AMERICAN.

221412. Robert G. Jones, Pittsburg, Va.

of barges, boats, &c."

221538. Frederick J. Dennis, Chicago.

BELGIAN.

"The construction

“Marine signal-lamps.”

49605. P. A. Greil. "A universal joint for a propeller-rudder." 49690. T. B. Heathorn. "Improvements in apparatus for steering ships, vessels, boats, and torpedoes, and for checking their speed."

131051. Richard Mouluis.

131348. Watson. "An

vessels."

FRENCH.

"An oar for steering boats." apparatus or machine for steering

131398. Barker. " Signals and signal apparatus for vessels in the open sea or at night."

GERMAN.

8392. G. Baumgarten, Forsthaus Grüna, near Chemnitz. "A propeller for vessels and balloons."

8411. A. Heel, Bielefeld. "An apparatus for propelling vessels by the suction and expulsion of a column of water."

8484. S. Duer, Westminster. "A hydraulic lift for river and canal boats."

INDIAN (BRITISH).

5. C. Fouracres, Deluee, on Sone, Shahabad, Bengal. "Dredging canals, docks, harbours, rivers, tanks, reservoirs, &c., for sinking wells, caissons, and foundations of all kinds; for lifting and discharging grain or other cargo in bulk from ships and boats, &c., &c., called 'Fouracres' automatic dredger.'"

VICTORIA.

2696. Henry Bell, James Bell, and Joseph James Colman, Glasgow, Scotland. "Improvements in processes and apparatus or arrangements for cooling and regulating the temperature and dryness of air in holds, saloons, and cabins of ships, in railway vehicles, hotels, theatres, halls, factories, hospitals, slaughterhouses, and other interiors."

PATENTS PUBLISHED.

INDICATING LAMPS.

1570. 21st April, 1879. Price 2d. John Harris, Wellclose Square, Middlesex (not proceeded with).-The object of this invention is to indicate the movements of a vessel's rudder. A lamp is placed in a conspicuous position adapted to give a light all round; this lamp is surrounded by two concentric cylinders of glass, one green, the other red; these glasses are mounted upon rods arranged alongside, and are by them raised or lowered so as to surround the lamp, the rods being coupled together so that as one glass ascends the other descends; they are also connected by interposed mechanism with the steering wheel. When the rudder is amidships the lamp appears without any interposed screen, and the cylindrical glasses are both hidden within a casing below the lamp. The movement of the helm from the midship position. causes one or other of the glasses gradually to rise to view, and by the light of the lamp gives the indication required.

MARINE STEAM ENGINES.

1649. 26th April, 1879. Price 6d. George Hill, Westoe, South Shields, Durham. This invention has for its object to facilitate the use of fresh or distilled water in place of salt water for the working of steam engines used for propelling vessels, and at the same time to do away with the necessity of having openings through the sides of the vessel for drawing in and discharging the water for the working of the engine. For this purpose condensing chambers are placed on the exterior of the vessel; the exhaust steam from the cylinders of the engine is led by pipes to these condensing chambers and is condensed in them; the condensed water is allowed to flow from these chambers to a closed reservoir and is admitted to the boiler again by means of a closed supply vessel connected to both reservoir and boiler. A vacuum having been created therein by means of steam the water is admitted and thence it flows into the boiler.

MARINE CLOCKS.

1686. April 29, 1879. Price 4d. Henry Horatio Ham, Jun., Watchmaker, and Elbridge Gerry Pierce, Jun., Merchant, both of

F

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.A. (A communication.) (Complete specification.) The object of this invention is to improve that class of marine clocks usually called ships' watch clocks, causing them to strike the bells indicating the hours and halfhours of each watch with pauses between the blows in the same manner as when struck by hand, these clocks having hitherto struck the bells or indicated them in their order without denoting the pauses as given by a seaman while striking the ship's bell. This is mainly accomplished by fixing to the side of the main striking wheel a series of studs so spaced as to give the necessary pauses after each blow or series of blows; upon the shaft of this wheel and revolving with it once every four hours is a circular lock plate provided with notches on its circumference into which the stop lever engages as in the usual manner.

STEAM STEERING APPARATUS.

1899. May 13, 1879. Price 6d. George Donkin and Bryan Gray Nichol, St. Andrew's Ironworks, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.— This invention consists in the application to an ordinary steering apparatus, having fitted to it a steam engine and a steam supply and regulating valve, of an arrangement of level or mitre wheels and screws for actuating the regulating valve, by means of which steam is more conveniently admitted to, and automatically shut off from, the engines; and, in conjunction with the above, an arrangement of a spur-pinion and clutches, or friction-cones and sleeves, on the hand-wheel shaft, to allow the steam supply and regulating valve gear to be actuated by the ordinary hand-wheel and shaft in such manner that the steam may, by the movement of the handwheel and shaft, operate through the engine upon the rudder in the same direction, and more or less in the same degree as if the handwheel were operating on the rudder in the usual manner by hand.

ADDITIONAL RULES AS TO INVESTIGATIONS INTO SHIPPING CASUALTIES.

THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT, 1876, 39 & 40 VICT., CAP. 80. THE SHIPPING CASUALTIES INVESTIGATIONS ACT, 1879, 42 & 43 VICT., CAP. 72.

Whereas, by section 30 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1876 (39 & 40 Vict., c. 80), it was provided as follows:— "The Wreck Commissioner, Justices or other authority holding

a formal investigation into a Shipping Casualty shall hold the same with the assistance of an Assessor or Assessors of nautical engineering or other special skill or knowledge, to be appointed by the Commissioners, Justices or authority out of a list of persons for the time being approved for the purpose by a Secretary of State."

"The Commissioner, Justices or authority, when of opinion that

the investigation is likely to involve the cancellation or suspension of the Certificate of a Master or Mate, shall, where practicable, appoint a person having experience in the Merchant Service to be one of the Assessors."

And whereas, by section 3, sub-section 1 of the Shipping Casualties Investigations Act, 1879 (42 & 43 Vict., c. 72), it was thus enacted :

3. (1.) The list of persons approved as Assessors for the

purpose of formal investigations into Shipping Casualties shall be in force for three years only, but persons entered in any such list may be approved for any subsequent list. The list of those persons in force, at the passing of this Act, shall continue in force until the end of the year One thousand eight hundred and eighty, but nothing in this section shall affect the power of the Secretary of State to withdraw his approval of any name on any such list or to approve of any additional name.

And whereas the Secretary of State has directed that the Assessors shall, so far as in his opinion circumstances permit, be

taken in order of rotation within each class or sub-class, and has further directed that the Assessors placed by him on the list of Assessors, on and after the 31st of March next, shall be classified according to their qualifications, as follows:

QUALIFICATIONS.

Class I. Mercantile Marine Masters.-(a) Five years' service as a Master in the Merchant Service, of which two years must have been service in command of a sailing ship, with a Certificate of Competency.

(b) Five years' service as a Master in the Merchant Service, of which two years must have been service in command of a steamship, with a Certificate of Competency.

Class II. Mercantile Marine Engineers.-Five years' service as an Engineer in the Merchant Service, with a first class Certificate of Competency.

Class III. Royal Navy.-Rank of Admiral or Captain and three years' service in command of one of Her Majesty's ships at sea, or rank of Staff Commander and three years' service in that rank in one of Her Majesty's ships at sea.

Class IV. Persons of Nautical Engineering or other special skill or knowledge. (a) Such qualification as is in the opinion of the Secretary of State requisite for ordinary cases.

(b) Such qualification as is in the opinion of the Secretary of State requisite for special cases.

And whereas it was further provided by section 3, sub-sections 2 and 3 of the same Act, as follows:—

(2.) The Assessor or Assessors for each such investigation shall, instead of being appointed by the Commissioner, Justices or other authority holding the investigation, be appointed in such manner and according to such regulations as may be from time to time prescribed by general rules made under section 30 of The Merchant Shipping Act, 1876. (42 & 43 Vict., c. 72, s. 3 (2, 3.)

(3.) Where any such investigation involves, or appears likely to involve, any question as to the cancelling or suspension of the Certificate of a Master, Mate, or Engineer,