HONG KONG DAIL
• SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1933.
ENGINEERING
"BE SATISFIED'
INSTALL A
Westinghouse
THE ONEY
DUAL AUTOMATIC
REFRIGERATOR
W
WESTINGHOUSE ► ELECTRIC
GUARANTEED FOR
4 YEARS.
REISS, MASSEY & Co., LTD.
7, Queen's Road Central, Hongkong and Shameen, Canton.
For Constructural Work of Every
Description
Use Green Island Cement
WHERE GREEN ISLAND CEMENT IS MADE.
VIEW OF THE GREEN ISLAND CEMENT
TAKEN FROM THE SEA.
Issued by the
A GENERAL
WORKS
GREEN ISLAND CEMENT CO., LTD.
2ND FLOOR
EXCHANGE BUILDING
INSULATION
against
HEAT COLD NOISE
and
ACCOUSTICAL CORRECTION
BE SURE TO USE ONLY
CELOTEX
WHICH HAS STOOD
TIME IN HONG
SHEWAN, TOMES & 06
HONGKONG
SOLE AGENTS
AND BUILDING
TUNNEL UNDER RIVER HOOGHLY
TASK OF UNExpected diffiCULTY
TO FACILITATE
CALCUTTA'S
ELECTRIC SUPPLY
A WATER GRID
Electric Rail for
Suburbs
ENGINEER'S SCHEMES
BIG BEN'S BIG BROTHER
MINUTE HAND A 17:
GIRDER
A remarkable clock just erected for the proprietors of Bile Beans on the Grand Buildings, Trafalgar Square, London, is claimed to be the largest in the British Empire.
It's face in 750 sq. ft. in gize, whilst Big Bon is only & little over 400 sq ft. The minute. hand is re ally a huge girder 17 ft. lon. The clock, which is illuminated day and night by neon, flashes out the fol lowing two messages: Take Bile Beans at Bed Time" and "Take Bile Beans to Keep Fit."The size. The establishment of a "water of the largest letter is 8 ft. 9 ina,,, grid," on the lines of the electrical the smallest being 2 ft 6 ins. Nearly grid now nearing complation, and 800 ft. of neon tubing was used in. the electrification of suburban rail- making the letters, and the electrical way lines were put forward as connection required 90 miles of Deans of alleviating the industrial wiring depression by speaker at the an- The clock mechanism is contained To meet the demands for electric, ed an unexpected tendency to voer nual dinner of the Institution of in a box only 3 ft. wide, 1 ft. from energy on the right bank of the towards the crown, contrary to all Electrical Engineers, held at the back to front and 18 ins, high. The clock, synchronised with Greenwich, River Hooghly, the Calcutta Elec- pads experience in driving similar Midland Hotel, Manchester. tric Supply Corporation decided, shields through water-bearing Mr. A. E. L. Chorlton, M.P. for never requires winding, being work un the advice of their Consulting strata; and the reasons for this the Miles Platting Division of ed directly by electricity, and Lan Engineer, Sir H. H. Dalrymple have been considered. An explana- Manchester, proposing the toast of doner's now set their own watches A man by it. Over 14 tons of stoel were Hay, M. Inst. C. E., to build a tion-not wholly satisfactory, it is the institution, said:
of this tunnel under the river for the ac admitted-is put forward, which scarcely dare speak to-day unless used in the construction commodation of the supply cables.sccounts for the observed deviation he is an economist, intent on cut- tremendous timepiece. This work was carried out between as being due to the internal air-ting down expenditure, but I do the Southera Generating-Station pressure acting against the ver- not believe that this is the right and the Botanical Garden, at a hanging hood of the shield-condi- way of looking at things: I be a unified scheme?"
Plea for Railways - level below the lowest scour known tions which could only obtain if the lieve that this is the time for un-i from long records, which was predsures outside and inside the dertaking large public works. E Professor E. W. Marchant, presi 62-00 O.D. 'Trial borings indicat hood skin were not in equilibrium; do not mean the building of multi-dent of the institution, in reply, od that a bed of good clay existed as might ponceivably be the case tudinous roats, which is a plan referred to the damage done to at about that depth, and that over when the cutting edge was plough devised by amateur, not engineers, the roads by heavy lorries and lying it wera water-bearing beds of ing into clay impermeable to air but I believe there are schemes de motor vehicles, which provided an saud and silt.
pressure from the tunnel face. The pending on engineers that could be disproportionately small amount of connection of the tunnel with the put into force. They would bring revenue for their upkeep, and ask- It was decided to sink shafts on right bank shaft had to be carried about that stirring at the heart of ed. "Is it not time that the rail- each side of the ziver and to drive out by Europeans, the stemming of things from which would grow the ways were made better use of 1" a tunnel through the clay from the inrushes of wet sand demanding all other trade we depend upon."" I am not going to suggest, main- shaft on the left bank under com- | their resources of experience and Making Good Progress, line electrification at this stage,” pressed air. Special preparations determination. The caulking of As an instance of such a scheme he continued, "but there are several. were considered to be advisable for the joints in the shaft and tunnel Mr. Chorlton mentioned his plan of our suburban lines that are the safe prosecution of work under lining was done with lead wire, for a water grid," emulating the crying out for electrification." The. high air-pressures (expected to It was intended to use rust-join electric grid, and aiming at or grid had oreated a considerable de- reach 45 lb. per square inch), the ing, but owing to an unfortunate ganising the distribution of water mand for heavy electrical installa- paturs of which was quite novel to accident the employment of the lat- on unified "national lines. This tions, but this was now coming to indian labour. The shafte were wet was abandoned, it having been scheme has not been received with an end. A restricted slump in electrical machinery was constructed under a fixed air deck proved that a breakage of the anything but the quietness of death heavy by underpinning cast-iron lining, steel hoisting-cable in the shaft was by this city," he went on, but, likely. The electrification of su- and a number of difficulties occur due to the corrosiva effect of al nevertheless, is making good pro burban lines might help to obviate red in carrying out this method of ammoniac, which had been driven gress. You have at present the odd this.. Further, money procedure. At the right bank into the strands by repeated im- position that Manchester has had cheap, and if they were to ask the shaft the strata pierced proved to mersion in compressed air. The to shut down the great Hawes Minister of Transport that a Goy- be so fluid that little or no support grouting of the interstices behind water scheme and has a surplus of ernment-guaranteed loan might be was afforded to the lining, and the linings with cement and with water from Thirlmere, while Hull raised for the project there would.. when excavation reached a depth lime, and the advantage of the lat
is going in for a water scheme that be little or no chance that the Gov- of about 63 ft below ground sur-ter in lessening the temperature will cost £1,500,000. Any engineerernment would ever be called upon Such pro- face a circumferential fracture of rise after each grouting operation, would say, 'Why not connect the to meet the guarantee. the cast-iron lining took place, and is described in some detail. two? There are districts in North jects would undoubtedly be re-
length of more than 28 ft. of the
Lincolnshire that are calling for munerative." lining dropped, leaving a gap of
water. Many areas in the East of. eventually about 1 ft. 9 in. at the
England have a water supply that fracture.
is suspect, being drawn from sur- face sources near drains. I do not want to give a prejudicial account of their water supply, but surely there is everything to be gained by (Vontinued on next Column)
*By Odd Phenomenon,
Careful Medical Supervision.
Caisson-disease was more pre- valent at the right-bank shaft-sink- ing and during periods of excos- sive humidity. From the marked decrease in the output of labour The tunnel was driven under during such periods, the conclusion cover of a hooded, shield, and al-pis drawn that dehydration of the though the operations embodied, na compressed air supply might have novel methods, they are of interest been advantageous. During the as being the first application of the execution of the tunnel, tests were system by Indian labourers, who made of the CO, content of the had to be trained to the manipula air, and although the percentage tion of a shield under air-pressure was high, it was judged by the which reached at times more than medical authorities to be insuffit- 40 lb. per square inch. This parti- cient to cause any ill-effects.--Mr. cula shield when in the clay show- iC. M. Norris in. Engineering
PETROL FROM COAL
MINING ENGINEER ON DRAWBACKS
CHINA'S BUILDING AT CHICAGO.
PAGODA TOWER AND
THREE HALLS:
The possibilities of obtaining Britain's supply of petrol from British coal were discussed by Mr. The final design of the Chinese John Brass, president of the Inbuilding to be erected at the Cen- stitution of Mining Engineers, at tury of Progress Exposition to be its annual meeting at Westminatet. held in Chicago next summer, has now been released by the China Commission International Exposi tion representing the Ministry of Industry
He said that we imported 1,000,000,000 galons of petrol per Amam, and, at first glance, it appeared obvious that we should obtain this from our own coal, but The first design of the Chinese on closer examination it was not building, which had been drawn up easy to determine whether the by the Society of Chinese Archi- benefits to be derived from the tects and given the approval of the hydrogenation of coal catweighed. Chins Commission, was completed the drawbacks,
in October. A few days after the
To obtain 1,900,000,000 gallons of design had been completed a cable petrol 13,000,000 tons of coal would was received from Chicago notify. be required,
£142,000,000 woulding the China Commission that, due have to be ment to provide the to certain last-minute alterations necessary plant On this basis, per which had to be made concerning manent employment would be prohores of the Lake Michigan, the
the exposition grounds on vided for 104,000: hands, of whom nearly 5,000 would be employed in Chinese grounds would have to be and about the mines.
changed slightly
the
This announcement upset the ear- Workors Thrown out,
ly plans of the China Commission. It also meant that a pew.design Corsiderable unemployment would would have to be make in order to however, be created among British fit the new requirements. How seamen, dock workers, shipyard ever, under the revised plan of the workers, and all those connected executive committee in Chicago. with the shipping of oil, if all our China, was allotted considerably petrol, were to be obtained by the more space than the earlier site hydrogenation process. The loss, called for. revenue to the Government would amount to £3,000,000 per annum at the present rate of taxation, of £317, per annum for each perion for whom employment was found.
Apart from the reduction of ravenie to the Government, unless the petrol tax is mainta comparatively high perhaps serious
Mr. Brass incurred
ALSA
The Jociety of Chinese Architests wasimudediately baked by th China Commission to draw up new. plans for the Chinese Building. The new design has been accepted and, approved by the Chins Commis
hall
Governin 660 cover 8,000 feet of floor space, "main" building with the like tower at the entrance three large halls. Each house one division of the of exhibits, namely,
ffic, and ult the Chinese
ding
was now
The toast of the Cities and trades of Manchester and Salford" was proposed by Sir Holberry Mensforth, and the Lord Mayor of Manchester (Alderman W. Walker) replied. In the absence of Mr. G.. F. Sills, owing to illness, Mr. G. G. L. Preece presided.
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