvons

hi re

and Denbighsbire, and an

Act was pa

ssed

in the reign

of George

II.

for

the

r

oa

d to oe rep

aired

and

widened

from the town

of

Mold to th e town of Denbigh, and from th ence to

Ttl.l-y-C

afn and Conway

.

In

recent

times

it

w

as

fo

und

that

the

ferry

was

becoming very

inconvenient

on account

of

increased

traffic, and

in

1894 an Act of Parliament wt1.s obtained

authorising the construct

ion of a

toll bridge on the

site of

the ferry, t he

ri

ghts

of

which became merged

in the Bridge Compan y.

The bridge, of which we gave a general illustration

on page 41 in

our

issue

of July

12, and

detailed

engravings on

our two-

page

plate

in th

e

same

issue,

and to wh ich we now add further illust rations on

pages 142 and 143, and also on th e two-page

plate

in

this issue,

is

situated

in

the

pari

s

hes of

Eglwysfacb

and

Caerhun .

I t

co

nsists of

a steel su

perst

ructure sup

ported on lim

es

tone masonry abutments, with concrete

backing on

t

he shore

ends, and oc

tagonal

oast-iron

columns on

limestone masonry

piers , filled

with

con

crete, in th

e riv

er

. There are three

spans over

the

river