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+Project Gutenberg's Scamping Tricks and Odd Knowledge, by John Newman
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Scamping Tricks and Odd Knowledge
+       Occasionally Practised upon Public Works
+
+Author: John Newman
+
+Release Date: January 13, 2011 [EBook #34942]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SCAMPING TRICKS AND ODD KNOWLEDGE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+SCAMPING TRICKS AND ODD KNOWLEDGE
+
+OCCASIONALLY PRACTISED UPON PUBLIC WORKS.
+
+
+CHRONICLED FROM THE CONFESSIONS OF SOME OLD PRACTITIONERS.
+
+
+
+BY
+
+JOHN NEWMAN, ASSOC. M. INST. C.E.,
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+'EARTHWORK SLIPS AND SUBSIDENCES UPON PUBLIC WORKS'; 'NOTES ON CONCRETE
+AND WORKS IN CONCRETE'; 'IRON CYLINDER BRIDGE PIERS'; 'QUEER SCENES OF
+RAILWAY LIFE.'
+
+
+
+E. & F. N. SPON, 125, STRAND, LONDON. NEW YORK: 12, CORTLANDT STREET.
+1891.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+The following pages have been written with the view to record a few
+scamping tricks occasionally practised upon public works, and to name
+some methods founded on practical experience adopted by sub-contractors
+and others to cheaply and quickly execute work.
+
+All who have had the direction or charge of an extensive or even
+comparatively insignificant public enterprise will agree that it is
+impossible for a resident or contractor's engineer to know the manner
+in which everything is proceeding on his division, and in some measure
+he is compelled to rely upon others; nevertheless, it is quite as
+important to ascertain that the work is carried out according to the
+specification and drawings as to elaborate a perfect specification and
+then have to partly leave the execution to the care of the beneficent
+fairies.
+
+If a finger-post has been correctly pointed in the direction in which a
+favourable field for scamping tricks may exist, the author's object in
+writing this book will have been attained.
+
+To the less experienced, the incidents and scrap-knowledge described
+may be more particularly useful, and on consideration it was thought
+that the conversational tone adopted would best expose the subject and
+indicate the ethics of somewhat conscience-proof sub-contractors and
+workmen, and also the way in which their earnest endeavours to practise
+the science of scamping may be exercised upon materials and under
+circumstances not especially referred to herein.
+
+J. N.
+
+LONDON, 1891.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                                 PAGE
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+INTRODUCTION                                                        1
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+SCREW PILES--GENERAL CONSIDERATION--MANIPULATION FOR "EXTRA
+PROFIT"                                                             3
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SCREW PILES--DETAILS                                               13
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IRON PILES--ARRANGEMENT--DRIVING--SINKING BY WATER-JET             25
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TIMBER PILES--PILE-DRIVING--GENERAL CONSIDERATION                  32
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+TIMBER PILES--MANIPULATION FOR "EXTRA" PROFIT                      42
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+MASONRY BRIDGES                                                    53
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TUNNELS                                                            61
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+CYLINDER BRIDGE PIERS                                              69
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DRAIN PIPES--BLASTING, AND POWDER-CARRIAGE                         76
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+CONCRETE--PUDDLE                                                   85
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+BRICKWORK--TIDAL WARNINGS--PIPE JOINTS--DREDGING                   93
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PERMANENT WAY                                                     103
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+"EXTRA" MEASUREMENTS--TOAD-STOOL CONTRACTORS--TESTIMONIALS        114
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+MEN AND WAGES--"SUB" FROM THE WOOD--A SUB-CONTRACTOR'S SCOUT AND
+FREE TRAVELLER                                                    121
+
+
+
+
+SCAMPING TRICKS AND ODD KNOWLEDGE
+
+OCCASIONALLY PRACTISED UPON PUBLIC WORKS.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+INTRODUCTION.
+
+
+"Take this letter to my old partner as quickly as you can. Wait for an
+answer, and come back straight."
+
+"All right, sir."
+
+"Now, my wife, when my old partner arrives, leave the room. I want the
+coast clear as I am going to talk and have a sort of mutual confession
+of some tricks and dodges we have played and learned during the last
+forty years or so to get a bit 'extra' on the quiet; and forty years
+knocking about with your eyes bound to be on full glare ought to teach
+one a thing or two, and they have. They have! Yes; and I have been in
+the swim.
+
+"Stir up the fire, if only to keep things all alike and as hot as
+possible; and put a couple of glasses handy, and some water and....
+
+"So you've got back. Where is the letter?"
+
+"Have got no letter, sir; but it is all right; your old partner will be
+round about 7 o'clock and will stay till he is turned out, so he said."
+
+"Oh! I am glad."
+
+"Why, sir, he is knocking now."
+
+"So he is."
+
+"Here I am, old chap, what's the matter?"
+
+"I feel pasty, but am better now you have come. Bring your chair near
+the fire. Well, I want to talk to you on the quiet very badly. It will
+do me good, and I am sure it will not be long before the white muslin
+is spread over me and I'm still in death. You've come to stop?"
+
+"Yes, as long as you like."
+
+"That is good, and I am glad and feel better now you have said it.
+Before I begin, taste our home-brewed elder. It's all right, for my
+wife was a cook, but it's a long time ago; and between you and me, my
+profits don't run to providing her with as large an assortment of
+materials as she says is necessary to keep her fairly up to art in the
+cookery department."
+
+"That is very good--the best I have tasted. Well, what is it, old
+partner? Shake fins."
+
+"It's to talk over old times, and the tricks and dodges we have played,
+and known others do, to get 'extra' profit on the different works we
+have been."
+
+"A kind of confession?"
+
+"That's it. Don't laugh. I can't help it now."
+
+"I understand you. Start the fun, and I will follow."
+
+"We can talk pretty to each other, and lucky the young master is not
+here, for he would think that we are as bad as old Nick himself; still,
+we have not done many tricks for some time, and could, perhaps, put him
+up to a thing or two concerning the execution of work."
+
+"Very likely; but we are all tarred with the same brush; it's only a
+question of quantity and thickness and what colour the paint is."
+
+"I suppose we are bound to work up an excuse somehow or other; and if I
+moralize a bit tender at first, by way of a diversion, you won't mind,
+for it is part of the stock in trade of such rare old sharks as us, and
+I will cut it as short and tasty as I can.
+
+"I was brought up right, like you; and many a time have had my shoulder
+patted by the good folks and been told not to think of myself too much,
+and to remember the feelings of others. In my salad days, you know, I
+used to think whether or not it was coming it rough on chaps, innocent
+unborn babes that will have to work in the next century, should the
+world hold out till then, putting in too strong work, and said to
+myself, Is it acting kindly towards them? No, I said, it is not
+treating them right to give them so much trouble to make alterations. I
+won't call them repairs and additions, nor improvements. I soon
+humbugged myself into thinking it was not being really benevolent to
+those who will have to work when we are all lying flat, and I hope
+quiet--but there, of course, such thoughts hardly make one act
+honestly; however, I have done moralizing now, and perhaps it ill
+becomes me, and I will have no more of it or it may stop my tongue. Now
+to business, and I am going to speak pretty freely."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+SCREW PILES.
+
+General Consideration--Manipulation for "extra" profit.
+
+
+"You want to know my experiences with screw piles first."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"They do very well when the water is not deep and the ground loose
+sand, silty sand, or sandy fine gravel, and nothing else; and I prefer
+disc piles for sand, provided the water power can be easily obtained.
+
+"The whole area of a screw blade is often taken as bearing support; but
+I doubt if it should be, for it is not a bared foundation--that is, one
+you can see and know the character of, as in a cylinder pier, for
+instance; but some appear to assume it is, and then claim that a lot of
+metal is saved and the same or more bearing obtained. The screw blade
+may always be right and it may not be, and no one positively knows;
+because no one can see whether it is down straight, turned, or broken,
+but the difference between the actual and the breaking strain comes to
+the rescue.
+
+"Still, it is no certainty that the screw blade is resting upon the
+same soil, and even if it does it may not receive the load in a
+vertical line, and may be strained more upon one side than another. And
+how about the rusting of the blade, for it is thin, and seldom more
+than half an inch at the ends and two and a half at the pile shaft, and
+nearly all surface? In a cylinder pier the hearting is placed on the
+bared ground, and you know it is there, and it cannot rust, that's
+certain. I don't see the good of iron rings above a few feet higher
+than highest flood level, for after the hearting is set, if it be of
+Portland cement concrete, you can give it a coating of nearly neat
+Portland cement. However, we are talking about screw piles.
+
+"I have seen screw piles screwed into soft ground for fully fifteen
+feet, and they seemed quite right, and yet when they were loaded they
+vanished. I have also known them to be twisted about something like a
+corkscrew, and to be impossible to get down at all when they have
+reached a hard layer of gravel, and nearly so when they met with a
+streak of hard stiff clay. Sometimes they are overscrewed, and made to
+penetrate somehow or other; and I remember once, when they were loaded
+for testing and were thought to be right, a washout occurred at one
+place, owing to a mistake in dredging, and the piles, although they
+screwed, were found to be twisted about into all sorts of shapes, and
+at the bottom were turned up a trifle and never went down more than a
+few feet, and while it was thought we were screwing them down we were
+screwing part of them aside. They were small solid wrought-iron piles.
+It is well not to forget that sand varies very much; for it is found
+nearly everywhere, and may be anything from large hard angular deposit
+that will bind, to little round mites easily blown away, and it is
+mixed with pretty well everything; and therefore sand is a thing you
+must be careful with before you take it to be just the thing for
+watersunk disc piles or screw piles, and you ought to know all about
+it. Well, assuming that it is right, and the soil will not become
+jammed in the screw blade, it is always advisable to try whether the
+sand grains will roll well together and do not wedge; for you want
+sand, if it is to be nice for pile sinking, just the reverse of sand
+for mortar or concrete, for that with round grains is the kind to screw
+in and not that with sharp angular grains, and if it is slimy, so much
+the better--just the opposite of that for mortar or concrete.
+
+"The soil must be loose, and if it is silty so much the better. Don't
+undertake to screw piles into hard and compact sand, gravel, stiff
+clay, or where there are boulders in the ground or streaks or layers of
+soil of which you hardly know the character. If you do, good-bye to
+profit from any screwing, and may be to the screw blades, and your
+fishes must be got out of 'extras' by omitting a length, smashing a
+screw blade, or short screwing. Be careful to be paid for all piles you
+have screwed down directly you have done them, and take no maintenance;
+for I have known a ship drift, or a gale arise, and sweep away the
+unbraced piles like sticks, and if you are only paid when you have
+finished screwing a cluster of them, where are you then, and who's
+which? Suppose you have nearly fixed a cluster of piles, they will say
+you ought to have braced them at once, and you will be charged for
+breakages, and not be paid for having screwed them. You may talk as
+long as you like, and say, How could I get them all braced when the
+piles must be screwed separately? You will only be told that is your
+look-out, and that you knew the terms of the contract and must have
+considered any risk in the prices. So I bar injury from waves or wind,
+earthquakes and shakes, collisions from vessels or other floating or
+moving substances; and believe the last to cover all fishes, from
+sea-serpents, whales, porpoises, and sprats, to balloons, stray
+air-balls, wreckage, and mermaids; and it gives you a chance of
+wriggling out of squalls with an I'm-so-sorry-at-your-loss sort of
+countenance.
+
+"You have to think over the staging. Fixed staging may be out of the
+question because of the expense; then you must either screw from the
+finished end of the pier as you proceed with the work, or from a
+floating stage, but you may not be able to get sufficient power to
+screw the piles from any moored floating stage. The shore piles of a
+pier may screw easily, but when you get out in the sea fixed staging
+may soon be smashed, and in that case you are compelled to do it from
+the end of the finished portion of the pier. There is a good deal of
+uncertainty, as you can judge, and you want to well consider whether
+and how you can get the power cheaply to screw the piles.
+
+"The idea of the screw pile was that it should easily enter the ground
+and push aside any obstruction in its descent without much disturbance
+of the soil, with the ultimate object of obtaining, by reason of the
+screw blade, a strong resistance to upward and downward strain. Well,
+it is all right if the whole of the blade bears equally upon the soil
+and the earth is of the same character; but if it is not, the strain
+upon the screw blade is unequal, and it will sooner or later crack or
+break; and except in any earth like fine sand or silt and all of one
+kind, I should be sorry to say that the whole area of the blade does
+the work as I said before. And here comes in the value of an allowance
+of extra strength, for you cannot tell how much it has been weakened by
+corrosion, nor can you inspect, paint, or do anything to the screws
+when they are down. If I was engineer of an iron pile structure, I
+should have a few piles screwed at convenient places independently of
+the pier, but near to it, and have, say, one or two taken up every few
+years--say every seven or ten--just to have a look to see how matters
+seemed to be, and have a piece of the iron analysed, and compare it
+with the original analysis; and I should take care the piles were all
+the same quality of metal, so that the makers should not get up to fun
+at the foundry.
+
+"The piles have to bear a heavy twisting strain during screwing; and
+take my advice, always see that the joint flanges are not light, for
+when piles break in screwing, they usually fail at the flanges. What I
+have learned shows me it is a great mistake to have the screws of very
+large diameter, so as to have few of them; let the blades be small
+rather than large, and they are best for screwing when of moderate
+size, and are also likely to be sounder metal. There is not the same
+risk of breaking them in screwing, and you may be able to screw a small
+blade when a big one would be smashed, and besides it is as well to
+have the load distributed as much as possible. A screw pile shaft
+should not be a thin casting because of the strain upon it in screwing,
+and it should be thicker on this account than a disc pile, but the
+latter will not do for any soils except those named before. I have
+known screw piles to penetrate hard and dense sand, gravel, soft sandy
+ground, limy gravel, loose silt, limy clay ground something like marl,
+stiff mud, chalk, clay, marl, and all kinds of water-deposited soil,
+and in almost every earth except firm rock, but it is not advisable to
+use them for anything much harder than fine sandy gravel, for the
+blades must then be strained very much and the pile and screw may be
+injured. It is not using them rightly, or for the purpose for which
+they were designed, and another system of foundations should be used
+except under special circumstances.
+
+"Don't attempt to screw piles into ground having boulders in it. It is
+always difficult to penetrate, as also is spongy mud and stiff
+tenacious clay. In any ground harder than loose sand, silty and
+alluvial soil screwing is not easy, and you cannot say what it will
+cost to obtain the necessary power to screw. As regards that kind of
+screwing I always feel so benevolent that I like some one else to do
+it. Do you understand?"
+
+"Yes; when you know a loss looks more likely than profit."
+
+"If you like to put it that way it is not in me to object. I'm too
+polite. Saying 'yes' and agreeing with every one, gets you a nice
+character as an agreeable man, whereas you are a big fraud and a high
+old liar."
+
+"Parliamentary language, please; no matter what you think."
+
+"All right, then. You know what pure sand is?"
+
+"You mean quite clean angular grains, and hard, too, like broken-up
+quartz rock?"
+
+"Yes. Well, avoid it for screw piles, for then it is very difficult to
+screw them to any considerable depth. You can't displace the sand
+enough. It wedges and binds almost like rock."
+
+"You mean it wedges up, and will not move?"
+
+"That's near enough. Well, avoid clean, sharp, angular sand and shingle
+gravel as much as you can, and take screwing in dirty sand instead. I
+mean round-grained dirty sand with some clay upon it, or sandy gravel.
+What is wanted is something to separate the particles of the soil and
+act like grease so as to make them roll and not compress and become
+bound. You can't be too careful about this."
+
+"I will put that down in my note-book so as not to forget it."
+
+"To save bother, be sure to ascertain whether the work is in rough
+ground; and if you are abroad see that about five per cent. is allowed
+for breakages of all kinds, or the piles may run short.
+
+"I have seen piles screwed into a kind of clay rock seam, the end of
+the pile was made like a saw, toothed, in fact, and stiffened from the
+bottom to the underside of the screw blade with ribs shaped to cut the
+ground as the pile was turned, and I doubt if they could have been
+screwed without. They seemed to steady the pile; but care must be taken
+when there is a projecting end and it is tapered to a less diameter
+than the pile shaft, as generally is the case, that the axis is true,
+or the pile will not screw vertically.
+
+"Once I had to screw a few wrought-iron unpointed piles with a small
+screw blade made of angle iron fixed _inside_ as well as the large
+screw blade outside. The outside blade was about 4 feet in diameter,
+and of half-inch plate, the inside blade projected about 3-1/2 inches,
+and both blades had the same pitch; but the engineer, after having
+tried a few, discontinued having an inside screw, and said he thought
+it even arrested progress, because it interfered with the internal
+excavation. The experience we had with them was against their use, and
+they seemed to make the screwing harder, and no one was able to
+discover any advantage in them, although they did all they knew to
+flatter the novelty.
+
+"Now a word as to cast or wrought-iron for screw piles. The question of
+relative corrosion can be decided at some scientific institution, and
+there will be hot fighting over that between the cast-iron and the
+wrought-iron partisans. I merely refer to screwing cast or wrought-iron
+screw piles into the ground. As regards the blade of the screw, it
+should be as stiff as possible, and therefore cast-iron is better than
+wrought-iron, also cheaper; and although a cast-iron screw will break
+easily, a wrought-iron blade will buckle and bend and give. To me,
+cast-iron blades seem somewhat easier to screw, if they are good clean
+castings. I have screwed wrought-iron piles or columns when they have
+been fixed to cast-iron screws, but in any case when the piles must be
+long, to have them of cast-iron is my wish. Solid wrought-iron piles
+can be obtained of a long length, but the price increases, and when
+they are long and of small diameter, as they must be, they are
+difficult to screw in a desired direction."
+
+"What do you think of solid piles as against hollow ones?"
+
+"Well, I heard a discussion between two engineers about it, and they
+agreed that solid piles only do for little or medium heights, and I
+asked one to write a line or two for my guidance, and this is what he
+dashed off. Read it."
+
+"No. Read it to me."
+
+"Well, it runs:--'In designing solid piles it should be remembered that
+the strength of solid round columns to resist torsion, torsional
+_strength_ (he means strength against twisting strain) is as the cubes
+of their diameters, therefore a solid round bar 4 inches in diameter
+will bear eight times the torsional strain of a bar 2 inches, the
+lengths being the same.'"
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"Why, 2 x 2 x 2 = 8, 4 x 4 x 4 = 64, and 64/8 = 8."
+
+"I understand."
+
+"In the case of hollow columns, the exterior diameter must be cubed,
+and the cube of the interior diameter deducted from it when the
+relative values of different-sized columns can be compared. For
+transmitting motion, and here torsional _stiffness_ is referred to, the
+resistance of shafts of equal stiffness is proportional to the fourth
+power of their diameters. A 2-inch shaft will transmit 16 times the
+force which would be transmitted by a 1-inch shaft without being
+twisted through a greater angle. When the height of the pile is
+considerable the diameter should be relatively larger, in order that
+the metal may not be subject to severe torsional strain. So don't
+forget the piles should be of large and not small diameter, or you may
+have trouble in screwing them."
+
+"You remember old Bill Marr?"
+
+"Rather, who did the iron pilework on the Shore Railway. I should think
+I did, for old Spoil'em, we called him, and I were in 'Co.' together
+more than once."
+
+"Oh! you were, were you?"
+
+"Yes. Well, there is not much to be got that way unless it is soft
+ground for a good depth and the piles are long and the range of tide
+considerable, then you may pick an odd plum now and again by a bit of
+useful forgetfulness. I mean this way:--By using an odd making-up
+length or two instead of the right length, and getting it fixed on the
+quiet just as the tide is rising, then you have a nice peaceful few
+hours in which to get the joint well covered and down before next low
+water; but it wants some management to keep the coast clear, and you
+can't do very much at it--still little fish are sweet. One day I was
+nearly caught at the game of 'extra' profit, and as we had only just
+begun, of course at the shore end, it would have been awkward for me if
+I had been found out, and I might have been ordered change of air and
+scene by the engineer. It happened like this, the piles had been going
+down very easily, and acting up to the principle of making hay while
+the sun shines, I had a couple of short lengths put on six of them. We
+were screwing them in triangles, so one I got to right length, and two
+did not find the same home, because they could not, not being long
+enough. I dodged the lengths so that the joints were all right for the
+bracing above low water. Now the road was clear, so I ordered a new
+length to be put on all of them before the tide turned, and that each
+of them was to be down 3 feet or so before the tide began falling to
+allow them to set, and told them that then they were to proceed as
+before. Now, I consider the chap that first went in for making up
+lengths was born right and with an eye to business and nicked profits.
+We were working two triangles of screw piles I thought lovely, and
+said, innocent-like, to my ganger, 'Get the joint of each one down say
+3 feet below low-water mark so as to protect it, for no joint is so
+strong as the solid pile, and then you can screw them down till all the
+tops are level and right for the bracing.' Of course they said nothing,
+and I am sure never thought anything or wanted to do, too much trouble.
+It is not my place to teach them, either."
+
+"No, certainly not; there you are right."
+
+"Well, somehow or other, the ground turned hard, or we got into a
+streak of compact gravel. I did not trouble further about the piles
+after I had given orders, as the tide had started rising and the joints
+were well covered. It was rather an up and down shore. I felt certain
+in a few hours none of them could be seen except by divers, so I had a
+bit of business on shore which took me nearly two hours before I got
+back on the work. My ganger said, 'I am glad you have come back,
+because they stick; I have tried to get the lot down, but not one has
+screwed in more than a foot.' That was not exactly what I wanted, and
+said, 'Why, the long ones went down easily?' 'Yes,' said my ganger,
+'but they were at the point of the triangle, and these others are all
+on one line or nearly so, and have struck hard ground.' I will cut it
+short, although it got exciting, for it was a race between screwing
+and, I might say, banging them in, and the tide that was going down;
+and I was clocking and measuring, and hot and cold, according as the
+race went, as I thought they would find me out; but I was left pretty
+well alone, as they cared much more about inspecting the piles than
+knowing how they were screwed down, besides the engineer was very busy
+with a lot of groynes and ticklish work improving the harbour channel.
+However, we just managed; but it made me feverish, and I expect the
+blades, if they could be seen, are not exactly as when they left the
+foundry; but there, there is a good deal in pilework that has to be
+taken on trust, it is not like a foundation you can see and walk upon
+if so minded. Still, screw piles are all right for some soils, but I
+like disc piles better for sand, those that sink by water-pressure I
+mean. I don't think there is the same fear of the disc being broken as
+there is in the case of the screw, and the sinking is so easy and soft
+that no parts get strained as in screwing, but the ground must be soft,
+or there may be a bother.
+
+"After this shave from being bowled out, I always took care to dodge in
+a short one, now and then, when I knew the ground must be right, and I
+never got scared again. It was lucky, too, that a good many of the
+lengths varied, as on most jobs they are all the same, except the
+making-up lengths, and then down they all have to go unless a whole
+length can be left out when a seam of hard soil is reached, and that is
+not often the case, and there is not much chance of a bit of 'extras'
+that way on the quiet. I have known the game of 'extra' profit carried
+to breaking off a screw blade purposely, but I draw the line before I
+come to that."
+
+"Do you? I should not have thought it, as you don't mind cutting off
+the heads of timber piles, so you have promised to tell me."
+
+"That is a different material and consequently requires different
+treatment. You understand? Let me also tell you, I once heard a big
+Westminster engineer say, 'Timber we understand, iron we know a good
+deal about, and steel also; but we have plenty to find out yet both in
+the manufacture and use of nearly all metals,' or something like that,
+he said.
+
+"I acted up to that; and always say to myself, We understand timber,
+and know how to treat it--and so I don't mind cutting it, as I know
+what I am about with it, although I represent unskilled more than
+skilled labour. Metals are different goods, and it wants skilled labour
+to tackle them nicely."
+
+"There you are right."
+
+"Yes, different goods. So, following the lead of the engineer, I leave
+the iron piles as delivered, as we have yet something to learn about
+the metal; and things that I don't know much about I avoid as much as
+possible, and consequently there are good grounds for getting in some
+short lengths as occasion offers, just to have as little to do with the
+material that you don't know much about and that is a bit mysterious in
+its behaviour. So I lessen the handling of it, and shorten the lengths,
+and so increase the odds against the chance of it not turning out as
+one thought it would; and I ought to be thanked for it, I consider. You
+look a bit puzzled. I tell you, you are getting thick, and want fresh
+pointing up to sharpen you. Listen to me. Now, suppose you buy a dozen
+eggs, and you think and know, on the average, at the price two are bad;
+you take one away and find it's bad, then you have 11 to 1 odds as
+against 12 to 2 or 6 to 1, and there can't be so much chance of another
+bad one turning up so quickly. If you don't understand my meaning I
+can't make you. There may or may not be a different application of
+explaining the egg business, but mine is what I mean you to take, and I
+don't intend to bother about any one else. You are younger than I
+thought you were, or your brain is all of a tangle."
+
+"Wait a minute. All right. I understand now; you lessen the chances of
+failure and the extent of it when it occurs by having a little less to
+do with goods that are made of material no one seems to knows
+everything about."
+
+"Now you have it. Shake fins. Glad we have worked on to the right road
+again, as it looked like a collision just now."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+SCREW PILES.
+
+Details.
+
+
+"Now for some details.
+
+"Solid piles are usually from 4 to 8 inches in diameter, and hollow
+cast-iron from 10 to 30 inches, and generally 10 to 20 inches. Avoid
+any cast-iron screw piles that are less than half an inch in thickness.
+When they are from 1/12th to 1/18th of the diameter is perhaps the
+best, according as their length is little or great; but of course they
+have to be of a thickness that will stand the load, and what is the
+best foundry practice should not be forgotten.
+
+"Now as to the blade of the screw. If of wrought-iron, which seems to
+me the wrong material for that purpose, it should not be less than half
+an inch in thickness; if of cast-iron, as usually is the case, the
+thickness of the blade of the screw at the pile shaft should be about
+1.25 to 1.50 that of the column, and at the edge not less than half an
+inch, and it should taper equally on both sides, and care be taken that
+the metal is the very best and so cast as to ensure uniformity and
+strength.
+
+"All sizes of screws from twice to six times the diameter of the pile
+when hollow I have screwed, but the best are from 2 to 1 to 3 to 1, and
+when they are more than 4 to 1 it is to be feared they will break
+before they can be made to penetrate far enough to say nothing about.
+Solid piles with screws four to seven times the diameter of pile I have
+also fixed, and 5 to 1 to 6 to 1 is quite large enough; but the kind of
+ground and the depth to which they must be got down should govern the
+size and the pitch. The greatest depth, apart from imagination for
+measurement, to which I have ever screwed a pile is about 25 feet.
+Without special tackle I have made a 2 feet in diameter screw penetrate
+hard clay, dense sand, and other hard soil from 8 to as much as 17
+feet; but then 10 to 15 feet is deep enough, for there is such a thing
+as overscrewing. A 3 to 4 feet in diameter screw I have fixed all
+depths from 10 to 20 feet in ordinary sand, clay, and sandy gravel. A 4
+feet to as large as a 5 feet screw, which great size should only be
+used for soft soils, from 15 to 25 feet, and the most usual depth is
+about 15 feet, and hardly ever above 20 feet.
+
+"A 9 feet 6 inches screw blade has been used on a 7 feet in diameter
+cylinder, but that is the largest I have heard of, but then it only
+projected 2 feet 6 inches beyond the column. Five feet is usually about
+the largest, and is only used for very soft soils. When more than that
+size they are unwieldy and very liable to be broken, and if the screws
+are fixed to a shaft and have to be shipped they are awkward things,
+and the freight becomes expensive. For hard soil, and that which will
+not compress nicely, about 2 to 3 feet is large enough for the diameter
+of the screw, and 3 to 5 feet for soft soils. The pitch of the screw is
+generally from one-third to one-seventh of the outside diameter of the
+blade. It varies according to the hardness and softness of the ground
+and is steeper as it becomes harder. When the pitch is increased the
+effect of the power applied to screw it is reduced, therefore the
+steeper or greater the pitch the harder the screwing.
+
+"Piles can be screwed with a small pitch when sufficient power cannot
+be obtained to make a steep-pitched screw penetrate. Piles with a
+single turn of the screw, it seems to me, are the best, although the
+double-threaded screw may be right in soft marshy ground; but the
+usefulness of a double thread is doubtful, for I believe it breaks up
+the ground for no good, although some state that the screw threads work
+in parallel lines, and that a double-threaded screw is steadier; for
+they say a single-threaded pile is always likely to turn on the outside
+edge of the blade, and that the double-threaded is not, as it has a lip
+on both sides.
+
+"Generally the screw has rather more than one entire turn round the
+pile, and when it is below the ground each side of the blade steadies
+the other, for the turns range from one to about two. Sometimes the
+edge of the blade is notched like a saw; but it is a question whether
+the saw-edge blade will screw into ground that an ordinary blade will
+not, and until it is proved by experiment it can only be a matter of
+opinion; but there is one thing to consider, a saw-cut edge blade may
+to some extent wedge the soil between the teeth; still, I have used
+them, and they penetrated thin limestone, chalk, and compact gravel
+seams. Instead of double threads, double points are the thing, and all
+screw piles should have a point of some kind. For soft ground, a single
+gimlet, and a double for hard soils, and I have noticed what I call a
+double gimlet point is best for keeping a pile in the required
+position, as each point prevents the other departing from a correct
+line. By points I mean the ends are spread out about 3 to 4 inches on
+each side of the axis of pile like spiral cutters.
+
+"Unless it is certain the ground is easy and uniform, a pile with a
+screw having one turn to two turns for bearing purposes, and two,
+three, or four solid inclined screw-threads projecting about
+three-quarters of an inch with two end spiral cutters as just named, is
+my desire, or in addition to the bearing blade a single-turn thread of
+about 3 to 4 inches projection and the same kind of point; then unless
+it will screw, none will. They are less trouble when cast in one piece
+with the pile; but not for transport or shipping, or foreign work
+generally, because to be able to detach the screws is an advantage in
+many ways, such as packing, defects, breakages, carriage, and I think
+the castings are better when the blade is not cast on the pile. It may
+also happen that a rocky bed is unexpectedly encountered, then the pile
+is useless with the screw, but might be fixed firmly in Portland cement
+without the blade in a hole made in the rock. At the top of the screw
+blade seat in which a pile has to be fixed there should be a
+wrought-iron ring about half to three-quarters of an inch in thickness,
+and not less than 2 inches in width, to relieve any strain on the
+casting. It may be put on hot, so as to cool sufficiently tight but not
+strain the casting. A firm and even bearing for the pile on the socket
+seat is important, and it should fit accurately.
+
+"I have heard of screw piles in which the blade was made of two or more
+separate segments so as to obtain, it was supposed, equal pressure all
+round, and to ease screwing, but rather fancy they might be inclined to
+jam the ground, as they would be not unlike a lot of very large round
+saw teeth. They may be right, but it has to be proved they will screw
+where a plain blade will not, provided the latter pile has double
+cutter-points to steady it.
+
+"Give me a screw blade not more than about 2 feet from the points, and
+not one with a blade 10 feet or so above the points and say from 5 to 6
+feet in the ground, for then, should the screw work at all crooked and
+the pile be not exactly upright at the commencement of screwing, it is
+no easy task to get it to stand vertically upon applying the power,
+because such piles are generally long and slender, and shift about
+until the blade is screwed. They want careful and constant guidance. Of
+course, the idea of placing the screw a little way down is that when
+the ground bears as well at that place as at the point, and there is no
+scour, it is no use putting the bearing blade lower. That is right; but
+then it always occurs to me to ask what is the use of anything below
+the bearing level if the foundation be protected from scour, for a thin
+pile by itself has little lateral strength.
+
+"Of course, you are bound to make out a pile requires a lot of screwing
+or you will be considered as making too much profit, but always take
+care to watch how the first pile screws, and measure the distance every
+few minutes. What the ground is can then be judged, and you will be
+able to think out things for 'extra' profit. It causes me a lot of
+consideration sometimes, but after a struggle I generally manage to
+think rightly for my pocket, and work it all serene. What a beautiful
+sharpener of one's brain 'extras' are!
+
+"It is not always an experimental pile is screwed so as to judge of
+the distance the permanent piles should penetrate, and therefore a
+guess has to be made from the experience of screw piles under the
+same conditions of screwing and in the same soil. There is a good
+deal of chance about it, for although the soil may be of the same
+general character it often varies in hardness; and that is where the
+bother is, for it makes the 'extras' to be wrong way about for some
+time. What I do then is to work the oracle, and try to make out the
+screw blades will be broken or injured for certain if I am compelled
+to screw them as ordered, and I work on the proverb that equal
+support is not to be obtained at a uniform depth when the ground
+varies, which is true; and I state that the resistance is different
+and offer to screw on, but say am afraid the blade may be broken, and
+in that how-kind-I-am-to-consider-your-interests sort of way
+generally manage to obtain a bit 'extra,' or save something that
+would have been loss, and get the pile measured at once for a
+making-up length, and really without damaging any one, for if the
+ground is harder at one place than at another there is no occasion to
+go so deep, always provided scour is not to be feared. So I am
+pleased, and it does not hurt them.
+
+"Now for a hint or two on screwing piles. I shall not refer to the
+columns above the ground, but to the bearing piles below, i.e., the
+part that has to be screwed into the ground. However, I will just say
+that upon the top of some of the columns the usual hinged shoes of
+bearing-blocks should be placed to receive the ends of the girders, and
+by that means the pressure on the columns will be on the centre of the
+pile, and allowance be made for expansion and contraction, and that is
+important.
+
+"Fixed staging is far the best from which to screw piles, but the
+chances must be considered of its being swept away by floods in a
+river, or smashed by the sea, and on any exposed coast there may not be
+time to construct it during the working season, so as to give a
+sufficient number of days for screwing operations. When a fixed stage
+cannot be erected, or the work be done from the end of a finished pier,
+pontoons or rafts are then a makeshift, but care must be taken that
+they do not break from the moorings. A couple of pontoons well braced
+together will do with a space between them to screw the pile, but in a
+steady or shallow river, perhaps making a timber stage upon the shore
+and floating it out can be done if a centre pile is fixed on the bed of
+the river to be certain it is in the right position when grounded. The
+staging must be equally weighted to make it sink, and arrangements made
+so that it can be floated away at any time if necessary.
+
+"Piles can also be fixed in a medium depth of water by ordinary
+gantries, but if they are in the sea the road on the staging should be
+kept from 12 to 15 feet above high water on an open sea coast or the
+inclined struts and ties and rail tops as well are very likely to be
+destroyed, and it is also advisable to construct the flooring of the
+stage so that it can be easily taken away in case of storms. The stage
+piles also require to be well stiffened by struts, transoms, diagonals,
+and capping sills. I have screwed piles from a floor that has been
+suspended from staging by chains and ropes to the height wanted, and
+when lowered it was fixed temporarily and as many guides as possible
+were made for the piles. Perhaps as good a way as any is to fix, say
+four guide piles having a space between them a shade larger than the
+outside dimensions of the screw blade and braced to the rest of the
+stage, and after the screw is in position and ready for screwing in the
+ground, place, say a couple of frames, one at top and one as low as
+possible between the guide piles, about an eighth of an inch more than
+the outside dimension of the pile shaft, for then the pile is kept in
+its right position as it is screwed. The guide frames should be at
+about every 10 or 15 feet of the height above the ground, and at some
+point between the capstan level and the ground. Should it be a tidal
+river, fix guide booms if a properly made iron frame cannot be placed,
+and remember the more a pile is guided the easier it is to screw, and
+especially so at the start.
+
+"The size and strength of the staging must be regulated according to
+the power available for screwing the piles, but the length of the lever
+arms and the capstan bars require a space in which to revolve, from,
+say, 35 to 60 feet square. No timber stage is immovable, for the wood
+yields. It is well to have two floors in a stage if it does not cost
+too much, and there is plenty of tackle and a lot of screwing to do;
+say, one fixed above high-water level and the other about half tide in
+order to obtain double power, and sufficient power to screw the piles
+cannot sometimes be otherwise secured. A word about floating stages.
+With them it is not easy to make a pile screw vertically unless the
+ground is uniform, and should a pile meet a boulder it will most
+probably be forced out of position. According to the power
+required--which really means the nature of the ground, as the harder
+the soil the harder the screwing--the form of the pile and the depth to
+which it has to be screwed, so must be the size and strength of the
+raft, pontoon, or lighter, and the moorings must hold it tightly. In
+some places a screw cannot be fixed from a floating stage, for the
+water may nearly always be too disturbed, and the pontoons may sway too
+much, for in all cases men, horses, or bullocks must have a steady
+footing, and screwing machinery also requires a firm base. Unless the
+moorings are very secure the platform will be unsteady. Its level
+should be as little above the water as practicable for work, so as to
+keep the point of resistance and that at which the screwing power is
+applied as near together as possible, and the lower the pontoon the
+less it rolls. It does not matter much what craft is used so long as it
+is broad and steady and not high, as a platform or deck must be made
+upon it in any case. To do any good with floating stages the power
+required should be little, and the ground soft and uniform, for
+sufficient force to screw may not be obtainable from a floating body,
+and in hard soil it may only be possible to screw piles a little way
+down and not to a sufficient depth for the load they will have to bear.
+
+"Of course, vertical pile screwing is the easiest, and to try to screw
+them at a greater angle than 63 deg., or about 1/2 to 1, is unadvisable,
+and may not succeed, and even if they do it is too steep to be nice. 1
+in 10 to 1 in 20 for raking piles is enough; for if they have to carry
+girder ends, the more the batter the greater the strain on the pile,
+and the same during screwing.
+
+"Sometimes in loose soil it is difficult to start screwing, and then a
+good plan is to cast some clay or solid earth round the pitch; it
+steadies the pile and will probably make it bite properly, or a heavy
+weight placed on the pile may make it catch hold of the ground; if not,
+a few blows from a ram may do it. As a hollow pile penetrates, the core
+requires to be removed, so as to help it to descend. If it is not large
+enough for boys to get inside, scoops and tackle can be used. Water
+forced down makes sand boil round the screw blade, and when the pile is
+empty the unbalanced head of water outside relieves the pile and the
+screw blade from some of the surface friction. If water pressure cannot
+be used, the water inside the pile should be removed either by pumps or
+buckets so as to help to loosen the ground.
+
+"Piles do not generally screw to the full pitch, but when a pile
+descends _more_ than the pitch at the last turn, it can be considered
+the weight of the pile is too great for the ground. The slip usually
+increases according to the yielding or plastic nature of the soil, and
+the depth to which the pile is screwed. When water reaches such soils
+the slip is increased, but not perceptibly in sand and loose grained
+soils. Suppose the full pitch is 9 inches. The slip may be anything
+from about 1 inch to as much as 4 inches. By watching the way in which
+the screw penetrates, and whether it descends about the same distance
+_each_ turn, or regularly decreases, it can be judged whether the bite
+of the screw is right. Some slip will generally take place, therefore
+note at first how much it is, and consider whether it will not churn up
+the ground, for if the screw blade turns on nearly the same lines, the
+bite will be gradually destroyed, and then it may be very difficult to
+obtain a fresh hold of the ground, and the pile will most probably not
+screw vertically, and the screw blade is liable to be injured and may
+become worn away considerably.
+
+"Piles can be screwed by means of men, horses, oxen, and machines.
+Man-power can be used anywhere, machines in most places, but horses and
+oxen only on land when the piles are screwed on a foreshore or between
+tides; of course all live power works at the end of the capstan bars.
+Once I had the option of screwing by horses or oxen, and chose oxen.
+Another man had horses. I made more profit than he did, and the piles
+screwed easier than his. I did not let him come near me when screwing;
+but if you have the choice, use oxen in preference to horses. Of
+course, I am speaking of those countries where they are used to the
+yoke."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because they do not stop at any time or back like horses, not even
+when the resistance of the pile becomes too great without more power,
+but continue to pull, and therefore backward motion of the pile is
+prevented. The oxen were yoked to two cross-arms attached to the end of
+the lever.
+
+"There are several machines for screwing piles worked by steam or other
+power, and when the ground is not easy to penetrate, and a large number
+of piles have to be screwed, their cost will be saved in the
+regularity, quickness, and ease in screwing, and in stiff soil by
+machine power I have known them screwed at the rate of 4 to 6 inches
+per minute. Of course, it is a special machine, and not easily sold
+when not further wanted except at a much less price than has been paid
+for it, and that has to be considered. There are several different
+methods of screwing piles from a fixed stage; for instance, suppose a
+pile of sufficient length and with the screw attached is brought to the
+site by barge or otherwise, the capstan head is then fixed, and the
+pile swung vertically over the pitch by sling-chains fastened to
+temporary eye-bolts passing through the bolt-holes in the flanges or
+otherwise, and is moved either by a jib crane, a derrick upon a raft,
+or some such hoisting apparatus; it is lowered into its place between
+the guide-piles or steadied by sling-chains or other means, then the
+capstan bars are put into the sockets of the capstan head, which should
+be at equal distances apart, and the pile is ready for screwing after
+it is known that it is vertical.
+
+"Where circumstances did not allow of room for capstan bars of
+sufficient length for men to walk round, I have screwed piles by ropes,
+but it will only do when the soil is easy to penetrate. The way we
+worked was something like this, we had two endless ropes passing round
+the ends of short capstan bars and round two double purchase crabs
+placed upon opposite sides of the pile, about six or eight men worked
+at each crab, four or five winding, and two or three hauling in the
+slack, one rope being passed through a sufficiently deep upper slot in
+the capstan bar end so that it did not slip, also one in the lower slot
+same end. Both the taut and the slack ends of the lower and upper ropes
+were attached each to its own crab. A man must be stationed at the end
+of the capstan bars to put the slack ends of the taut and slack ropes
+into the slots. One rope gives the capstan half a turn when it is taut,
+and then it falls out of its slot and is slack, and so with the other
+rope, but it is not easy to keep the two ends of the rope equally
+tight, and the power obtained is not great and may not be sufficient.
+It is a kind of makeshift."
+
+"How do you fix the capstan head to the pile shaft?"
+
+"In many different ways. Sometimes it is keyed on or clamped tightly to
+the top of the pile length by steel wedges, also placed upon the pile
+length and fixed by temporary bolts passing through the top flanges of
+the pile length, and also by fixing a temporary ribbed pile into the
+capstan head, and by connecting it with the permanent pile by bolts or
+slots, and so wedging is not wanted and it can be raised and lowered.
+Another way is, two of the internal sides of the pile at top are cast
+flat for a foot or so down into which the capstan head fits, and the
+inside diameter is lessened for an inch or two to prevent the capstan
+head slipping down, but it generally can't do that, even without the
+narrowing of the pile for that object.
+
+"As the capstan is subject to great wear and tear and sudden strain, it
+should be strong, for if it breaks the work is stopped. Wrought-iron
+capstan heads are used, but cast-iron are perhaps better. Sometimes the
+capstan sockets are made to fit the ends of rails, if rails instead of
+timber are used for the capstan bars, but rail bars are rather heavy
+and are not nice to handle. The capstan socket is generally made to
+receive from eight to ten or more radial lever arms, and the lengths of
+the bars are anything from 5 to 40 feet, but the latter is rather too
+long as it is very difficult to control the strain and the bar usually
+bends and springs. The best working lengths are from about 8 to 20
+feet, if the staging is so large. The best height for the capstan bars
+above the floor stage is from 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 6 inches. The
+capstan bars have to be lifted and again fixed as the pile penetrates,
+or a temporary pile of different length has to be fixed in it, unless
+the capstan head can be slipped up and down on a ribbed pile, hence you
+may want a platform you can raise or lower easily when required. If you
+use double-headed rails of the same section top and bottom for the
+bars, you can have them bent up a little near the capstan head, and
+when you start, the bent end is lowest, and then the bars can be
+reversed and so the work proceeds.
+
+"Put the men, horses, or oxen in the most natural position for exerting
+their full strength or a loss of power will result, and therefore it
+will cost more to screw the piles.
+
+"Should there be gantry staging on the site, the piles can be pitched
+from a traverser, or by means of an ordinary crab winch. They can also
+be screwed from the permanent structure by means of a projecting stage
+temporarily fixed to it, and of a length sufficient to reach the next
+span. The pile is run forward upon rollers and placed in the right
+position. Then it is screwed on the endless rope system previously
+described, or by passing the rope round a deep groove in the capstan
+bar ends, and the rope is held tightly by being placed round a smaller
+grooved pulley fixed about a hundred feet or so back towards the shore.
+The men haul the endless rope and so the screwing is done. The worst of
+screwing by endless ropes this way is that the pile very probably may
+be pulled over towards the source of power as it comes from _one_
+direction, therefore, support is required on the side of the pile to
+prevent this tendency. The circumference of the ropes used varied from
+4-1/2 to 6 inches, but I have used a 10 inch rope. Small ropes are
+generally relatively stronger than large ones. Stretch a rope well
+before using, as it yields, especially hemp ropes. The distance between
+the point at which the power is applied, and the ground should be as
+little as possible. In firm sand, when the power has been more than
+about 20 to 25 feet above the ground, it is often very difficult to
+screw piles by ordinary means to more than a small depth, as two places
+in the pile are wanted from which to apply the screwing force, and both
+as low down as convenient; but in screwing from a second stage care
+should be taken that the pile shaft is not bent, for it may then be
+strained like a girder and not merely as a column, also when much power
+to screw is required it is not easy to avoid pulling them out of the
+vertical. Always screw them steadily and prevent jerking. Any
+obstruction, such as a boulder, tends to displace a pile, and loosens
+the ground around it. In soft soils it may be possible to pull piles
+upright by pushing aside an obstruction if the pile is given a turn or
+two after meeting it and before pulling; but it must be carefully done,
+or the pile may be smashed, and it is only safe to pull it over in easy
+soils and when much force is not required."
+
+"How much power is generally wanted for screwing?"
+
+"That is not so easily answered as asked. It varies very much, and, of
+course, depends upon the kind of soil and the size and pitch of the
+screw. Ten men may be sufficient and a single stage, but two stages may
+be necessary should the pile be 50 or 60 feet in length, and then not
+far from one hundred men. An engineer told me the force generally
+required for piles of usual sizes under ordinary screwing circumstances
+varies from about 8 to 10 tons to as much as 50 tons, and usually from
+about 10 to 25 tons, and, of course, the number of men to screw in
+proportion.
+
+"Ordinary piles and screws have gone down 21 feet in sand in eight
+hours, and by steam machinery in clay at the rate of 6 inches per
+minute, and also, to my loss only about 1 foot in a day--and then it is
+time to stop altogether, should many piles hold like that. To compare
+what has been done with what has to be done is misleading unless the
+conditions are alike, for if they are otherwise the power required,
+cost, and rate of screwing will all be different. I have screwed a
+6-inch pile with a 2-feet one-turn screw into 20 feet of ordinary sand
+with an applied power of 30 tons as calculated by an engineer from
+measurements and the force of men applied at the capstan bars. There is
+the surface friction on the screw blade and the pile shaft in the
+ground, the cutting of the earth by the edge of the blade and the
+points, and the loss of power from torsion and that applied compared
+with the effective force, slip, friction, &c., to consider; and the
+relative surface of the blades, width, and thickness of the cutting
+edge and the pitch--for a steep pitch means harder screwing. By using
+capstan bars and men at them, instead of ropes at the ends of the arms
+worked by crabs, you will find about one-fifth more power is gained, or
+rather is not lost. Of course, place the men as near to the end of the
+capstan bar as convenient for work. My lecture is finished, and I am
+parched."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IRON PILES.
+
+Arrangement--Driving--Sinking by Water-jet.
+
+
+"Tell me what you have learned about iron pile fixing, same as you have
+promised me you will about timber piles."
+
+"Very well. Here goes, then; first a word as to iron piles generally.
+
+"Although a group of piles when properly strutted, tied, and braced
+have plenty of stiffness, if you have to deal with them singly they are
+never stiff, but they can be made steadier when getting them down by
+having two large pieces of wood with a half hole in them, something
+like the shape of the old village stocks, and by putting or lowering it
+at low water until it is bedded in the ground. It must be weighted
+though, so as to prevent it floating. It acts like a waling, and is
+useful when the ground is treacherous, and provided it is level.
+
+"From watching the behaviour of piles when doing repairs and at other
+times, I think it wants a lot of careful arrangement to be sure the
+load is acting equally on the whole group, or, as may be intended, on
+say a few piles, and straight down the centre of each pile, for it
+makes a lot of difference to the strain on them, and it is not easy to
+make them all take the load at once as wished. It wants a good deal of
+attention, and the piles are not unlike a pair of horses that are not
+matched and don't work together properly--kind of now me, now you
+business. Before finishing reference to driving and screwing, let me
+say all the parts should be properly fitted together at the works and
+numbered so that the putting up on the ground is easier and in order to
+be certain all the bolt-holes agree; and it is well to have the lengths
+interchangeable and all the same, except the making-up pieces, and all
+bolt-holes as well as the flanges should fit in every respect.
+
+"When columns rest on a masonry, brickwork, or concrete base the piles
+ought to have a ring or base-plate right round them to hold them
+tightly together. It lessens the pier being shaken, and saves the side
+pushing of the holding-down bolts. I heard an engineer say the weight
+of the pier above their ends should be not less than about four times
+any force that might tend to lift them. The anchor-plates should be
+well bedded upon a solid mass or the strain upon the pier may go in one
+direction, and that the one not wanted. Don't be afraid of bracing and
+strutting piles, the more of it the better. I don't think much of a
+single turn of a screw blade a few feet below the ground for taking a
+load, although some good for steadying purposes generally, because the
+bed may become scoured out below the blade and then the screw is no
+use. Therefore the depth of possible scour ought to be positively known
+before relying upon the blade for permanent support. A lot can be said
+as to the grouping of piles, whether in triangles or in rows. In a
+triangle, although the load upon the foundations is spread over a
+larger area, it does not give as much lateral strength as when the
+piles are placed in one row, and taking everything into consideration I
+think if I had six piles to put down I should not place one at the top
+of a triangle, two lower down, and three at the base, but have two
+parallel rows of three piles; besides it lessens the length of the
+struts and the bracing, and that is something, but, of course, each
+case requires to be treated in a special way, and I have noticed when
+doing repairs that if there are six piles fixed thus, [Illustration] in
+a triangle, the wind and other force acts principally upon the bracing
+between the parallel rows, and the pile at the point does not do much
+towards keeping the others in the right place; anyhow the bracing there
+does not seem to hold as tightly as it does between the parallel rows,
+and I have had to watch groups of them in storms, and when the sea has
+been high, and that is my opinion."
+
+"Now, as to fixing iron piles."
+
+"When the ends have to be placed in rock, which has sometimes to be
+done in shore pieces, 'jumping' the holes in more than about 2 feet of
+water is to be avoided, for if the water is not still the holes become
+filled with sand and drift, and you must not take the jumper out but
+keep on continuously making the hole. It is ticklish business, because
+sometimes the rock grinds the jumper, and then the wings and point wear
+away. Occasionally they have to be worked inside a cylinder by ropes,
+rods, and gearing fixed in it, the cylinder being movable and held from
+the end of the part of the pier that is finished, but where the water
+is deep the ends must be put in the rock in Portland cement by divers.
+
+"I have driven a good many iron piles with a ram, but you have to be
+careful, no matter whether the soil is sand, gravel, clay, or silt. I
+like a copper ring on the head of the iron pile and a good long timber
+'dolly,' not less than 4 or 5 feet in length, and then the ram does not
+burst the top. When the ground is hard the best way is to make a hole
+by jumpers of about 3 inches less diameter than the pile to be fixed,
+and in chalk soil it is doubtful whether they will go down right unless
+that is done; perhaps they won't drive at all, or a lot of them will be
+broken. I have used a ram weighing from 1 to 1-1/2 ton for an 8 to a 10
+inch pile and about a 3-feet fall, and never more than 4 feet, unless
+you want to deal with some old metal merchant that will give a good
+price for the scrap, and it does not matter how many get broken, or it
+is a positive advantage to break a certain quantity out of every lot,
+so as to have a big price for such difficult driving, and get 'extras'
+that way."
+
+"I understand, no breakages deducted."
+
+"That's it. I have driven them at the rate of fully 6 inches a minute
+for a few feet. They often rebound, so I had a boy with a lever, the
+end of it being clinched to the pile. Directly the ram fell, he gave
+the pile from quarter to half a turn for the first 4 or 5 feet of
+driving, and they scarcely rebounded at all; and he earned his wages,
+for I considered fully one pile extra was got down out of about every
+ten by the turning movement. The points require to be regulated
+according to the ground. From 1-1/2 to twice the diameter or width for
+the length of the point is about right, but if it is made too sharp it
+may break. Iron piles that have to be driven are seldom more than 12
+inches in width, and the thickness of the metal is generally from
+one-ninth to one-twelfth of the diameter. I heard an engineer say, I
+think it was Mr. Cubitt, experiments showed that a T-shaped cast-iron
+pile about 30 feet in length, should have the top of the T two and a
+quarter times the length of the upright part, and the thickness a
+twelfth of the top. Of course, the length of the pile must be
+considered. I doubt if you can get equally sound metal throughout when
+the thickness is much more than 2-1/2 inches. From 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch is
+best, and piles I have broken up always seemed more even throughout
+about those thicknesses; but there, I suppose it is all a question of
+care in casting and proper machinery.
+
+"One thing, don't drive any piles from a floating stage on the sea if
+you can help it, it will make you pay for the privilege; besides I have
+known some places where the sea was always so disturbed it could not be
+done, even if the moorings were as tight as you dare make them. Driven
+iron piles are not much seen now, and Portland cement concrete seems
+the fashion, and no doubt it is better. Still, iron piles can be driven
+in deep water without much trouble from it, and one might combine the
+two nicely--the iron to act as a shield to the concrete while
+depositing it, and give it time to set without disturbance and preserve
+the face."
+
+"Have you sunk any disc piles?"
+
+"Yes, they are all right for fine sand and silt, but you must be
+careful the discs are the same in form and dimensions upon all sides,
+or a pile will almost certainly tilt and sink crookedly. I was busy on
+the Lancashire coast once, and heard that Mr., now Sir James Brunlees,
+tried a lot of different kinds of hollow disc piles, and that the best
+was one with a plain flange base three times the diameter of the pile,
+and circular, with the bottom nearly closed, it only having a hole in
+it in the centre of the base 3 inches in diameter. Some ribs and
+cutters were cast on the bottom of the disc to break the ground up if
+it was hard. This is what I know about disc piles and have been put up
+to.
+
+"When piles have to be sunk by water pressure, rotate the pile, and
+don't let it be still long, so as to lessen or prevent surface friction
+on the pile shaft and the sand settling round it. Always have circular
+discs and not too large, not above 3 feet in diameter, for they do not
+sink nearly so easily as the size of the disc is increased. About 2
+feet discs are my choice as they go down much quicker than 2 feet 6
+inches or 3 feet.
+
+"Don't try to sink them in sand to a greater depth than 18 to 20 feet,
+and remember that although they may sink easily for about 12 or 15
+feet, afterwards they will want some labour. When you have finished
+sinking piles with the water-jet, it is best to drive them down an inch
+or two further by a heavy ram and a very small fall, or heavily weight
+them as soon as possible after having done with the jet; then the disc
+has a bearing on firm and undisturbed ground, and if you are afraid of
+a blow on the pile you can have a heavy weight placed on it to help it
+into position and the sand to become solid. Obtain considerable
+pressure of water, and always cause the pile to rotate when sinking.
+Don't let the pressure get much below 40 lbs. per square inch, and use
+about 60 lbs. if you can get it. I have worked up to 100 lbs. per
+square inch but not beyond, and fancy there is then too much pressure,
+and that more sand is disturbed than is necessary. All that is wanted
+is to make the sand boil and remove itself from the underside of the
+pile and disc, but always have a few ribs or cutters on the underside
+of the disc as they loosen the sand as the pile is rotated--besides,
+should there be a strip of harder soil, it may be impossible to sink
+the pile without them. A rather large tube and a moderate pressure are
+best, and a tube not less than about 2 to 4 inches in diameter
+according to the size of the pile, and it is better from 3 to 6 inches,
+of course, if the pressure is high a larger size jet can be used, but
+if it is less than 2 inches it will only make a small hole, and too
+much below the disc, and not enough water passes through it. Try to
+ascertain what pressure of water makes the piles sink the easiest.
+Sometimes they will go down at the start as much as 3 feet in a minute,
+and often 2 feet, and from that to 1 foot they should do for about the
+first 6 or 8 feet in sand, but then the rate quickly decreases. The
+nozzle should be properly shaped so that the jet is whole. I mean the
+shape of the pipe at the place where it touches the sand. What is
+wanted is to get just enough force to cause the sand to separate and
+boil and to push it away from the disc and no further, or some of the
+water power is wasted, therefore a good volume of water is as necessary
+as a high pressure. You understand?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"The tube should project about 6 inches below the bottom of the disc. A
+toothed tube can be fixed round it so as to help to disturb the ground
+and strengthen the pipe. The water supply may perhaps be obtained at a
+sufficient pressure from the local water-works company, then, probably,
+a force pump will not be required, but the pressure that can always be
+relied upon should be known.
+
+"In sand, and when the water power can be easily obtained, I prefer
+disc piles to screw piles, because there is hardly any chance of
+breaking or injuring the disc; you always know where the disc is, but
+cannot positively say where the screw is--it may be sound and may not
+be; in addition, the disc is stronger than a screw blade, as it can be
+strengthened by ribs almost as much as one likes, and the disc in
+sinking is hardly strained at all compared with a screw pile. They can
+be sunk quicker, and do not require nearly as much plant to do it, for
+when you have a force pump, a guide frame--something like an ordinary
+pile-driving machine 25 or 30 feet in height, with a grooved pulley at
+top in which the chain or rope runs so that one end can be attached to
+the pile flange either by jaws or temporary bolts, and the other to a
+crab winch, which, with the guide frame, is used for lowering and
+keeping the pile in position, and stay the top of the guide frame by
+ropes to short piles driven into the ground--and a hose and two levers,
+with a collar to grasp the pile so as to rotate it, you have about all
+the _special_ plant that is wanted.
+
+"Of course, piles can be sunk by water pressure from a floating stage
+such as a barge, pontoon, or raft, so long as the pile is kept
+vertical, but there are the same objections to that method as with
+other piles. Piles are, however, got down much quicker and easier by
+the water jet than by screwing or driving, but the ground must be loose
+granular soil, such as ordinary sand.
+
+"There is not much 'extra' to be got out of iron piles. You can only
+dodge a bit with a length short now and then when you have the right
+parties to work with, and the inspector is cross-eyed or a star-gazer,
+but you may get something 'extra' out of the filling them in. As usual
+I draw the line somewhere. Everything on earth has a boundary line.
+This is where I draw it. Listen!
+
+"After as much water as possible--possible is a nice elastic word--is
+got out of the pile, and it is as clear of deposit as convenient--another
+nice easy word--and before commencing the filling, I put inside the
+pile everything I can get hold of that is dry, for just then I have but
+one way of looking at anything, and that is to consider it Portland
+cement concrete, unless it costs me more to use it; but when the
+filling is concrete, I make that as dry as mixing will allow, and
+sometimes hardly that. The inside of the pile is sure to be wet, and
+that will help the mixing. I never ram the concrete, but gently cast it
+in. It is only a sort of anti-rust covering, and is put in for that and
+to keep water out, and no weight comes upon it--it is not like the
+hearting of cylinder bridge piers. Ramming the concrete is not far from
+being a mistake, because the pile should have a chance of contracting
+without straining, and may be it will crack; and it is just as well to
+remember that although by ramming tightly you may get more solid
+filling and better protect the inside from rust, the pile may be
+strained, and it is a choice of evils, possible rust, or strain."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+TIMBER PILES. PILE-DRIVING.
+
+General Consideration.
+
+
+"Now, as promised, I will tell you of a little bit of free trade with
+some timber pilework."
+
+"That's it. I am waiting for it."
+
+"Well, they let me have 400 feet run of pile-driving. Double row of 16
+to 12 inch piles, and there were some fine sticks nearly 55 feet long,
+and that is a long length for a sound pile, and you have to pay for
+them."
+
+"Before you begin to tell me how you scamped it, give me a hint or two
+about piling, and say what you have learned from experience."
+
+"All right. First, when a pile is some distance below the bottom
+waling, which should be fixed as low as possible, a lot must be taken
+for granted, and it cannot be controlled much. I know this from drawing
+many piles; hundreds, I may say. After they are down about 5 or 6 feet
+they begin to do as they like, and take to irregular habits, and you
+cannot be certain the points are straight unless the ground is the same
+throughout, and it hardly ever is. In fact, the resistance they meet
+with varies, and then they accommodate themselves to circumstances; and
+even when the ground is very soft they turn to the line of least
+resistance, and if they have to be driven through several feet of soft
+earth to reach the solid, they may play tricks and bend about in the
+soft soil in go-as-you-please style, yet seem to be driving nicely; or
+they may stick between boulders and can't be driven further and appear
+to be firm as a rock, and so they may be as long as the boulders do not
+move, but they often do after a time, should the ground become wet, and
+sometimes when the next pile is being driven.
+
+"Always be careful to see that the shoe has as large a bearing as
+possible for the end of the pile, and is long in the point, and more
+pointed as the soil is harder. Take a 12-inch pile with a 4-inch or so
+seat in the shoe for the stick. Well, 12 by 12 is 144, and 4 by 4 is
+16, and therefore the pile end has a bearing area upon the pile shoe of
+one-ninth of the area of the pile. No wonder the bottom often becomes
+ragged and the pile shifts. The shoe should have a good hold of the
+timber, and be put on true to a hair, so that the point is in the exact
+centre line of the pile, or look out for squalls. Now high falls and
+light monkeys are out of fashion, and short falls and heavy monkeys are
+the thing, not so many piles are injured. Pushing them down is better
+than breaking them to bits. You should have the monkey so that its
+centre falls upon the centre line of the pile. The average centre of
+the pile should be marked on as exact as possible, and the end of the
+pile be cut to a template, so as to make it fit tightly to the shoe, or
+it may not drive straightly. I always take a lot of trouble that way
+and seldom have to draw a ragged one, and believe they used to drive
+straight. I mean from start to finish about the same number of blows
+and to the same depth and vertically.
+
+"When hand-driving in soft earth--it's slow business at the
+best--weight the pile when the monkey is being lifted so as to stop the
+quivering and press it down and keep it from springing. Provided the
+work was of importance, and I was the Caesar of it, before any pile was
+pitched ready for driving it should be inspected, its dimensions taken,
+it should be numbered, numbers be burnt in, and every foot from top to
+bottom should be marked on by a brand; and perhaps the numbers should
+begin at the bottom and work up, as there is not so much chance to
+tamper with two figures as with one, &c.
+
+"Pile-driving is fickle work, for sometimes the piles stick because the
+points can't pierce the earth, and at others because they are held by
+friction on the surface of the piles. I have known the shoe to be cast,
+and the pile end look like a bass broom, and to be all in shreds. When
+piles split a great deal and they must be driven, the best thing to do
+is to get harder wood, lessen the fall and increase the weight of the
+monkey; same as in tunnel lining, when stock bricks are crushed, blue
+bricks have to be put in. The nature of the ground should govern the
+hardness of the wood for piles. I always pick out darkish even-coloured
+wood, and sniff for the resin, and the more in it the better for me.
+You don't catch me driving many white wood piles, for they become dry
+and break off short, and are not the timber for piles. Once a bother
+arose about some piles. There was a layer of hard gravel, and by the
+way the piles were driving I knew they would split, so I gave the word
+that Memel piles were not hard enough for such gravel; and I worked it
+humble like, and said to the engineer, 'I think you will agree, sir,
+you can't expect me to be answerable for smashing them until we get
+into the soft ground again. It wants rock elm or as strong timber for
+this soil.' After smashing a few to shreds, they supplied us with rock
+elm piles, and then we managed. It is true to say in the same soil the
+harder the pile the better it will drive, and therefore with less
+trouble and expense. The monkey should have an even widened-out base
+where it touches the pile head, so as to get the weight as near the
+head of the pile as possible; it also falls straighter than the long
+thin rams of nearly the same width throughout. Grease the ways well,
+and take care they are as straight as a die, and exactly vertical if it
+is upright pile-driving, and you'll save money. Make the blows quickly
+in fine-grained soil, so that it has not time to settle round the pile.
+In clay there is no occasion for such quick-driving, but take care to
+prevent the piles rebounding. Remember the same system does not do for
+every soil, for quick driving in hard soil sometimes smashes the piles;
+perhaps the earth has not had time to become displaced nicely and
+settle before being jammed again, and then the pile point turns and
+quivers and soon shreds, and cannot be driven down properly. Anyone
+that says piles make the ground itself firmer when they are driven into
+it, and so cause it to support a heavier load, will have to prove it
+before that can be swallowed. It is the friction on the sides of the
+piles that principally sustains them and not the bearing of the points.
+In hard soils drive slowly, for it is like chipping up a stone with a
+hammer. You must do it gently, or it will break the tool; and as you
+can't clear out the hole in driving piles, it seems to me time is
+required instead, so that the pressed out soil may settle away and take
+a bearing. I tricked a chap once pile-driving from a barge."
+
+"How did you do it?"
+
+"Well, it was bound to be driving from a barge or nothing, and there
+were three pile-drivers for us, almost as many as we could work, as the
+driving had to be done by degrees. Some of the work was let to a chap I
+did not like too much, and the rest to me. They gave me the choice of
+plant, so I said to the engineer, 'May I have two of the pile-drivers
+upon my barge, as Faggitts'--that was the other chap's name--'only
+wants one.' I got the two. Now Faggitts knew about driving piles on
+land, but had never done any driving from a barge, so I had a bit in
+hand of him. If you take any pile-driving and it has to be done from a
+barge, have more than one pile-driver on it if you have the chance; but
+don't place them close together, make one steady the other, and have as
+many as you can conveniently work at once; because, in my experience,
+the more you have the less the swaying, and the piles drive more
+regularly and the barge is steadier, and you don't have so much bother
+with the moorings. Of course, if the monkey does not fall flat upon the
+pile head the pile does not receive the full force of the blow in the
+right direction, the pile may be driven slightly crooked and it does
+not get properly treated and won't penetrate so easily, and therefore
+you lose money. Old Faggitts found that out in the soft soil we were
+driving them into. I said nothing to him, but he did to me. I never
+told him.
+
+"I have read somewhere that it is wearying work going into details, but
+when you have to do the work yourself, unless you take care of the
+details you'll find they will make it hot for you; and after all, any
+one can speak generally, but when they have to explain in detail what
+they think they mean, and have to do the work themselves, they will
+soon find out that unless you know the details and attend to them
+carefully, that you won't make a profit nor anyone else. Anybody can
+talk tallish after about a fortnight's training, but then they have to
+pull up or they will fall at the next fence, which I label 'details
+wanted.' That's by the way, and I may have made it too strong, but it
+is as well to sound your engineer. No general is successful unless he
+knows the strength of his enemy and as much more about him as he can,
+and acts accordingly, and chooses his own time and place for a battle.
+
+"Driving piles in groups, especially if the ground is soft, and not
+singly, is good. They go down more regularly and fit tighter, and they
+seem to drive quicker. I have driven cheap fir piles between elm piles
+that way, and a good many of the soft ones split when we had to drive
+them singly. Have as few key piles as possible, because they are liable
+to be jammed before they are down to the right depth, and then, if it
+is a cofferdam, it is probable a leak will occur under the key pile,
+because it is the easiest place for the water to soak through, and the
+other piles being down below it, stop the flow, and it soon finds out
+the short-driven key pile. When I notice a spot in a cofferdam at which
+water leaks through the bottom, unless it is an old stream bed, it
+occurs to me that the piles have not gone down properly, have got
+bruised, bent, turned up, or broken off, and I have found out that was
+the case on drawing them when the cofferdam was of no further use. Once
+I was ordered to drive some three-cornered piles at the turns in a
+cofferdam on a river front, but said, 'Square or circular shall be
+driven, but any other shape I will try to get down properly, provided
+they are carefully fitted and bevelled, but you really can't expect me
+to be answerable.' They deducted a fixed amount if after the piles were
+pitched there were more than a certain number visibly damaged or
+smashed, so you may depend I had a good look at the sticks before they
+were driven.
+
+"I have driven piles 60 feet in length, kind of giant sticks, but 45 to
+50 feet is long enough for good sound piles. Socket pile driving
+piecework I avoid, for the joints are ticklish business; and if a pile
+of ordinary length will not do, I throw out a mild hint whether the
+better system to use would not be Indian brick or concrete wells, or to
+spread out the foundations so as to get a sufficiently large bearing,
+or have a fascine platform, and sink it till it is firm, and test its
+stability properly by a load.
+
+"There is a great deal in starting the driving correctly. I always am
+very careful at the start, and experiment and watch how the piles
+drive, and vary the fall a little until the best is known. Few
+considerable stretches of ground are of the same kind, and to fix a
+certain fall throughout is not the thing, it generally wants varying. I
+have easily driven piles in fine sand by having two small pipes, one
+each back and front, reaching a few inches below the point of the pile,
+and sending water down them under pressure, and by keeping the pipes on
+the move so that they can't be gripped. I worked out with the pipes the
+place where the pile had to be pitched and made a profit that way,
+because not only did the piles go down much quicker, and a lot of blows
+were therefore saved, but the piles were easier to start right. I used
+to call my two pipes the two bobbies, because they steered straight for
+their station, and these two did the same office for the piles.
+
+"Now a word as to systems of driving; the method must suit the ground.
+I knew a man that believed in nothing but driving by gunpowder; he must
+have been going in strong for gunpowder tea, or have been in the
+militia, for the soil he had to do with was not homogeneous, and had
+boulders and other hard obstructions in it. It was not like soft sand
+and clay, consequently many of the piles were broken. The noise also
+was a nuisance in the dock, and cattle that had to be unshipped from
+the steamers were so unruly that they had to stop the gunpowder
+pile-drivers; besides, to do much good with them, a large charge is
+required, or it costs too much. The power necessary to work the
+machines is better obtained by other means, and can be without so much
+noise or shock.
+
+"I have used all sorts and sizes of monkeys, from half a hundredweight
+to four tons, but heavy rams and short falls are the best, and steam
+for the power if the contract is considerable and will pay for such
+plant; otherwise hand, unless the piles are large and have to be driven
+a long way. A sixteen hundredweight monkey is about heavy enough to
+work nicely by hand, but it is not sufficiently heavy for a 12-inch
+pile, except in soft ground. For sheet piles a hand machine is good
+enough, for it can be moved easily, and six to eight tons weight, being
+about that of a steam pile-driver, costs something to shift, unless
+there are rails and tackle handy. Of course the blows are quicker with
+a steam pile-driver, and in sand that is a great point as the ground
+has no time to settle round a pile; but should the soil vary and be
+hard and soft, it is well to slow down the machine at first to lessen
+the fear of smashing the piles and shaking them till they tremble to
+destruction. I have worked a lot of different kinds of plant, and
+driven many piles at once, and the power was obtained from one engine
+giving the motion by driving bands, and in another case with drums
+fixed on the engine shafts, the chains being carried over sheaves to
+the different pile engines.
+
+"This is my idea of pile-driving:--
+
+"1. Steam driving. 2. Hand driving, if the piles must be driven very
+slowly, and there are not many to drive. 3. Never use gunpowder
+pile-drivers, always prefer steam, hydraulic, atmospheric, or some
+other motive power.
+
+"Gunpowder is more for blowing up than anything else, in my opinion,
+and I know the pile shoes often shed in driving with it; that is, they
+loose their hold of the piles and become detached.
+
+"A pile should penetrate regularly, and after the first few blows drive
+less and less, as then you have a good idea it is all right and
+uninjured. Uneven penetration is a proof that piles are not all right,
+and when they sink suddenly there is almost sure to be something wrong,
+and they are most likely being over-driven, shredded, frayed,
+shoe-cast, or split up. The rate of descent should be noted. It may be
+considered they are driving properly if they sink about a foot at a
+blow for the first one or more, and then 8 or 6 inches, and when they
+get down to one-eighth, one-fourth, or half-an-inch a blow for some
+successive blows it is time to stop and consider. I have driven piles
+with as few as ten blows in sand with the aid of two water pipes at
+work fore and aft, as mentioned before, and have had to give a pile as
+many as 300 blows, and when they want as many as that, with all due
+deference to everyone, the ground is firm enough to build upon for
+permanent foundations without piles. My experience goes to show that
+piles are often driven further than they need be, if only for use as a
+cofferdam, and that back struts and counterforts are better than extra
+depth in the ground, provided leakage is prevented. 8 to 10 feet down
+for solid clay, 10 to 12 feet in gravel, and about 15 feet for ordinary
+soils, and more care taken to ascertain the piles are where they should
+be, and that they are sound and whole, and not turned aside, bulged,
+and injured, would be my practice. In boulder ground, in my opinion,
+piles should not be adopted; for broken, crushed, and twisted fibre
+bass-broom shreds are not piles; they are out of place and should be
+used for clearing leaves from garden walks. The longer the piles the
+softer should be the ground they have to be driven into, or they shake
+so much, and cost more to drive.
+
+"Unless always well buried and at such a depth that neither the
+moistness nor condition of the earth vary, I scarcely believe in timber
+pile foundations at all, except in very peculiar cases, and as a kind
+of aid to the main support or to help to prevent the toe of a wall from
+being thrust forward, but for cofferdams, jetties, piers, and such
+structures, of course they are useful. In hard and most gravelly soil
+avoid them, and also in sharp sand, if you cannot use the
+previously-mentioned water-pipe arrangement fore and aft; and although
+in ordinary clays they drive nicely, and you make a bigger profit than
+in sand, it puzzles me to discern what is the use of them for permanent
+foundations, except to help to prevent a wall sliding forward, because
+when a pile is driven into most clays the clay becomes tempered and
+softer, and a layer of concrete put in a proper distance down is better
+and much more certain, and distributes the load more equally. Elastic
+soil is bad in which to drive piles, for it yields and then rebounds. A
+pile will sometimes spring back almost as much as it is driven, and in
+such a case it is well to let the ram or monkey rest on the pile
+immediately after the blow is given, if you are hand-driving, or have
+an arrangement so that it is weighted directly each blow is delivered,
+and perhaps the best way is to hang heavy weights on the pile. In
+driving in firm sand the ground at the surface becomes considerably
+displaced, in clay about half as much as in sand.
+
+"Pile-driving is different to masonry, and I always read the
+specification for pile work, and then judge whether and how a bit
+'extra' is to be obtained, and guess as to the knowledge of those I
+have to deal with, and act accordingly. Sometimes a specification
+simply says all the piles are to be driven to the same depth or as
+shown on the drawings. That may be right should the ground have been
+tested by experimental driving, or the nature of it be known; but if
+not, I don't take much notice of the specification, because I hate
+waste, and can't afford the luxury; and it stands to reason that simply
+because a lot of piles are driven to the same depth they are not
+equally firm, nor will they support the same load unless the soil is
+exactly the same, and they drive well and regularly to the same depth
+and all nearly alike inches by inches, and this seldom occurs. Often
+'extra' profit is to be had, as you will soon hear described, for when
+piles will not drive further than half or a quarter of an inch a blow
+they satisfy me they are tight enough for the purpose intended if they
+are at a fair depth and not wedged by boulders; but between ourselves,
+should a building of any kind have to be erected on piles, and anyone I
+really cared about had to live in it, I should always weight the piles
+for as long a time as possible after finishing the driving and
+reasonably more than the permanent load, watch the effects, and act
+accordingly, particularly in elastic soil.
+
+"Remember a pile sinks less after it has rested than if it be driven
+continuously, therefore always take note of the set when the driving is
+proceeding, and not just at the start, or after an interval, although
+one does that for one's own benefit, and with a view to 'extras'; and
+no one wants to drive a pile an inch more than can be helped--at least
+I don't, nor have I, and it is certain never shall.
+
+"You want to know when to stop driving. The time has arrived when a
+pile penetrates very little, and nearly equal for several successive
+blows of the heaviest ram by which it has been driven at the usual
+fall.
+
+"A word as to tie and sheet piles before referring to the way I have
+worked piles for 'extra' profit. It is difficult to make a main pile
+and a tie act together, one or the other is nearly sure to have to bear
+more than its proper strain, and the tie rod becomes eaten by rust,
+bent, and loose in the piles. In taking down old banks and quays you
+will generally find the main pile and the tie pile are not held tightly
+by the tie rod, the tie pile is loose or pulled over, perhaps when
+first strained, and then becomes disengaged when the main pile has set
+to the strain. The tie rods want to be very carefully and frequently
+adjusted, if possible, and big washers and cleats on them are required.
+They hold best in firm sand, not so well in clay, and in large light
+loose soil, such as ashes, they are not much good. It is an impotent
+arrangement and it is always uncertain whether they will act together.
+Don't undertake to tighten up the rods. Fix the piles, and let the
+engineer see to the tightening up, as you may injure the piles.
+
+"When I have to drive a lot of sheet piles, of course the piles are
+supplied to me, and I only take the driving. You may be sure the timber
+is right, and that the edges are sawn square so as to drive tightly
+together, and that the point is in order. I find it always pays well to
+temporarily place a baulk at the ground line like a waling, but not
+fixed to the sheet piling, as it guides the piles, lessens the shaking,
+and they drive easier and better. It appears to me piles cannot vibrate
+without force, and that is not where it is wanted, so it is wasted
+motion. Agitation when drawing piles is all right, but when you are
+driving you want it in the ground itself, and not in the piles. Once
+when I had to drive some thin sheet piles, I made a movable guide
+frame, the side against the sheet piling being planed and greased. It
+was like one bay of a timber-lattice bridge, and it well paid for
+itself as it steadied the piles.
+
+"In taking a contract for drawing piles always find out how long the
+piles have been driven, for if they have been down many years they will
+be much harder to draw than if they have only been fixed a few months.
+They can be drawn by lever, hydraulic jack, and chains, and pontoons in
+a tide way."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+TIMBER PILES.
+
+Manipulation for "Extra" Profit.
+
+
+"Now, I'll tell you about a bit of 'extra' dodging that rather scared
+me. First, let me say, no one can ever know how much I hate waste--it
+can't be measured."
+
+"You and me are alike, a couple of turtle doves on that question."
+
+"We are. Finish up, and we will have another. I remember Lord
+Palmerston said, dirt was matter out of place, or something like that.
+Now I think piles are often good timber out of place, so I followed
+that lesson and said to myself 'What a lot of good timber is going to
+be buried; and really it is breaking and loosening the ground too much
+to please me, and that's a mistake, besides placing extra weight on
+it'; so after dwelling on the subject as much as suited me, I decided
+it was waste, and that it was poison to me. I had trouble on my mind
+about it and it made me feel thirsty and does now. Pour another out."
+
+"There you are."
+
+"I'm better now. Well, I wrestled over the waste question some time,
+and finally made up my mind not to be a party to it, it being against
+my principles, and, like us all, no man shall make me swerve from them,
+especially when they agree with my pocket."
+
+"Certainly; shake hands. That is good!"
+
+"Well, there was only one way to do it, so in order that every one
+might have their way to a certain extent I decided to drive first one
+pile to the depth as ordered and one to the depth that suited me, and
+therefore both parties were satisfied and believed they had got what
+they wanted; for while I left the other man, that is the
+engineer--excuse the disrespect--to his happy thoughts, I descended to
+simple practice in a way very comforting to me. Knowing it is not every
+pile which is driven that drives whole, or is according to drawing,
+many often being twisted and knocked to shreds--although I have seen
+them driven through a layer of old brickwork, and whole, too--and that
+there is a lot of uncertainty about them in some ground, I dwelt on the
+matter, and came to the conclusion that according to the drawings every
+other pile would be driven about 3 to 4 feet too far down, and that all
+concerned hardly agreed upon the depth to which all of them should be
+driven, and that I was the chief one to be considered; so I cut off a
+few feet of the top of nearly every other pile, and varied the length
+according to whether the pile happened to drive hardly or went down
+gently."
+
+"Precisely."
+
+"Somehow or other the ground seemed really grateful to me, for more of
+the piles were cut off than I originally intended. They must have
+passed the tip--may be the worms did it; anyhow the ground, after a few
+had been driven, seemed to become harder, and we had more sawing to do
+than ever. I like sawing. You see your work, and all is above board and
+nothing hidden and no deception. Suits our principles. Now, you are
+like me, you don't wish to disturb other people's minds, we are built
+on the lines of love too much, and tenderness is better than anger any
+day."
+
+"That's it. I consider you were doing a kindness all round, or as near
+to it as makes no difference!"
+
+"Well, in order not to disturb any one, it took some thinking over as
+to the best time to ease off the tops. I mean cut the heads off and put
+the rings on again, and give the tops a properly seasoned appearance. I
+used to call it put their hair right. Now, you know docks are not like
+railway works, for the men are nearly all at one place; here we were in
+the middle of a large town, but you'll excuse my naming the place, I am
+too polite to do such a thing without permission. No one was about at
+dinner time, for all the chaps passed the gates. The place where my
+work was was shut in nicely, and as there was always a row going on
+from the traffic close by on road and river, and loading and unloading,
+it was a really nice little home in which to do a bit of
+engineering-up-to-date."
+
+"I understand; a convenient spot for scientific experiments in saving
+labour and the waste of good material."
+
+"That's the lesson. I found dinner time was the best after a week's
+scouting, and that the road was clear as daylight, for all the spies
+were away, and there was only one that ever hung about, and he was a
+young engineer just come to the docks straight from Westminster. He was
+a nice sort of chap, and a smart one, and had the kind of face a girl
+looks fond upon from what I have noticed of their tricks. Of course, he
+did not know much of actual work, being a new pupil, I heard. By the
+way, what a lot of pupils to be sure some engineers turn out. I almost
+fancy a few of them must make as much from the schooling branch of the
+profession as they do from work; but let them, it is nothing to do with
+me, but this pupil I can say was no fool, though, the same as all new
+hands, the work was a novelty to him, like a new toy to a child.
+
+"Now, the only thing to interfere with the 'extra' business as
+described was this pupil, so I decided to fix his attention, if I
+could, in another direction, and sweetly, so thought it out, and said
+to myself, 'You have had more difficult things to steer through than
+this--rather hotter, I fancy.'
+
+"It so happened, just then, they had pulled down an old tavern, and
+built on the site a showy crib with balcony overlooking the river, and
+they had a lot of relics on view, and two nicish girls were there. Good
+figures, you know, and fairly on; so I made myself particularly
+gracious to Mr. Pupil and pointed out, submissive to his superior
+knowledge like, a few things on the work. Then the plot was let loose
+this way. I started a kind expression on my face, and said--
+
+"'I'm afraid you find it rather rough, sir, here; there are not the
+nice feeding places they have in town, in fact, I think there is only
+one near here, sir, at all fit for you.'"
+
+"'Where is that?'
+
+"'It is the Anchor and Hope Hotel, sir. I can hardly direct you to it;
+but you have plenty of time to go there and get back fully a quarter of
+an hour before the men's dinner time is over, if you will allow me to
+show you the place, and they have almost a museum of relics of the
+river.'
+
+"The relics settled it, and he took on all right, and I knew then
+things were working smoothly and the wind was getting round to a nice
+steady breeze from the proper quarter. He was a good-natured chap, and
+one could see liked inspecting the woman portion of creation better
+than works, at least, during dinner-time, and I don't blame him; some
+men are built that way, and can hardly say 'no' to a woman, for if they
+do they think they have done wrong and been unkind. Poor things! Well,
+we got to the place, and, fortunately, no one was in the private bar."
+
+"You mean lobby. Don't insult the place."
+
+"I humbly beg pardon.
+
+"In we went, and it was lucky, for the better of the two girls was on
+parade; they were nieces of the landlord, so had more latitude than
+paid slaves. I went in first, and Mr. Pupil turned to me and said, 'I
+will be with you in a minute.' Now, that was just what I wanted, a word
+or two of priming for Polly. So after shaking hands with her, said:--
+
+"'Polly, in a second or two a young swell will be here just new on the
+works, and will be on the job to the finish, three years, so make
+yourself pleasant as possible. Three years' presents and fun, to say
+nothing of odd trips out, are not to be snuffed at; and he is rich they
+tell me, and should be real good business all round, if you work him
+right.'
+
+"She laughed; and before I could say any more the door was on the move,
+and in Mr. Pupil came. I kept my weather eye on him, for I can
+generally tell, when they run young, whether a chap is smitten
+sufficient. I saw the place would be a pleasant diversion, just seeing
+one of the tender gender occasionally, after being all day among men;
+so to make it appear I was a wolf on business, said, 'Please excuse me,
+sir, but I have to meet a gentleman at half-past twelve.'
+
+"'Certainly. Do not let me detain you.'
+
+"I just turned to Polly, and said, 'Show this gentleman your museum of
+relics, and the private room looking across the river, as I think it
+may perhaps suit him for an odd lunch now and then.' Polly twigged.
+
+"I saw they were started on the road of mutual admiration, and
+travelling pretty, and that he meant calling again. She also seemed to
+like the prospect, and knew how to work the game of fascination right,
+and she did; so the only one in the way of preventing my doing a bit of
+engineering-up-to-date with the pile-driving was now removed in a nice
+harmonious way, and to the entire satisfaction of the company's
+resident engineer--no, hardly that, I mean mine. I consider I did a
+kind action to all parties, not excepting myself. What a blessing women
+are, if you use them right. Mr. Pupil had his lunch at the place every
+day, and Polly and he understood each other, and got on A 1, so I was
+told. It is soothing work bringing happiness to two young hearts as
+beat soft.
+
+"_Next day we started cutting off the pile-heads_, while Polly and Mr.
+Pupil were occasionally very likely pitching their heads together so
+that I should not have all the fun. Well, we managed to so drive the
+piles after a day or two as to be able to cut off, generally during
+dinner time, from 2 to 4 feet, and I should think must have done over
+200, when one day, just as we had nearly sawn one through, up turned
+Mr. Pupil. Polly and her sister were visiting, and never told me they
+were going, so the Anchor and Hope did not weigh-in much from him that
+day. My ganger, who was doing the sawing trick with me, looked a bit
+down, but he is not so educated as me; so I turned to Mr. Pupil and
+said--as he asked me what I was doing, and what was the matter--'Got
+the pile down wrong, sir, and shall have to lift it. I think it's
+broken off, or gone ragged, may be it has struck an old anchor.'
+
+"He just looked very hard at me, nodded, and went away. It was a close
+shave, and lucky it was not the chief engineer. However, we had a
+quarter of an hour to work on that pile before the men came back, and
+we soon ruined it with bars and tackle. Anyhow, we raised it in no
+time, for we had the best tackle and everything you could wish for. We
+split the pile right across. It was only down 5 feet, and most of it in
+mud. We quickly cut it up into cleats; and out of misfortunes, between
+you and me, I always make as much as I can. So when Mr. Pupil returned
+I said to him, 'It wants a lot of experience to know when piles are not
+driving right, but 25 years has not been lost on me, sir, and I will
+have good work or none.' Perhaps 'none' would have been the correct
+word; but anyhow I used it coupled, and you can't complain, for if the
+pile had been cut there would have been none in the place where it was
+thought there was. We saved a lot of driving, and I said to myself, 'It
+is lucky this bit of wharf wall is left to me pretty well, because, as
+nearly most of the piles are a bit short, the wall may settle if they
+load it much or build on it; still I think it will settle equally, and
+then it won't matter so much, and they are not going to build on or
+near it, that I know,' so I saved nearly 1000 feet of driving on the
+lot; but here comes the shake. I forgot to say the piles were driven,
+and a platform fixed on the top for the wall in the old style, but it
+has gone out now, since Portland cement concrete came into fashion. One
+day the engineer walked over the work with two or three directors, and,
+after a lot of talk, they decided to build some 3-floor warehouses upon
+the quay, after some figuring and dwelling on it. That made me think. I
+heard someone say, 'The piles are 15 feet in the solid ground, and
+therefore will safely bear the load.' So they would if they had been,
+but not many hundreds of them were, and many were in 5 feet of little
+better than mud, and as some had been cut off 4 feet, those piles were
+only 6 feet in the solid ground. Understand, this wharf piling was only
+the beginning of a long two or three years profit for me, and I knew
+the warehouses would be sure to settle, and if they did unequally, over
+would go the show. I always avoided the quay wall afterwards; it seemed
+like a sort of spectre to me.
+
+"One day the engineer sent for me to come to the office. Of course I
+was there sharp. He said:--
+
+"'I want you to tell me your idea of the character of the ground upon
+which the western quay wall is erected?'
+
+"Don't you think I was lucky, old pal? Here was my deliverance. It was
+not exactly a path of roses--there are not many knocking about
+now--because if I said it was soft ground he could reply, 'You had a
+very high price for such driving.' If I said it was firm, I felt sure,
+should they build a warehouse on it such as I heard them talk about, it
+would sink or topple over, so I had to be careful how the ship was
+sailed. I answered the engineer like this: 'If you'll excuse me talking
+to you freely, sir, I will speak my mind; but I most feel abashed with
+such as you, for you know a thousand times better than me.' He then
+said to me:--
+
+"'Be at your ease. I wish to hear exactly what you would do in the
+matter if you were in my position. I have made up my mind; in fact, I
+have already committed my views to writing.'
+
+"'Thank you, sir. Well, sir, I think it is a risky place, although the
+piles were many of them dreadfully hard to drive, and wanted a lot of
+care and all had it, I think, judging from the variation in the depth
+to which they went down under the same number of blows, that the ground
+is a bit mixed, and therefore I should choose another site, as there is
+plenty of room.'
+
+"'Your opinion somewhat coincides with mine. Your idea, I may say, is
+one which the configuration of the ground leads me to think is the case
+without doubt. It is therefore probable that in a few days I may have a
+considerable length of the quay loaded with rails, nearly 2000 tons
+will arrive for the main and branch lines before the end of the week,
+as I intend to load part of the quay with about 8 tons per square foot
+in order to test it. In any case, much as I am urged to commence the
+warehouses at once, I shall not do so until the quay has withstood the
+test during at least a month.'
+
+"'That is a heavy test, sir.'
+
+"'You can go now!' He bowed, and smiled his thanks, and I withdrew. Of
+course, I said nothing to anyone. It don't do to annoy the guv'nor.
+Well, in a few days the rails came, about 2500 tons of them. The
+engineer sent for me again and said, 'I wish you to see the rails
+stacked on part of the quay in accordance with instructions you will
+receive.'
+
+"I could only say, 'Very well, sir,' and withdraw. I felt I was had
+again, and went straight away and had a pull of rum. There was no help
+for it now. I was in the fix and had to get out of it somehow, and what
+made it doubly worse was being ordered to superintend my own ruin.
+Listen, for you will when I tell you I might have been tried for having
+killed or injured 400 men and one director! It was a near squeak for
+the lot, and as it was--No! I'll tell you in a few minutes what
+happened.
+
+"Well, we stacked the rails over the place according to the engineer's
+directions, after Mr. Pupil had taken the levels--he also took them
+every day, to see how things were going. I made no remarks, for fear I
+might say something that would lead to further enquiries, and took the
+cue from a chap I once knew, the biggest rogue out he was; he could
+please them pretty, and never had any fixed opinions about anything,
+like some of our politicians, or could twist them about to suit the
+times; and he set his sails according to circumstances, so as to be
+pleasant to everyone, and was liked and respected by a lot that knew no
+better and could not see through him, but he had not a bit of honesty
+in him. Fact was, knowing I had got all I could out of short driving
+and cutting off these piles, I played a mild game of respectful bluff,
+more particularly as Mr. Pupil told me the ground had only gone down a
+mere decimal of an inch.
+
+"One day the engineer walked over by himself and said to me, 'Come to
+the quay wall.'
+
+"We got there, and I felt I had soft sawder enough in me for anything.
+He led off by saying, 'Although this is a severe test it is not
+altogether satisfactory to me. The rails shall remain in their present
+position for at least another month. I have known, as in cylinder
+sinking, subsidence to occur very suddenly and unexpectedly. I do not
+like the system of foundations upon piles, but have been overruled
+here.'
+
+"Now what he said pleased me much, because I thought to myself if the
+wall does break up it will not be exactly a heart-breaking trial to
+him. Well, all went on as usual for a fortnight, and I heard nothing
+further till one Friday about 5 o'clock. It was near low water, and Mr.
+Pupil came to me and said the engineer wanted to see me. I went towards
+the office, but on the way met him and the engineer and three or four
+other swells, two of them that came before. I touched my hat, and
+walked behind. I heard the engineer say, 'Mr. Selectus, although the
+position is very good, I am not satisfied with regard to the
+foundations, more especially as I believe the ground to be varied in
+character; and on an old plan, dated 1720, I note a stream marked here;
+in fact, Mr. Pupil has searched and found a water-course existed almost
+from the earliest known times.'
+
+"If he did not say exactly that, it was just like it, anyhow he spoke
+up pretty straight. One of the directors (I heard they were all such
+afterwards) said, addressing the engineer, 'I have an idea. The men
+will cease work, I think, very soon?' 'They will,' said the engineer.
+'Have you any objection to their marching and marking time, as it were,
+upon the rails, as a final test, as I remember we so tested a
+suspension bridge I had erected at my place?'
+
+"The engineer assented, and remarked that although the weight of 500
+men was not much compared to the weight of the rails, the vibration
+they would create might cause a sudden subsidence. However, he slightly
+bowed to the director, and said, 'I leave the experiment entirely to
+you, although I may say it is not unattended with risk; for the test
+load now imposed is a very severe one for such unstable soil, and the
+effects of vibratory motion are usually most deleterious.'
+
+"However, the director, after some talking, had his way, so the men
+were fetched. We had about 700 at work then, the company's own men. I
+will cut it short. Well, the director told the foreman, as the engineer
+asked him to do so, what he wished to be done, and the men marched up
+and down I should think six or seven times. It did not take long, and
+they soon got into step, for we had a lot of militia chaps at work; and
+then the director, who seemed to be enjoying himself, said, 'Now we
+will try three trips, double quick,' so the men went by once all on the
+smile, and we were as near laughing as smiling allows, when!----
+
+"It chokes me to think of it. Fill up the glass, so that I may keep my
+pipes open. Thank you, I was near being blocked up. Well, about half of
+the men were behind the rails, and we were all, except the
+director-in-command I'll call him, looking on and stationed on a mound
+close by. I shouted out--seemed a sort of sudden impulse--
+
+"'Look out! the ground is settling. Run for your lives.' About half of
+the men heard me, and got away, but the front lot went on. I should
+think 200 of them. Bless you, the ground began to yaw and sink with the
+rails very quickly, and the wall pressed forward and toppled over in
+one place for about a 30-feet length with men upon the top of it, and
+the director as well, and fell very slowly, and quite majestically,
+right into the river, and there was a splash and crash. I said before
+it was nearly low water, and I should think there was about 5 feet on
+the sill and 2 feet of mud. After all, somehow or other, only about
+thirty men and the director were cast, and they were all taken out
+right, for there was plenty of assistance. Still one man had his arm
+broken, which was a good thing for him as it turned out, for the
+director made him one of his lodge-keepers; but as he was a
+smart-looking chap, and had been brought up right, and could not work
+much after, it was an even bargain."
+
+"How about the director?"
+
+"Ah! that's the only fun we had; for I tell you, when I saw the men and
+the wall go over it made me take root, and my boots were nearly pressed
+into the ground, and they said I went awfully white in the face. It did
+give me a shock; but it was lucky the break-up was so slow, for those
+that could not get off had time to jump and get clear of the rails, but
+I tell you it was a shave. As it turned out, the director had the worst
+ducking of the lot that fell in. He went sprawling into the mud; but he
+could swim, and when we saw him I nearly burst out laughing, only my
+feelings had been so shaken, for he was smothered in slime from head to
+foot, and looked like a real savage. All his hair, face, and beard were
+thick with mud, to say nothing of his tailoring; and I tell you he put
+me in mind of a baboon just then, and I don't think he will attempt any
+more testing.
+
+"Of course, the warehouses were not erected upon the quay, and the
+engineer was not sorry at the way things had turned out. Anyhow, he let
+me do the clearing away the rails and the rebuilding; and I drove in
+the piles just the same length as the others, and nothing was said to
+me or suspected. It worked all right; but suppose a lot of the men had
+been killed, and the director as well! I tell you it was a near shave,
+and all before my eyes. It would just have killed me; for I should have
+known about another 3 feet down of those piles would have made them
+stand all serene. As it was, my wife said I was that disturbed in my
+sleep, and kicked so, that she hardly got a wink of rest, and had to
+double herself up in bed for fear of having her legs broken; however,
+it wore off in time, although once I sent myself and my old woman clean
+off the bedstead, and I saw by the light of the moon we were sitting on
+the floor, and the clothes were all of a heap close by. It made a nice
+picture of domestic bliss. My wife gave it me hot, and she said she
+would stand it no longer. I said, 'Don't grumble, you have not got to
+stand. You are sitting down now, and you ought to know it.' She said
+she heard me mumble several times in my sleep 'Cut 3 feet off her,
+Bill!' That was my ganger's name, and, of course, my brain was alluding
+to cutting off the piles; she thought it was her--no fear. Still, she
+always makes out I was not so good as I once was, and she felt sure Old
+Nick and me had night conversations. I laugh over the whole thing now.
+I hardly did then."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+MASONRY BRIDGES.
+
+
+"Now I'll tell you how we got on with some masonry bridges. Being more
+of a scholar than most of them--thanks to the parish school--and being
+able to read, write, and sum a bit, I knew a trifle extra to the other
+chaps, and was made a ganger when very young. Somehow or other, I
+drifted into being crafty, and just then made friends with a man that
+was up to every game, and remembered old George Stephenson. He could
+tell and teach you something, and did me; but even I have known the
+time when we hardly ever had a drawing to work to, except the section,
+and have walked many miles behind an engineer, and heard him say to my
+partner--who was a mason, and a real good one--'Joe, put a bridge
+there, the same span and width between the inside of the parapets as
+the others.' 'All right, sir!'
+
+"You know that was the time of the rush for railways, and few
+understood the business. Too many do now, I think, and the old country
+is too full of mouths generally. Then there was scarcely time to think,
+much more for many drawings; they were made after.
+
+"We used to take a bridge at a time, at so much the cubic yard, and we
+did put it in thick, abutments, counterforts, wingwalls, and parapets,
+and all the work was as straight as could be made; and I have known my
+partner, Joe, nearly drawn into tears when he was forced by
+circumstances over which he had no control to own an arch to a bridge
+was not exactly a straight line. Spirals and winders made him that
+waspish as I took good care to make myself particularly wanted
+somewhere else than at the bridge at which he was busy when he had to
+do them.
+
+"Some of the bridges we built have enough masonry in them to nearly
+build a church or a small breakwater, and lucky they have, as it gave
+one the chance of a bit of profit; and the depth of the foundations was
+hardly so deep as shown in the drawings made after we had built a
+bridge. Somehow or other our imagination used to scare away reality,
+and we generally were paid for a foot or more extra depth all round.
+
+"Joe said that was the way he got his professional fees for building a
+bridge without a drawing, and the only way he could and, moreover, did;
+but he always put the masonry in solid, that is to say, when he
+considered it should be, although hardly, perhaps, to the specification
+throughout, but the face looked lovely; and if the inside work was
+rather rough and tumble and really "random," he knew what a good bond
+was, and would have it, and was really clever at selecting the right
+rock in the cuttings for masonry; but there, no one can expect the
+filling-in work to be done the same way as the facework.
+
+"Of course, it was not exactly honest to be paid for more work than we
+had done; but it is only fair to say we were generous with our _extra_
+profits, and always treated the inspector and our men right. We were
+bound to educate them and enlighten their minds. I own it was not
+right, and, after all, it would want an 'old parliamentary hand' to
+tell the difference in dishonesty between over-measurement founded on
+lies and stealing. However, one is supposed to be the result of
+cleverness, the other, crime.
+
+"I forgot to tell you we took a cue from a director who occasionally
+walked over the line, and who always showed about half-an-inch of his
+cheque-book sticking up out of his pocket. We were told he wore his
+cheque-book like the mashers do their pocket-handkerchiefs; but that he
+was not worth much, and was on the war path for 'plunder,' and so were
+we, and took his tip. I said to myself, as he has brought a new fashion
+into play in these parts, let us take the hint.
+
+"'So we will,' said my partner.
+
+"'How long is the specification for masonry?
+
+"'I am sure I don't know. What _are_ you talking about? I never read
+such things. All I want to know is for what purpose the bridge is to be
+erected, and whether it is to be coursed work, ashlar, or the same as
+the others, and up it goes according to my specification. I'm above
+other people's specifications, thank you. What's the use of my
+education if I am not? Do you think the alphabet must be again taught
+me?'
+
+"'I beg pardon, partner, you are right; but appearances go a long way,
+and shamming is fashionable.'
+
+"'Oh, well, have your way; we all look better when we are properly
+clothed; and I once heard an engineer say he never felt right when on
+any works without a plan in his hand, and we know a music-hall singer
+is generally not at home without a hat; besides, it will please them to
+see we have the specification always on the premises.'
+
+"'That is what I think.'
+
+"Well, I made two copies of it, one for Joe, my partner then, and one
+for me, and wrote in large letters on the top, 'Specification--masonry
+--bridges and culverts.' Then we both showed the top out of our
+pockets, with that writing on it, in the same way the director did his
+cheque-book. It worked beautifully; for a few days after a big engineer
+came down, and we heard he had said he thought we were the smartest
+masons on the work, and he was pleased to see we appeared careful to
+comply with the specification, for he noticed we each had a copy in our
+pockets.
+
+"The fun was, my partner had never read it at all; I only when copying.
+
+"The game worked really lovely; we were looked upon as downright
+straight ones, and the inspector--who wanted some dodging, I can tell
+you, as well as a tip, now and again--was taken away and posted at the
+other end of the work, and then we made hay while the sun shone, and no
+mistake. We used to make the bridges rise out of the ground; we gave
+some drink to our chaps; and then, as soon as the wagons with the rock
+arrived from the cutting, in it went. The difficulty was to keep the
+face going fast enough for the filling-in work. It was a game. First a
+wagon-load of rock, and then--well, I suppose I must say--the mortar,
+but it is squeezing the truth very hard indeed. There was Joe, my
+partner, superintending in his own style, the raking and mortar
+business, and I was busy at the facework looking after our best mason.
+
+"Give my partner his due, he was always careful about bond and
+throughs, and he was fond of mixing up the flat stones a bit, for he
+said it prevented their sliding on the beds, and always maintained that
+the weight above kept all tight enough and more than the mortar, so
+long as the stones were flat and large. I said, it's lucky it did.
+
+"One day he frightened me. We were short of stone, owing to a mistake
+in the cutting, and so the facework was up a good height. At last Joe
+caught sight of the engine and wagons coming round the hill, and said
+to me--
+
+"'Hold hard, here they come, thirteen wagons; they will fill you up
+both sides.'
+
+"'I agree with you; they will, and more.'
+
+"It was then past one o'clock, and Joe called out to me--
+
+"'Before we leave I mean to be level with you, but you must help.'
+
+"'Joe, it can't be done.'
+
+"'Away with your cant's; it _shall_ be done.'
+
+"Well, it was tempting us too much, such a lot of rock to work on all
+at once; if we had only had a little more than sufficient for one day's
+work at a time, we could not have done what we did. By Jove, he did go
+it. Down came the rock--I know you will kindly excuse me from calling
+it building stone.
+
+"'Easy does it, Joe, or you will burst the show.'
+
+"'Not I,' he shouted.
+
+"Now listen to me, for this _is_ truth. Never since the foundation of
+this world did bridges grow at this rate. It beats mustard-and-cress
+raising and high farming into fits.
+
+"'Smash them in, lads, bar them down; give them a dose of gravel
+liquor. Now then, for some real cream mortar.'"
+
+"These, and such-like, were his war-cries."
+
+"'Bless me, if the mortar is not as thin-placed as the powder on a
+girl's face, Joe.'"
+
+"'It's pretty.'
+
+"'Now, lads, five minutes for beer.'
+
+"All was soon comparatively silent.
+
+"'Joe, you must draw it milder, for the row going on is more like an
+earthquake let loose than anything else I can think of, and it may
+spoil the game, for it is bound to draw a crowd.'
+
+"'All right, partner, I never thought of that. Talk about Jack and the
+beanstalk, this beats it to squash. It's lucky the rock works in flat,
+and is not hollow. Of course, all the stones are on their natural beds,
+according to the specification--understand that. Don't let us have any
+mistake as to the catechism; if they are not, they will grow used to
+their new ones and shake down to rest.'
+
+"I've never built a bridge that fell or gave much, perhaps a wingwall
+has bulged, but then it is the want of proper drainage and backing and
+nothing to do with the masonry. _We_ only attend to the masonry
+according to the specification. Chorus--According to the specification.
+But they all do it, as the song says.
+
+"It's my firm conviction that the man that invented wall-plates ought
+to have a marble monument in his native town, for they are beautiful
+distributors of weight, and when the stones are small, they are
+salvation for such masonry as we made rise."
+
+"I agree with you, they cover a multitude of sins, and are powerful
+agents in the cause of unity and good behaviour."
+
+"That is right."
+
+"Have a sip?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I nearly got bowled out once at the masonry game. This is between
+ourselves."
+
+"Of course, we understand each other; shake hands."
+
+"They nearly caught me."
+
+"How?"
+
+"We were walking over the work--when I say we, I mean a party of
+directors, a couple of engineers, and the resident engineer. An unlucky
+thing happened. Someone said, 'I should think a good view of the
+surrounding country is to be obtained from the top of this bridge.'
+Now, you know, in those days, some engineers liked offsets at the back
+of a wall very close together, say about every two feet, as they
+thought the backing remained on them, and helped to prevent the wall
+overturning; but it seldom does, the backing is usually drawn away from
+such off-sets. However, unfortunately, most of these directors had only
+recently returned from Switzerland, and had been up the Mortarhorn, I
+think they said--or thought they had, or read about it in a guide book.
+Anyhow, they started climbing up the back of one of the abutments. They
+ought to have known our work is not quite so solid as nature, nor as
+the Romans made in the old slow days when they were not fighting; but
+it is all right for the purpose intended, at least, for what we intend
+it, and that is enough. The abutment of the bridge I am referring to
+was 50 feet in length, and what must they all do but start at once at
+the climbing business, like a lot of schoolboys eager to get there
+first, and I had only time to think a moment, and to shout,
+
+"'Be careful, gentlemen, please, the mortar has not had time to set
+yet, it's green.'
+
+"Lucky, I said 'yet'; but between you and me, I should be an old one,
+and no mistake, if I had to wait till it set right.
+
+"They got upon the first offset all serene; but when they footed it on
+the third, down they came, and humpty-dumpty was not in it with the
+show. It was a flat procession and a general lay-out, and such a
+rubbing of mid-backs occurred as few have seen before. They fell soft,
+though, as we had partly finished backing up the bridge. I was nearly
+had; but I had a bit in hand with which to squeeze home at the finish,
+and get in the first words. They were:--
+
+"'Gentlemen, I had no time to warn you, but the mortar has not had time
+to set all round, it is green; and where it has set, it is that
+powerful it often shifts the stones first, and then clenches them
+tight, and there is no parting them at all; they become gripped
+together just as by nature in the quarry. It is wonderful material, and
+the best lime known, or that I have had to do with during thirty years
+of hard working experience."
+
+"Of course, the directors could say nothing; they were bankers and
+solicitors, or such-like, nor could the engineers. It did not do to
+make out the masonry had not been properly executed. I thought I had
+got off beautifully, and the whole party were just going to start when
+out of the blessed wall, there and then, flew two pheasants!"
+
+"Well, I never!"
+
+"You wait. Yes; and before we could speak, out came a fox. I own I was
+nearly beaten, but one of the directors, turning to us, said, 'You
+appear to have a veritable Noah's ark here, and we know a pheasant is a
+gallinaceous bird.'
+
+"We all laughed. He then went on to say, 'Perhaps if we wait long
+enough the procession will continue. This may be the ancestral home of
+the dodo or the mastodon. Who can say it is not?' They again laughed.
+
+"Now, you know, there is no denying, neither a pheasant nor a fox can
+squeeze themselves through an ordinary-sized mortar joint. While
+laughing I got my mind right, and said, 'Gentlemen, I feel sure the
+poachers have been on the prowl here, and have disturbed the work.'
+
+"'Yes,' said the director. The others seemed afraid to speak. There is
+always a cock in every farmyard, and he was in this. 'A four-legged
+poacher--the fox; and I am afraid, if we do not exercise due care, the
+board will be charged with larceny.'
+
+"Then we all thought we ought to laugh, and did. 'Gentlemen,' I said,
+'I'm sure the bridge has been tampered with, and no doubt if we keep
+watch we shall find the rascals.'
+
+"Excuse me now saying 'rascals' to you, but, old chum, of course
+between ourselves, that is you and me, we have never done any
+poaching."
+
+"Not we, certainly: at least we forget doing it if we did. A good
+memory is not always a blessing, or to be owned to, although it's
+useful."
+
+"Shake. That's right. As we understand each other, I will now tell you
+how things ended. I went on to say to the gentlemen, 'I will root out
+this matter; and may I ask you to say nothing to anyone. My partner and
+myself will get to the bottom of it. Trust your old servants,
+gentlemen.' Then I raised my hat. That fetched them; for one turned,
+and said to me:--
+
+"'I cannot send my keepers to-night, but to-morrow they shall meet you
+here at six. Please watch to-night.'
+
+"He then handed to me a five-pound note. Blessed if he did not own the
+land for miles round and I did not know it. I beamed all over, and said
+I would, and looked as humble as only an old sinner can; and I was just
+going to forget to tell you I put that 'fiver' carefully away, to keep
+it from the poachers."
+
+"I could believe that of you; I could, old chap, without your saying
+it."
+
+"Well, now talk about 'all's well that ends well;' this was better than
+that--simply crumbs of comfort, except the awkwardness of the situation
+before the finish.
+
+"I suppose you want to know all about the cause of the tumbling show."
+
+"Yes; I am waiting to know."
+
+"Very well, I will tell you. I had become greedy, and as there was not
+much more work for me on that railway, I used to make it a rule,
+wherever I was, and before leaving, to have a final haul in by way of a
+loving remembrance of a past country in which I had spent some part of
+my life in opening up to civilization, and the immeasurable benefits of
+rapid and cheap locomotion. Is that good enough?"
+
+"Rather; it likes me much."
+
+"Now this bridge was a beauty to draw on, so we just left a few voids
+here and there. Tipping the backing must have broken a bit of the wall
+unknown to me, or something must have given way in the night; and I
+suppose the birds walked in, and the fox after them, and then the
+abutment settled and the backing pushed it closer together. Now the
+birds got to a place where the fox could not reach, and there very
+likely they would have been, three caged-up skeletons; but the Swiss
+mountain climbing spoilt that fun, and pulled down the wall
+sufficiently to raise the curtain on the show.
+
+"It so happened that all the engineers and residents had to go away on
+some land case--I like _other_ people to go to law; and so we had three
+clear days to put things in order; and we did, you bet, and began
+almost before the break of day. I had an untarnished reputation at
+stake, and was on my metal. My partner and myself just about both
+smiled over the fun real mutual admiration."
+
+"The engineers did not say much for we had been paid, and they knew
+they would get nothing out of us, and therefore proceeded on the
+principle that it is no use stirring dirty water, and I say, and
+maintain, that on the whole--not _in_ the hole, mind you--never was
+more solid and firmer masonry put together than our work, although we
+took care to do as we liked, and relieved the foundations of some
+strain now and again, and improved the specification.
+
+"I forget whether I watched for poachers that night, but I might have
+done for a few minutes, so as to make it all right; but as my memory is
+not clear on the point, I had better say I fancy I did not, but I met
+the keepers next night; and did a three hours watch and told them a
+lot, and got well rewarded. Pay me and I'll patter pretty; but no pay,
+no patter, is my motto. The only thing that grieved me was losing those
+pheasants and the fox's brush and head. That was hard luck, but there!
+life is full of disappointments which are hard to bear."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TUNNELS.
+
+
+"Have I told you of my scare in a tunnel I got some 'extra' profit out
+of by real scamping?"
+
+"Not that I remember."
+
+"Well, that was a whitener, for I was almost trapped, nearly caught,
+and paid out. Retributed, I think it is called, but there, I am not
+sufficiently educated, although you and me have had a good deal more
+schooling than any others on this work, which perhaps is not too much
+of a recommendation. Anyhow, you agree, don't you?"
+
+"Of course I do!"
+
+"Well, let us drink. Now we are oiled, the machinery will start again
+easy and soft, and continue going for some time, but don't you consider
+we know enough to suit us. I have watched various guv'nors I have had,
+and they seem to be thinking and puzzling their brains even when they
+are eating, and I don't think their digestion is improved by it. A
+peaceful mind needs no pills. It is medicine for the upper works, and
+exercise and good food is the right physic for the body unless you are
+half a corpse when born. Now, when we eat, we have a look at the goods
+first, and all we trouble about is to divide the vegetables, meat, and
+bread, and beer, so that they last the show out in their proper
+quantity to the finish."
+
+"That's it, but what has that to do with the scare at the tunnel and
+the scamping?"
+
+"You wait. Really you should know impatience is not polite; and to be a
+good listener, and look as if every word that was said to you was
+virgin information and pure wisdom, is the best game to play."
+
+"That is enough, get to the tunnel scare and scamping."
+
+"Well, why I named about my food was, my old woman was queer just then,
+a lying up on the cherub business, and the party that she had to look
+after things was no cook, few are, and I believe she was paid by some
+of those pill proprietors to make people ill and then pill them. Anyhow
+I got queer and dreadfully out of sorts, and just at the time I was a
+regular nigger, and had taken a length of tunnel lining, and in such
+ground, horrid dark yellow clay, and it smelt awfully bad. We called
+the tunnel the pest-hole. What with the food being wrong, and the
+hateful place, I did the worst bit of scamping I ever was guilty of."
+
+"Fortunately, the engineer knew what he was about, and our profiles
+were nearly round, that is, the section of the tunnel was nearly
+circular; if they had not been, that tunnel would have been filled up
+by this time, and perhaps been the grave of hundreds, and it nearly
+was. There were eight rings in the lining, and therefore some bulk to
+play with. I got frightfully pesky about the job, and meant getting out
+of it as quickly as possible, and did. I am not the one to play about
+and squat, action is my motto; and I am busy if there is anything to be
+got, and keen on the scent."
+
+"You are right there. You generally find a fox, and get his brush,
+too."
+
+"I was roused. The brickwork was in Portland cement, and believe me, I
+never would have done what I did if it had been lime mortar. Must draw
+the line somewhere, and the easiest conscience has a limit to being
+trifled with. You know, tunnel work gives one chances that are not to
+be had in the open, and the temptation is strong. I dropped word on the
+quiet, 'Be careful to-night with the first two rings and then'--well,
+they twigged, and I had no occasion to say much. Afterwards, the
+material that was given them went in anyhow. But bless me, we had
+Portland cement, it was supplied by the company, you understand. It
+held almost anything together, firm as a rock. I said to my ganger,
+whatever material you are given, so long as it is clean, will do, and
+it will be just like conglomerate. The inspector was inclined to be my
+way of thinking, and, by a manual operation on my part, he fully agreed
+with me, and said he had always been of the same opinion, only other
+people failed to comprehend his meaning. It has been said the pen is
+mightier than the sword, and so it may be; but ten hours writing, and a
+ten hours speech full of argument, have not the same force with some
+inspectors as a few sovereigns judiciously placed to aid them in
+arriving at a proper view of a subject."
+
+"You are right; bribes and lies are twin brothers."
+
+"Well, it was just a scamper all round. Yes, scamper and scamping. I
+had some good brickies then--militia chaps, smart, and they could stay.
+They made the rings grow; I forget how much we got in that night, but a
+good length, for the bricks ran short at one end of the tunnel, and we
+were close up to the face at the other end. No one that I did not want
+to see was about. After measuring, I found we were short at least
+twenty yards of bricks, and only about two thousand or so left, so I
+said, 'Lads, if you finish the ring by five o'clock, you shall have a
+quid amongst you; but do it, and keep the beautiful clean face on for
+all you are worth.'
+
+"I looked a bit crafty at them, and they twigged the tune to play. I
+took old Bond--he was my ganger--with me, and said to him, 'How are we
+going to do the lining?' We can't fetch bricks from the other end, and
+I draw the line at timber to do duty as bricks. I waited, and the
+'extra' profit string of my brain worked right, and I pointed and said,
+'There is a heap of broken bricks and no one knows what; well, twenty
+yards of that won't be noticed if you take it equally all round; put
+that in, and dose it with cement, and rake it well on the top of the
+rings, and don't forget to finish the top nicely and clean to a hair if
+you have not time to fill in all of it. Keep the best stuff for near
+the finish, and enough bricks to make a solid strip or two, and I am
+otherwise engaged or tired-out till four. Wake me then; I'm off for a
+peaceful snooze.' Well, they got it all in, and nothing was known
+till--I won't name it yet, it must wait."
+
+"I suppose the bricks you took from the brick-yard were tallied, and
+deliveries checked with the work done in the lining?"
+
+"Yes; but there is tallying of all sorts, and, of course, the right
+amount of bricks were taken from the yard early next morning, but where
+they went is best known to the yard foreman, the inspector of
+brickwork, and the dealer; but as my partnership with them is now at an
+end, of course my memory fails me, and I am sorry I can't give you any
+more information in that direction. It grieves me to keep back anything
+from you, and is so unlike me."
+
+"I don't want to hurt your feelings. All right, I understand."
+
+"Talk about varieties of concrete, why we had sardine and meat tins,
+all sorts and sizes and weights and ages, tiles, ashes, bones, glass,
+broken crockery, oyster shells, and a lot of black-beetles and
+such-like shining members of creation. They all did their duty to the
+best of their ability. What else there was I would rather not try to
+remember, but it was _not_ bricks."
+
+"Don't trouble, I can understand. We are all pushed a bit for the right
+goods sometimes, and have to make shift; but it is hard, very hard, to
+have to do it."
+
+"Well, I found out that the bricks were not quite so many as I thought,
+and for a 5 feet length, about 15 feet from shaft No. 7, they had to do
+with one ring of brickwork, and the rest, my patent midnight
+conglomerate. That frightened me, and had I known it at the time, I
+would have stopped the show; of course I would, you know me. I always
+draw the line somewhere."
+
+"Right you are; although 'somewhere' is an easy-stretching sort of
+place, and there is not much of a fixed abode about it; but it can
+generally be found on a foggy night."
+
+"It's my belief they did not put in enough cement mortar, and carry out
+my orders, which indeed was very wrong of them."
+
+"What do you mean, your orders were wrong?"
+
+"Oh dear no, of course not, not likely--_their_ orders were wrong, not
+mine. You don't follow me rightly. You understand now? Dwell on it, and
+I'll wait."
+
+"Oh yes, it was stupid of me. There, I am not so young as I was, nor so
+quick."
+
+"Now we are coming to the scare. Pass my glass, it makes me feel weak,
+it does.
+
+"That conglomerate length stood all right, more by luck than anything
+else, till one night, although all the rest was sound work and done
+properly, for it was well looked after, and there was no chance of a
+slide towards extra profit; besides, the ground would not have stood
+unbared long, and, of course, short lengths had to be the order, and
+were bound to be carried out, for the clay soon got dropsy and swelled.
+
+"Well, my guv'nor took a contract for a line about 20 miles away from
+the tunnel. I had some work on it, and had to go to London, it was
+abroad, for I was called up by him, It was a slow train, and followed
+an express goods. There was a signal box at each end of the tunnel, and
+a fair traffic, and fast trains passed. Something got wrong with a
+wagon of the express goods train--I never knew exactly what it was but
+anyhow, nothing very serious, for the permanent way was all right and
+so were the wheels and axles. We were stopped by hand-signal in the
+tunnel, and there may have been something wrong with the signals, but
+that does not matter for what I am going to tell you."
+
+"Were you scared to think the train after you would telescope you?"
+
+"No, for there was none for an hour and a half.
+
+"Well, the carriage I was in pulled up just under the place where that
+patent midnight conglomerate length was put in, and I looked up and saw
+the old spot had bulged, and was yawning, and looked to me as wide and
+moving as the Straits of Dover in a S.W. gale, and a lot worse, and it
+seemed to be getting wider every minute, and I saw something drop. I
+was alone in the compartment, and it was fortunate I was for many
+reasons or I know they would have found me out. I knew the place. How
+could I forget it? It was just by the shaft. The passengers were
+talking to the guards, or were otherwise engaged. Presently I heard the
+down mail coming at a rare speed. I said to myself, 'There is not much
+the matter, or they would not let her go through.' She was the last
+passenger train down that night, and lucky she was, you will soon say.
+Oh! dear me, when I heard her I felt cold and hot, and my heart got to
+my teeth, and I believe if I had not kept my mouth shut it would have
+jumped out, that's true. What scared me most was not about the mail
+train, I knew she would be right, and would be past the spot before the
+ground had time to tumble in. She was going too quick, but our train,
+_and me_, right under the place, and bound to be there _after_ the mail
+had shaken it to bits! That's what made me feverish.
+
+"I said to myself, 'You are paid out in your own coin, you are.' Before
+I had time to think more the mail went by all serene, and I hardly dare
+move, but slid up on the seat just in time to see her tail lights
+vanish. I then looked up, and if it had been my scaffold it could not
+have been worse. Oh! fill my glass up, nearly neat, while I wipe my
+forehead. Thank you. Yes, I looked up, and saw the crack had widened
+and was becoming wider, and chips were falling now and again as large
+as hailstones! I knew it was bound to come down. I looked to my watch,
+another full hour had to pass before the next train was due behind us.
+I was just going to get out, when I heard the guard coming along on the
+footboard, and he said, 'Another five minutes and we are off,
+gentlemen.' He did not see the falling pieces, as the carriage hid
+them, but I did, and the engine blowing off steam prevented him hearing
+them. Soon he reached my carriage, and said, 'You are the only
+gentleman in this carriage.' He would not say anything more. I heard
+him repeat the same words almost as he moved along the train, 'Five
+minutes and we are off, gentlemen.'
+
+"I said to myself, 'Five minutes more and I am buried and off for ever
+somewhere,' for I was certain in five-and-a-half the lining would burst
+and down everything would come and crush us to powder. I did not care
+to think what else or how much. I cannot describe how I felt, but drink
+squalls are nothing to it. I kept my watch out of my pocket, and gazed
+at it till I hated it. One minute passed--two--three--and then I
+watched the second-hand go round. What I suffered cannot be told. I
+looked out of the window. I heard a whistle. It did not sound like our
+engine, it seemed too shrill. I had no fear of a train being behind us
+as I knew our road was blocked. Was it a down special excursion, or a
+down special goods, I said, tremblingly, to myself, for I knew all the
+down ordinaries had gone for the night. 'If it is,' I said to myself,
+'you are settled and corpsed, and have made your own grave, and it will
+be a rough one.' I won't say what I did then, but know it would suit a
+clergyman.
+
+"Thank goodness I was wrong, the whistle was from _our_ engine, but it
+had been low and now was shrill. I was so feverish that I forgot the
+steam was blowing off. At last we started, and I looked at my watch. It
+was five minutes ten seconds from when the guard spoke. I knew I was
+safe, but thought I would look back. I was just able to see in the
+glimmering, as the fire-box was open, and by the tail lamps the last
+carriage had well cleared the shaft when there was a horrid hollow
+sound like waves breaking in a long cavern, and I saw something come
+down like a veil across the metals. The tunnel was in, fallen in with a
+slow smash, and not a minute after we started!
+
+"I don't know how long it took the train to get to the signal-box at
+the entrance, but we pulled up there, and the first thing I remembered
+was the guard saying to me, 'No one is hurt, you need not be
+frightened, but we have to thank God for it. Terrible shave. The tunnel
+has fallen in, and just where your carriage stood!'
+
+"I said, 'Oh!' and sank back upon the seat. The guard again came to me
+and popped his head in and said 'You are the only passenger that knows
+what is up. Keep it quiet, if you please. Shouting will do no good, and
+I shall be much obliged to you. It's no fault of mine or the Company's.
+Are you ill, sir?'
+
+"'No, but I saw the tunnel fall in.'"
+
+"'Traffic is stopped, sir, at both ends. The wires are right as we had
+reply from the other end of the tunnel. I thought you must have seen it
+fall in, because you looked very white, and were clasping the window
+frame with both hands and shaking so. I was afraid you had been almost
+scared with fright.'
+
+"'No, I am not ill, but I saw it fall.'"
+
+"'Well, sir, it is no fault of mine or the Company's, although I am
+sorry it has frightened you a little.' He then went away and we started
+again."
+
+"When he said, 'It is no fault of mine,' bless you, it near cut my
+vitals out, it did; for I knew it was my fault and no other person's,
+and that it was only by the act of Providence the mail was not smashed
+to bits, and us too. I made a vow there and then never to have anything
+more to do with tunnels, and whenever I go through one I always feel
+wrong and twitchy, and shut my eyes till the rattle tones down and I
+know we are in the open."
+
+"How much fell in?"
+
+"About 20 yards altogether in length. Traffic had to go round for a
+month, but the rest of the work was all-right, and so it really was,
+and I ought to know. No one found out that nearly the whole of the
+fallen length had been scamped, for everything was broken and mixed up,
+and, as luck would have it, a spring burst out there and the flow had
+to be led away to one entrance, and the falling-in was always put down
+to that, and that only; still I know the ground was a bit cracked, and
+underground waters have mighty force, and are best guided and not tried
+to be stopped, for they will come out somewhere.
+
+"I met my guv'nor next day, and he quietly said to me, 'I have let the
+tunnel work on your length to an old foreman,' and then he looked clean
+through me. I know he thought a lot, and I'm afraid I can't play the
+game of bluff as good as some can, and so work 'extra' profit out of
+ruins. What do you think of that scare?"
+
+"I don't want to think about it. Glad I had nothing to do with it.
+Dreadful! No wonder you have a wrinkle or two. What shocking hardships
+we all have to pass through in getting 'extra' profit, and so
+undeserved!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+CYLINDER BRIDGE PIERS.
+
+
+"Deep river bridge foundations are not to be easily worked for 'extra'
+profit as they are generally too carefully looked after; still, even
+there, you get a chance occasionally, if you know how to work things. I
+was always on the scent for 'extras,' and once got a bit out of a
+cylinder bridge, more by luck than anything else."
+
+"How did you do it?"
+
+"Listen, and then you'll know."
+
+"The bed of the river was soft for a depth of nearly 50 feet, then firm
+watertight ground, and into that we had to go about 15 feet. Our
+cylinders were 15 feet in diameter, of cast-iron, and in one piece 6
+feet in height I will just name that there is more chance of a bit
+'extra' profit when the rings are little in height than if they are in
+pieces and have vertical joints and are about 9 feet long as usual. A
+15 feet ring, 6 feet in length in one piece was not often seen then,
+but they are now cast much heavier; still, they may be made too large
+to handle nicely without special tackle, and foundry cleverness should
+be considered less than ease in fixing on the site."
+
+"Why are short lengths best for 'extra' profit?"
+
+"Because you may have a chance of leaving out a ring if the coast is
+clear, and nice people around you."
+
+"I see."
+
+"Well, the Company's foreman had to lay up for three days, for he had
+ricked himself, and I had an old pal with me, and two of my nephews
+working the crane, and other relations about. All had been properly
+schooled, and knew crumbs of comfort were to be got out of a bit
+'extra,' so I embraced the opportunity as we were such a charming
+family party, quite a happy farmyard.
+
+"The rings went down rather easily as the bed of the river was soft; in
+fact, they sunk into the mud for the first 6 to 10 feet by their own
+weight. So I gave the office, and we just dropped a 6 feet ring over
+the side into the mud, for I knew it would sink all right, and that by
+the time the Company's foreman returned to work we should have pumped
+out the water from the cylinder and got enough concrete in to seal the
+bottom; of course, after the resident engineer had gone down to see the
+foundation was right, and I felt sure it would be, and that he would
+only look at the foundation, and not bother about the height of the
+cylinder or the number of rings; and if he did, we could dodge him a
+bit, as there would be four or five of us, and stages were fixed on the
+horizontal ring-flanges, and no numbers were cast on the rings, as they
+all were made to fit together. He went down, just as I thought, to see
+the foundation only, although he measured about a bit, and enjoyed
+himself. We worked the tape right--it takes two with a tape.
+By-the-bye, I hate measuring-rods, they are not good business for
+'extras.' They are so unobliging. A tape you can pull a bit, and tuck
+under, according as you want a thing to appear to be of a different
+length to what it is. One of my gangers made a false end for a tape. He
+used to turn the end of the true tape under for a few inches and slip
+on his false end, or he added a false length if he wanted. He took good
+care to hold the end, and he could slip it on and off like a flash of
+lightning, and good enough for a conjurer. He could lengthen or shorten
+a tape a few inches at will; all he wanted was to hold the ring at the
+end. His false end was a bit of a real tape with his attachment, and I
+have seen him trick them really pretty.
+
+"Considering we had about sixteen rings altogether, top to bottom;
+there was a good length on which to dodge, but our game would have been
+too risky I fancy with eight or ten rings, and in a strong light,
+because one could count the flanges pretty easily; but it is not many
+that suspect a ring may be omitted.
+
+"We were some 8 feet in the hard soil, and I considered that enough,
+for the ground did not help much to keep the cylinders in place for 50
+feet of the height above it, but they were well braced above high water
+and at top. When I consider a thing enough, you don't catch me let them
+have much more if I can help it. I hate waste.
+
+"The foundations were declared to be all right, and so they were, and
+we at once began the hearting, and sealed up the bottom after cleaning
+up, and we put in good Portland cement concrete, for all the materials
+were supplied to us.
+
+"Of course, the Company's foreman, when he came back, could not tell,
+nor could anyone else, that we had been having a happy time; but give
+him his due, he did all he knew to find the rings were in. You know the
+ring we got rid of for 'extras' we took care should be sunk in the
+middle, between the two columns, and well away from each one. The
+bridge was wide,--about four lines of rails on top--so we slung the
+ring out very quickly, after the men had gone for the day, just about
+midway between the cylinders, and down it went pretty quickly, and it
+was bound to be in the mud fully 8 feet by the morning, and sure to
+sink a bit more, for I had it dropped sharp, and I thought it would be
+certain to break up where it fell. We worked it so nicely, and all was
+as lovely and serene and merry as a marriage, and real crumbs of
+comfort, and I thought no more about it.
+
+"We sank the ring purposely midway between the other two cylinders, so
+that if the bridge had to be widened it would not be found. But we were
+had for once, and no mistake this time, and all our own fault, and just
+where we thought we had been clever, for one day the engineer came down
+and sniffed about. I wish he had stopped at home instead of coming
+bothering; however, he did not, but came. The result was the resident
+engineer handed to me a tracing with a new cylinder marked on in the
+middle of a line drawn through the centre of the two cylinders, and
+just where I had sunk the 6 feet length I thought I had got a bit
+'extra' out of so sweet, and I might have just as well sunk it outside.
+Well, I took two pills that night to brace me up and set my machinery
+in perfect trim; and no one can know what I suffered, for I meant
+getting out of the fix somehow or other, but could not see my road much
+ahead.
+
+"You know I was certain we were bound to find that 'extra' ring. If we
+could have broken it up, or have been sure it was broken, there might
+have been no harm; but we did not know exactly where it was, and if we
+did we could not raise it. I felt certain we should come to it, and
+tried the crane to see if we could fix the spot, but we had to chance
+it. It was no use humbugging ourselves into thinking we knew where it
+was, when no one could possibly know. As I said before, I was positive
+we should meet it in sinking the cylinder, and as the ground was soft
+for some distance that it would tilt the centre rings--and then the
+game I had played would be found out, for cast-iron is hardly as soft
+as mud.
+
+"I felt my reputation was at stake--in fact, all my noble past--and all
+for a 15 feet cast-iron cylinder, 6 feet in height, and 1-1/4 inch in
+thickness! I thought of blowing up the surface before the men were at
+work, and doing a bit of subaqueous mining; but it was too risky and
+desperate, so I saved myself for the final round, that is, I waited
+with my teeth set till I met that sunken 'extra' ring, and meant
+getting clear and settling it in one round, you bet, for I considered
+the situation very degrading, not to say insulting.
+
+"We quickly erected the staging, and I tried all I knew to get the
+foreman away and the resident engineer. Still I dare not play the same
+tune too much, or they would suspect, but they were too 'fly' to be
+drawn off. I arranged with my nephews at the crane to give me the
+office, if I was not on the spot, by sharply twice turning on the
+blow-off cock.
+
+"I happened to be on the top of a column on the next land-pier with the
+resident engineer who had called me, and the foreman was there also,
+when I heard the two puffs. I pretended to take no notice, nor did he
+or the foreman, and I managed to govern myself and keep myself quiet,
+just like the old nobility do, and think a lot.
+
+"Before I left the resident engineer I found he was going at once to
+some meeting, and I just wished he would take the foreman with him, if
+only out of the love I had for him and give him a holiday; however, I
+got to know on the quiet he had to superintend some unloading at a
+wharf half a mile or more away, so the road was pretty clear. Directly
+I got to the cylinder I knew what was up, for it had tilted.
+
+"We could not pump out the water, and divers could not go down unless
+the bottom was sealed, because of the almost liquid mud at the depth we
+had reached, but in another 8 or 10 feet it could have been done. I
+thought for an instant and then gave the word. 'Weight her down, lads,
+get some more kentledge and then we will pull her straight. It's only a
+piece of a wreck, or a bit of timber or stone.'
+
+"I forget whether I told you that it was only my family party that knew
+of the 'extra' ring being sunk, the rest of my men did not. My game was
+to wreck the cylinder if I could, and tilt it over so that it would
+fall, and then fetch the foreman when I knew it would go. If I could
+manage that I felt I was right. Anyhow I was bound to smash up the
+bottom ring, at least, I thought so then. Cutting out the obstruction I
+was thankful could not be done, nor drawing it in, nor splitting it up
+inside the cylinder. That was certain. I did not much care to tackle
+lifting the rings. I wanted to smash them. Compressed air I did not
+want to hear of, for that would have bowled me clean out, and shown the
+whole game. I wanted to try to thrust the cylinder through the
+obstruction, although, of course, I was not supposed to know what it
+was, as that usually fails and ends in smash more or less, and I was
+certain it would in this case, for it was cast-iron against cast-iron
+on an earth bed. Attempting to thrust a cylinder ring through anything
+and everything is always a dangerous operation, and one to be avoided.
+
+"Now they knew exactly how many cylinder rings had been delivered by
+the manufacturers, and if they had found the one we played 'extras'
+with, they could soon see it was the same size and make, and could
+easily tell how many were on the work and in the piers. I beg pardon, I
+should have said, _supposed_ to have been in, and it was 1000 to 1 all
+would not be well.
+
+"It occurred in the summer, and the foreman came and sent a telegram to
+the resident engineer, and before he arrived we had weighted the side
+that was up and endeavoured to get it straight by hauling, but it was
+no good; at least I think I tried to get it vertical, but I may also
+have tried to smash it. I expected, and was afraid, they would lift it
+by pontoons the next tide.
+
+"Well, the resident engineer came. He tried a few figures over, and
+said to the foreman, 'If we do not mind, it will cost more trying to
+right it than it will to lift the lot.'
+
+"Anyhow we got more power and more weights. He had the soil loosened on
+the upper side of the ring; but, of course, as it was iron at the
+bottom, it did not do much good; and we tried pretty well every dodge
+in turn that is known, but I need hardly say with very little effect.
+
+"The resident engineer said, 'Compressed air will be too expensive for
+this one cylinder, but I think we can sufficiently clear the interior
+by a force pump and dredger for a diver to go down.' Now the chief
+engineer was abroad for a fortnight, so we left it alone that night;
+but I tried all I knew, bar hammering, for that I dare not do, to smash
+the rings and they would not break, the soil was too soft and even. I
+was certain I could pull them over, but then they would most likely
+lift the rings and might find out the cause of the bother.
+
+"However, I let everything rest, and trusted to luck. The resident
+engineer decided to have the cylinder raised, as we had two large
+pontoons handy, so the top rings were removed to as low a depth above
+water as possible, and chains were fixed round the rings and also to
+bolts in the flanges, and in two tides all the rings were pulled up."
+
+"'So you got out of the trouble all right?"
+
+"You wait, don't be too sure. The resident engineer and the foreman
+were pacing up and down just as we were lifting the cutting ring, and
+we did that by the crane. They were at the other end of the staging
+though. The cutting edge was within a few inches of the water-level
+when I saw that a bit of the ring I had sunk for 'extras' was actually
+jammed into and hanging to the cutting ring."
+
+"Oh! save my nerves, that was bad."
+
+"Well, I had the crane stopped in a second, for my nephew was watching
+like a vulture, and I and my ganger had provided ourselves with a bar
+each, and were standing on the flanges. The cutting ring was only 3
+feet 6 inches in height, and after two smashing taps it dropped,
+neither the foreman nor the resident engineer saw the fun closely; but
+as the resident asked us what we had been barring at, I said 'A small
+bit of a wreck got wedged on, sir, and would have stuck between the
+pontoons, and I am very sorry we could not land it to show you."
+
+"That's good enough old pal. Pass on, please."
+
+"I thought you would laugh. Well, the pontoon had been brought to the
+side of the staging as a precaution in case the chains might break or
+an accident occur, so as to be away from the line of the bridge, and so
+it did not matter where we dropped the cylinder ring I had 'extra' out
+of, but it was an ugly fish to hook I can tell you, and is about the
+only one I ever wished to get away, or did not want to see.
+
+"Of course the cylinder went down all right afterwards, and the cause
+of the tilting was considered to be the remains of a wreck; but it
+strikes me, should they have to drive piles or sink cylinders anywhere
+near that pier, they may meet with some obstruction, and perhaps think
+they have struck rock; anyhow they will find out they have not 'struck
+oil,' and may send forth the news that a recent discovery has shown the
+early Britons built ironclads, and it was certain they sank, but there
+was not sufficient evidence to show whether the warships floated for
+many days."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+DRAIN PIPES. BLASTING, AND POWDER-CARRIAGE.
+
+
+"The experience you had with cylinder bridge piers reminds me of a near
+shave for a bowl out I had. They let me a quarter of a mile of work,
+and I had to put in an 18-inch pipe at the deepest part of an
+embankment, just to take any surface-water that might accumulate now
+and again. Of course, an 18-inch pipe will take a lot of water, and I
+think we agree it is hardly right and proper to throw away good
+material or provide against events which, an earthquake always
+excepted, cannot occur in the opinion of the most experienced. You
+can't accuse me of being wasteful, it's not in me; for I've heard my
+mother say she never knew me upset anything I could eat or drink, and
+that I always licked my plate and never lost a crumb. You know it is a
+quality born in you, and I don't wish to take any credit myself, not
+me; I'm constructed different. Nor do I wish to say you are not so
+careful as me, and perhaps more; only, of course, you may put in a lot
+of strong work when I am not looking, and I think you'll have to do to
+get level with me. It never was in my heart to see anything wasted. It
+is against my principles. I hate it, I do.
+
+"I said to myself, 'You shall not waste any material.' So what I did
+was to put five lengths of 18-inch pipe at each end of the slope, and
+9-inch in the middle. The tip was almost on the spot, so I put in the
+18-inch and the other pipes, and left a couple of lengths bare each
+end. The embankment was over 40 feet in height, the slopes were one and
+a-half to one, and the drain was about 50 yards in length, so it was
+not bad business.
+
+"I never forget what the engineers tell me, and when I hear a
+discussion among them I always make a note of it, and wait till I have
+an opportunity of making a bit 'extra' profit by it. What is the use to
+the likes of us of a bit of education if we can't turn it into gold?
+Not much; almost sheer waste, and I hate waste--abominate it. Well, one
+day the resident engineer was talking to another swell about how a
+splayed nozzle to a pipe caused an increased discharge.
+
+"So, ever ready to learn, as you and me always are, I said to myself,
+fond-like and quiet, 'Try it; put it into practice.' And I did, as I
+told you just now, by the insertion in true scientific manner of
+smaller pipes in the middle. I wrestled with the subject, and said to
+myself, 'Now, look here, if I put in all 18-inch pipes that drain can't
+have a splayed nozzle, that's sure; in fact, it is fact.' So I said,
+continuing the discussion with myself, 'Don't be beaten. Let science
+lead you.' And I did."
+
+"Fill up your glass, lad. Grasp. I'm hearty to you."
+
+"Now, it was in the summer, and we are coming to my scare. I said to my
+men, 'Come an hour earlier to-morrow morning, for I have got a little
+extra work, and some of you call at my place on your road.'
+
+"They came, and I had the 9-inch pipes handy, and away we went, about
+fifty of us, with a pipe or two each. It did not take long laying the
+pipes, nor covering up the lot. In any case you could hardly see
+through such a length, but as a precaution, I had the pipes put in a
+shade zigzag after the first six or seven lengths, so everything seemed
+all serene, at least, I thought so; but it was not, for I had the
+nearest shave for a bowl out that I ever had, and all on account of a
+bow-wow."
+
+"How did it happen?"
+
+"Well, the resident engineer came over with his pet dog, and I took to
+patting him, and felt really happy at the little bit of 'extra' I was
+to get out of these pipes, when the blessed dog began sniffing about
+one end and jumping up. The resident engineer got a bit excited.
+
+"'Rat, is it, Dasher?' he said to his dog.
+
+"The dog barked his reply to his master. The resident then said to me,
+'Stop here with Dasher until I call him at the other end, as I intend
+him to go through the drain.'
+
+"Before I could say a word, he was up and down the slopes, and at the
+other end of the pipe. I sat, or fell down, I don't know which, I did
+feel bad. I heard him call 'Dasher, Dasher.' The blessed dog rushed in,
+and then came back. His size was right for the 18-inch pipes but he was
+near too big in the barrel for a 9-inch pipe.
+
+"To think that after working the show so smoothly and lovely to the
+satisfaction of all mankind as knew of it, and then to be bowled out by
+a 'phobia-breeding animal as hardly knows how to scratch his back, was
+too much. So I braced myself up, and said to myself, 'Mister Dasher you
+have not done me yet, not you, hardly. It will take a man to do it.'
+
+"I patted him, and smiled pretty at him, and gave him a bit of biscuit,
+and grasped him round the middle just to see if he could get through
+the 9-inch lengths. I felt seven years younger when I found he could
+just manage it, but he would have to do it more like swimming than
+walking.
+
+"Now I knew the pipes were all sound and whole, for I never put in
+broken goods, however small they may be.
+
+"The engineer kept calling 'Dasher, Dasher,' so I said to him, through
+the pipe, 'Wait a minute, sir; Dasher, I fancy is not so used to
+tunnels as you and me. What do you say to try the other way in, sir, we
+all have our fancies?'
+
+"I knew it was no use attempting to work him off, as he meant what he
+said, and would be sure to get suspicious--as he was no flat, I can
+tell you.
+
+"Well, after a lot of urging, in went the blessed dog, and Stanley's
+journey in Darkest Africa was outdone then, I'm sure, and Dasher's
+rear-guard was in trouble.
+
+"We waited, and called, and whistled, but could hear nothing. We must
+have waited half an hour I should say, at least it seemed to me as
+long, and the resident engineer shouted to me two or three times, 'If
+Dasher does not appear in a few minutes, your men must dig him out.'
+
+"Lawks me, it makes me ill to think of the squalls there would have
+been if I had had to do that. I wished just then that no dogs had ever
+been made nor nothing on four legs except horses, cattle, sheep, and
+pigs; but I turned sympathetic like and went to the top of the
+embankment, and said, 'Perhaps there may be vermin up there; and I know
+Dasher is a game one, and won't back.'
+
+"This pleased the resident engineer. Believe me, I would have given at
+that moment a sovereign to anyone who could have produced that dog.
+
+"Old pal, you need not put your hand out, I said, 'at that moment.'
+Don't excite yourself. I know you are always thirsty, but you have got
+the gold hunger bad as well. Just keep quiet, and put your hand in your
+pocket."
+
+"I beg your pardon, I was forgetting myself."
+
+"All right. Now I'll go on again. Well, I thought the dog had got
+jammed in, and knew what tight lacing was, and so he did. At last we
+thought we heard him, and he came out looking more like a turnspit than
+a well-bred fox terrier.
+
+"Some blood was on him. He had had a squeeze and no mistake, and was
+about done, but no bones were broken.
+
+"I said slow and solemn like, 'Sir, he has tackled them.'
+
+"'What do you think it was?'
+
+"I said, 'You mean they, sir. He has had more than one against him.'
+
+"I then took up Dasher and carried him to a tub of water and washed
+him. I did feel very sorry for the dog. I said, 'He has had a regular
+battle of Waterloo, but it is his high-breeding and proper training
+that has pulled him through the fight He has finished the lot, sir, you
+bet.'
+
+"The resident engineer looked pleased, and I am sure I was. Dasher soon
+recovered and we walked away. Don't forget, what the eye does not see
+the heart does not grieve for, that is to say, I escaped all right; and
+those pipes were considered to be 18 inches in diameter, and you know
+it is not right and proper nor becoming to differ with one's superiors
+too much, it almost amounts to foolishness I consider in such cases. I
+always keep my brain in curb till I get a lean measurement, and then I
+speak, but it don't do to differ with your governor too much. The
+wheedling lay is the best game to play, and I have an aversion to a
+quarrel with anyone when you can get more by oil and smiles.
+
+"Take my advice, and before you try splayed nozzles, know whether your
+guv'nors or the engineers have dogs, and, if so, the size of their
+barrels and whether they have done growing and laying on bulk, because,
+to be safe, you must work the pipes to fit the bow-wows. Remember I had
+a near squeak, and so did the dog. I always keep in with them now, and
+Dasher gets a biscuit from me whenever I see him, but he nearly cost me
+all I had. It is indeed a real pleasure to have the opportunity of
+rewarding virtue in men or dogs."
+
+"That's right. Fill them up."
+
+"The thought of that day rather makes me nervous and dry."
+
+"That pipe and dog business was not exactly a holiday, but I had a
+worse nerve-shaker than that, for it is a wonder you see me now when I
+come to think of it. But there, Providence shields us all, good and
+bad, just to give the bad ones a chance to alter, and to test whether
+the good ones are really good. Still, I never meant anything wrong, of
+course not--no one ever does. It is always the surrounding
+circumstances that make things bad; and so we all humbug ourselves into
+thinking we are very right and proper and good, and we have our private
+opinion about other people."
+
+"Stop that. Speak for yourself, and never mind about other people."
+
+"All right. Don't get testy."
+
+"Well, they let me take a cutting in hard marl down at Throatisfield
+Junction. It wanted a lot of blasting, for it was deceptive material.
+The powder used to go very quick and not split or move the ground much
+either. I would fifty times rather had a real rock cutting than this
+hardened lime and clay soil that won't cleave, and when the blast is
+fixed it only about blows up the tamping and makes a noise for nothing,
+but blasting marl rock is often vexatious work. One day, by a mistake,
+the firm I had the powder from did not send the weekly quantity by road
+as they ought to have done. I always paid for it prompt. They knew me,
+as I was an old customer. It was nothing to do with the cash, but a
+mistake in their office, so the only thing to be done was to fetch it;
+and as seventy pounds' weight of powder is no joke, and I did not want
+to lose a relation just then, I got it myself by train, and it nearly
+cost me my life. I took a large box, just like a cheese box, planed
+inside and as smooth as glass. We used the large-grained glazed powder.
+I thought to myself, 'I'll take it in the front van, and ride with it,
+and then I know all will be safe.'
+
+"Now, there never was much luggage by this local train, although a lot
+of passengers, and hardly ever above a case or two in the front van. I
+knew the guards, and all would have gone pretty, but the usual front
+one had got a day off to bury a relation, and that nearly buried me and
+a lot more. After the front guard knew from the other who I was, he let
+me ride in his van when I showed my ticket. We had about 30 miles to
+travel, and stopped at nearly every station, about six of them
+altogether. It was nearly a two hours' journey. I got a chap to pack
+the powder safely for me, and all I had to do was to keep it from flame
+and heat and being knocked about. Of course the guard did not know what
+was in my box, and did not seem to care--he had other things to attend
+to that were, or seemed to be, more important. I sat on the box, and
+began a yarn about railway travelling, and was making the necessary
+impression upon him, just to show I knew a few swells and things. There
+may have been a trifle more imagination than fact about my talk, but
+not too much, just enough to season it. We were getting on very
+pleasantly, and nothing ugly occurred till we got two stations from
+home, then there was a crowd on the platform. Been a football match.
+The result was that three swells got into the guard's van. The old
+guard always locked the door, this new one did not. No room in the
+first, or anywhere else. Now I should not have cared a rap, as these
+three swells were as sober as judges, but one turned to the guard and
+said, 'You will not object to our smoking, I suppose?' Asking a
+question that way always seems to me more than half a command. The
+guard took it that way, I think, for he said, 'No, gentlemen, as the
+carriages are full; but if you can keep it as quiet as you can at the
+stations I shall thank you kindly, as there is a superintendent here as
+has pickled pork and coffee for tea, that considers smoking worse than
+poison, and it is against the rules.'
+
+"Well, you can imagine I was just about fit to sink, as I knew there
+was enough pent-up force in that box to elevate me higher than I wanted
+to go by that sort of machinery. Two of the swells were free and easy
+kind, the other rather a lady's man, sort of feminine man--the latter
+began the game, and said, 'Charlie, have you a Vesuvian?'
+
+"I dared not say a word, but I thought, 'My noble swell, I have not,
+but I have a Vesuvius here--in fact, I'm sitting on it--and if you are
+not careful the real one will have to take a back seat, and ashes will
+be large goods to what we shall be like.' Well, they all started
+smoking, and threw the fusees out of the window. After all, I thought
+to myself, there's nothing much to fear now, although it would be
+considerably more pleasant if you were in some other train somewhere.
+When I got in I put my box just a little way from the side, so that it
+should not jar, and there they had me. Soon we got near to the last
+station we had to stop before mine, and these swells all took their
+cigars out of their mouths, and as there was no place upon which to put
+them except on my box, _they put them there_! Pass me the bottle. Oh
+dear, oh dear, the thought of it! and they said to me, so nicely, 'You
+won't mind, I know.' Before I could think almost there were three
+cigars alight and red, been well puffed, and within 2 inches of 70 lbs.
+of the best glazed blasting powder, and me sitting on it as a sort of
+stoker!
+
+"I dared not say anything; but worse was to come, for they kept taking
+a whiff and putting the cigars down again!
+
+"After the train started the van jerked a bit over the crossing or a
+badly-packed sleeper, and just as one of the swells was going to pick
+up his cigar, it slipped, fell upon the top of my box of powder and
+then upon the floor, and the sparks did fly!"
+
+"No wonder you felt bad. I feel for you now, I do. It makes me dry."
+
+"Stop! Worse is to come--worse. Pass the bottle. Wait a minute; I can
+say no more until I have loosened my collar."
+
+"Well, true as I am here, if there was not a fizz, a few grains had got
+loose. My box had a hole in it; a knot in the wood had shaken out! I
+knew the fizz was not like that of sporting powder, but my powder--and
+to think there might have been a train self-laid right up to the bottom
+of the box! Providence again."
+
+"Shake."
+
+"I'm hearty to you. It must have been an angel that broke the train of
+powder, for on looking carefully about I saw a dozen or more grains.
+Luckily for me, the guard had his head out of the window all the time,
+as the whistle had been sounding. The swells only laughed at the
+fizzle. I did not; I knew what a fearfully narrow squeak I had had. I
+expect they thought it was a match end. However, I have had a life of
+narrow squeaks, and so I got over it pretty soon, and said, 'The next
+station is mine, gentlemen!' I moved my box a trifle, and noticed there
+was a bit of paper on one side sticking out. I saw one of the swells
+also noticed it, and seemed thoughtful. He soon made me understand that
+he knew the paper. It was specially prepared, and a peculiar colour.
+His father was the owner of the powder mills, and lived about five
+miles from my cutting. If I was not previously blown up, I knew it was
+in his power to have me fined fearfully heavy, if not imprisoned. He
+stared at me, and as we were going down a long 1 in 50 gradient and
+corkscrew line the guard looked out for squalls and two of the swells
+on the other side. He then whispered in my ear, 'Is your name Dark?'
+
+"I could not speak, it took me back so; but I managed to nod. He said,
+'Why did you not telegraph? I would have had it delivered specially';
+and he pointed to my box. He gave me a half-dollar, and put out his
+cigar. I quickly and carefully filled up the hole and picked up the
+stray grains, and no one knew anything, except him and me. He then
+said, 'Take my advice, don't try that game again; for if you manage to
+struggle through such a journey without becoming a million or two atoms
+you will probably be hanged'; and he motioned with hand to his throat.
+'This time I shall say nothing.'
+
+"I thanked him. I never felt so small and weak in my life. Well, I
+arrived at my station, and got my box out and sat upon it for some time
+till the reaction on my nervous system had worked; but I would have
+given just then some one else's gold-mines for a strong lap-up of
+something neat. Mind you, about five minutes before we stopped the up
+mail passed us, and we were both going full forty miles an hour.
+Suppose the box had fizzled out just then, it would have wrecked both
+trains, killed a few hundreds, blown a big hole in the line, spoilt the
+dividends for some time, shocked the world, made widows and orphans of
+half the country round pretty nigh, have ruined a few speculators who
+were on the 'bull' lay in the main line shares, and have smashed into
+chips more than half the 'bucket-shop' outside benevolent (?)
+institutions for the distribution of wealth as were operating for a
+rise."
+
+"It seems to me you lost a grand opportunity of being a big pot for
+once, and showing them who's which--but there! you always had a kind
+heart, and I remember you have often said a too sudden rise in the
+world never did any one much lasting good."
+
+"You are right; but perhaps it is as well for me. I am so modest, and
+ambition knows me not."
+
+_Note._--On all public works it is advisable to know by what means any
+blasting agents are brought to the works. Daily use not infrequently
+causes the men to be very reckless, and stringent regulations in
+conformity with the various Acts and general experience should be made,
+and every care taken to have them faithfully observed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+CONCRETE. PUDDLE.
+
+
+"Have you managed to squeeze any 'extra' profit on the quiet out of
+concrete?"
+
+"Yes, twenty or thirty years ago, but there is not much to be got now.
+Since a few engineers took to writing upon the subject they have
+reminded or informed others pretty well what to look after, but there
+were not many thirty years back that knew how it ought to be made; and
+you see, although one receives the materials, the concrete has to be
+made with them, manufactured, as it were, on the work, and you can
+spoil the best Portland cement that is, was, or ever will be made in
+the proportioning, mixing, and blending it with bad sand and gravel, or
+dirty broken rock.
+
+"They handed me the Portland cement, and all the specification said
+was, 'All concrete shall consist of 1 of Portland cement to 6 of clean
+gravel, and shall be mixed and deposited in a workmanlike manner [which
+we consider means as the workmen like] to the entire satisfaction of
+the Company's engineer.'
+
+"This was drawn up by a civil and mechanical engineer, which is a
+big-drum kind of title, and I should think covered corkscrews and
+manufacturing machinery, and everything else under the sun that can be
+handled at any time, including a 6-inch drain, the Forth Bridge, and
+the Channel Tunnel thrown in. It's too much, it seems to me, for one
+man to completely understand; and I once heard a celebrated engineer
+say that, with a few brilliant exceptions, such a man knew thoroughly
+neither civil nor mechanical engineering--life was too short. I don't
+presume to say anything, but his specifications of our kind of work
+might have been more exact; still they were sources of joy and comfort
+to us.
+
+"Machine mixing was hardly known at the time I am particularly
+referring to, and the Portland cement was of all qualities, good, bad,
+and indifferent, and some as I really can't say had any quality in it
+at all, and was utterly unlike what you get now. It was then sometimes
+bought on the same principle as going to the first shop handy, and
+saying, 'Small bag of cement. How much?' There was no name on the bag,
+for no one wished to own he had made the cement, and it was indeed of
+illegitimate origin, and had no parents.
+
+"The cement came, and we did pretty well as we liked, for the inspector
+knew nothing about it; in fact, we were all in the same boat. But what
+a lucky thing it is that there is such a thing as a margin of safety!"
+
+"You mean the difference between the strain a thing has to bear in
+ordinary use and what will break it?"
+
+"Yes, that is it. One day an engineer said to me, 'There is a large
+factor of safety in this case, which is fortunate.' I thought he was
+talking about a flour factor near the works that also sold fire-escapes
+and fire-extinguishers, so I said, 'He weighs nearly eighteen stone,
+and I should call him big rather than large, for he is like the prices
+at which he sells flour, and charges a penny a quartern too much; but
+he is greatly respected in the neighbourhood by those who don't know
+what fair prices are, for he is so oily and civil, as just suits a
+lot.' Between you and me, he swindled them, and beat us for 'extra'
+profit.
+
+"The engineer looked as if he could not at first make out what I was
+talking about, and, as it turned out, I did not know what _he_ was. He
+seemed to enjoy himself, and let me finish my sermon. He then explained
+to me what we call 'margins' of safety, and what they call 'factors' of
+safety are the same goods."
+
+"You have learnt something now."
+
+"I have, another name; no doubt their word is the right one, but they
+ought to consider the likes of us are not poets, or fed on stewed
+grammar, and should remember we were boss-gangers once, and have
+blossomed into sub-contractors.
+
+"Let that pass. You should have seen the cement. It was lucky we never
+had to sift it as we do now, or we should never have got any through a
+forty-to-the-inch mesh. It was just like fine sand, and nearly the
+colour of it, too, instead of grey. I have had a fair experience with
+Portland cement now, for we had testing-rooms, machines and troughs,
+fresh and sea water, slabs, and a host of other detective apparatus at
+the last dock works I was on. However, the cement we had and I was just
+referring to, was pretty nearly all residue, and of course it did not
+stick the gravel together except in streaks that had good luck rather
+than anything else. And the gravel! Well, it is an elastic truth to
+call it gravel, for it was dirty; and I conscientiously feel I am close
+to thinking I am not speaking in accordance with the principles of
+strict veracity if I call it gravel.
+
+"And the mixing! Well, there was not much of it, just a turning over or
+two, and we deluged the stuff with water so as to make it easy to
+handle, and we hurled it into the foundations as we pleased and at all
+sorts of heights, just as might happen to be convenient. I did not
+trouble myself about it then, but I do now, for I had a month or two in
+and about the testing places when there was no other job for me that
+suited, and I firmly believe almost all the failures of Portland cement
+concrete occur because the men that used it do not understand it, or
+the specification is not carried out, or is wrong somewhere. The best
+goods in the world want proper treatment, and, after all, the abuse of
+a thing is no argument against its use. Some quarry owners and stone
+merchants don't like cement concrete; it is poison to them, because it
+hurts their trade. It is my opinion, founded on what I have seen and
+know, that Portland cement concrete is grand stuff when properly made;
+but you can't make the 'extra' profit on it you could, unless you can
+forget to rightly proportion the material. I mean leave out anything on
+the quiet you find is more profitable when it is absent; and now mixing
+machines are always used on works of importance where concrete is made
+in any considerable quantity, that is the only way you get a chance of
+a bit 'extra,' at least so runs my experience.
+
+"Bless me! when I come to think of it, it is really wonderful that some
+of the concrete I have cast in has set at all, and don't believe it can
+all have set; for, first, the cement was wrong, then the gravel was not
+gravel, the sand was like road siftings, no trouble was taken to
+proportion the materials properly, and no mixing was done rightly, only
+an apology for it. The water was dirty, and used anyhow, and if a lump
+got a bit stiff it was rolled over, broken up in the trench and watered
+down below. Some went in like the soup that has balls in it, and we
+threw the concrete (?) down just anyhow. The inspector, as I said
+before, knew nothing much about it, although he was a beautiful kidder
+and could patter sweet and pretty just as if he were courting, and the
+engineer was away, so the road was clear for a bit 'extra,' and we took
+it."
+
+"Now, how the dickens could any concrete be right with such treatment?
+It is cruelty to expect it."
+
+"I left those works, and the engineer got corpsed, so he is past
+blaming; but, fortunately, the middle wall of the dock that got
+strained the most--the one in which was some of the concrete (?) I have
+been telling you about--had to be removed for improvements, and when
+they pulled it down I heard the concrete was in layers like thick
+streaky bacon, a layer of gravel with hardly a bit of cement in it,
+then a few lumps of solid on the top and hard as all would have been if
+the cement, gravel, sand, proportioning, mixing, and the putting into
+place had been done properly; then another layer of open stuff that had
+stuck together a bit, and then a lot of soft oozy rubbish, like decayed
+cheese, bad, coarse cement, you know, that would not or could not hold
+together and had done the 'fly' trick, you know, had cracked about, the
+coarsest part of the cement The streaks were there because we watered
+the cement so much that it was not concrete but weak grout, and bad
+too; and it could not drain down because one of the thin, hardish
+streaks, already set, stopped it, and it was bound to make friends with
+the gravel and dirt somehow, although trying to shun such company by
+running away and so get off duty. It was the same all the way through,
+and there were a lot of holes in it caused by the nearly set lumps
+coming together and slightly sticking, and therefore preventing the
+other material from filling the voids. _Hardly a cubic yard of the
+whole mass was the same._
+
+"That is what I call a real bit of scamping; but, honestly, I did not
+think I was putting it in so bad as that, but I then knew hardly
+anything about the material. I shall never do it again, for I know I
+shall not get the chance, besides we all must draw the line somewhere;
+but there, a lot is now known about concrete that was only in the
+brains of a very few then.
+
+"As the cement is now supplied to you, I often put it in a bit thick,
+that is when I have to find the gravel and sand. It would be the other
+way about under different circumstances; but at the present time, with
+Carey's concrete mixer--which, luckily for plunder for us, is the only
+machine that measures and mixes the materials mechanically, and turns
+out from 10 to 70 cubic yards of concrete per hour--you do not get much
+chance of 'extras' and none with it; and concrete mixing is now nearly
+done as carefully as mixing medicine, and I don't regard concrete as
+fondly as I used to, for no 'extras' worth thinking of are to be made
+out of it. My old love, consequently, is cooling off, becoming warm and
+perhaps distant respect, not much else; but good Portland cement
+concrete is the best material, bar granite, I know of, if properly
+used, as it is then all the same strength--that is when the Portland
+cement is right, the proportions, mixing, and depositing even and
+proper, and the gravel and sand really clean sharp gravel and sand. You
+see, in that case, it is uniform throughout, and, after all, what is
+the good of the hardest stone or brick when you have a weak mortar to
+join them together which cannot nearly stand the same strain in any
+direction as the stone or brick?"
+
+"You are right, it is simply waste. Like deluging good spirits with
+pure water, and spoiling them both. Lucky you had finally left those
+dock works before they pulled the middle wall down, or you might have
+had a bad quarter of an hour in a very sultry atmosphere."
+
+"After that we will have a toothful neat."
+
+"That's warming and is real comfort."
+
+"I have never had much to do with concrete, but I remember seeing a lot
+go in on some dock works where I had some puddle to make for the
+cofferdam, and I got something 'extra' out of that."
+
+"How did you do it?"
+
+"Well, you know, working such stuff all day and nothing else makes
+anyone rather sick of it, it is like breaking stones for metalling, I
+should think, and the weariness of it makes the big stones have a
+tendency to hide and cause the face to look small and even. I had a
+dozen men besides casuals, and all old hands at the game of 'extras.'
+We had to, or were supposed to, work up a certain right proportion of
+sand with the clay so as to prevent the puddle cracking and keep it
+sufficiently moist. I own we sometimes let the clay have a taste of
+peace; in fact, between you and me, we were going express speed, and
+'extras' was the name of our engine.
+
+"One day the resident engineer came, and somehow got up close to us
+rather unawares, and took us by surprise. Of course, the material ought
+to have been worked the same throughout, and we nearly did it, but
+nearly is not quite. He seemed to sniff out that all was not just as
+right as it might be, and said:--
+
+"'Don't forget to work it up thoroughly. You have a good price, and it
+is important the clay should be uniformly mixed with a little sand.'
+
+"'Certainly, sir.'
+
+"I generally agree with my boss, it pays best. So I at once called out
+sharp to my chaps, as if all I loved in this world was at stake, 'Don't
+fear mixing it, lads. Get it well mixed.'
+
+"One of them, he was a new chap to me, and belonged to the militia I
+found out, turned round, and said:--
+
+"'All right, boss; I always make the broad-arrow kitchens in the camp,
+and the flues and the openings for the Flanders kettles, so I know how
+it ought to be done; but if you think I'm a white-faced doughey [i.e. a
+baker's man] I am not, and you had better fetch a batch of dougheys and
+start them at work feet and hands. It will make them sweat. That
+puddle, I tell you, is as well mixed as the dougheys do the different
+kinds of flour, and call all the bake the best and purest bread, and
+make it smell sweet with hay water.'"
+
+"I suppose you silenced him quickly?"
+
+"No, I pretended to take no notice, for I knew I had spoken too sharp,
+but the resident engineer smiled downwards and passed on.
+
+"We had a heap of clay on one side and the same of sand on the other,
+and the inspector saw we had from time to time a small mound of clay
+and one of sand put separate and measured ready for mixing. We had a
+few piles of clay and sand at first measured exactly, and then we got
+used to it, and did it by sight only. We were close to the river, or
+rather estuary, and used to fill a barrow now and again with the sand
+and shoot it over the entrance jetty. A little was taken from each
+heap. The engineer knew his book, and would not have it worked from one
+or two big heaps, and the sand brought to it, but he would have
+separate mounds of about 20 cubic yards at a time. There were nearly
+5000 cubic yards of puddle to work up, and as the clay came from the
+trenches so we worked it up. A kind of filling and discharging, and
+everything on the move.
+
+"I made a nice thing 'extra' that way, but nearly got bowled out, for
+one day there was an extraordinary low tide, a low tide was expected,
+but a land wind was blowing great guns, and it was the lowest tide
+known for fifty years or so. Now, when you start the game of 'extra'
+profit you will agree with me, it is necessary to have someone you can
+rely upon, or else things may not go exactly as you expect. They may
+work wrong, and then you have to look out for squalls when they lay you
+bare and find out all. Here, I had been getting a rise out of my
+bosses, and blessed if old Ginger's snip, his boy, whom I paid a bit
+extra to do the harrowing well out, did not get a rise out of me. It
+caused a near shave, too.
+
+"Well, the tide ran down till it laid dry a little sandbank, that is,
+some of the stuff that should have been at home in the puddle, had
+travelled by the wrong road by the entrance jetty. I did give Ginger's
+snip a talking-to, I tell you, after; but it was a near shave, as you
+will soon know. I saw the bank, so I sent him down the jetty with two
+chaps that knew what was up and got duly rewarded by me. They knew me.
+I never forget friends--too good, I am. Not even to borrow from them,
+if occasion requires, so that they should remember me in their dreams.
+I said to them: 'Stir up the sand, lads, for I think I saw a leg in it,
+and a bit of a dress; it may be there has been another midnight horror.
+It's really shocking!' And that was true, for I thought the sand was
+shocking, and that murder will out, as the saying goes. It was a shave,
+for just as the tide began to turn, up came the resident engineer, and
+there could not have been more than an inch or two over the sand, but
+it soon rises, as you know, and almost walks up. I had not time to call
+the men, and there they were, stirring away. It was lucky I thought of
+the leg and the woman's dress. So I shouted, 'Come up, lads, it's
+nothing.'
+
+"Then the resident engineer started asking me questions; and I was
+afraid he might ask the men something, so I kept him as long as I
+could, and spun a yarn, and pointed out the spot where a body was found
+some time ago, and talked away like a paid spouter, for every minute
+that passed was good business, for the water was rising quickly, and I
+knew the tide would soon just about put it right. After a little while
+the resident engineer went away, and I was rubbing my waistcoat
+thinking I had been in another near squeak, but won on the post by a
+short head owing to jockeyship, when I saw him down below with a large
+black retriever, and the blessed dog was half out of the water. I kept
+as far away as I could, but I saw he had taken off his boots and turned
+up his trousers, and was walking about on the heap probing with his
+stick. He did not stop long, as he knew the tide was rising, and then
+he came to me afterwards and said that a sandbank had been deposited at
+least 30 feet in length.
+
+"'Very likely, sir; but did you find the leg, or body, or dress of a
+woman?' 'No. But I found a lot of sand that would have been better in
+the puddle.' And he looked straight at me.
+
+"Well, I had to put on my best sweet, innocent child face, and I
+hazarded the mild remark, 'It's the eddies that have done it. I have
+known them bring stuff for miles, sir.' It was no use saying from the
+other side or nearer, because there was no sand like we had to mix with
+the clay for the puddle for many miles, nor could I declare that a
+barge had got upset. He did not say anything more, but called his dog
+and went to the office. Let me impress upon you that the last 1500 or
+so yards of puddle had more sand in them than the first 3500. Tides I
+like, and they are healthy and useful; but it is the deuce to pay if
+you think you can go against them, as King Canute showed his courtiers,
+when he did the chair trick upon the sea-shore. Do you know I go so far
+as to think that if a floating caisson were taken about and sunk so as
+to lay bare the bed of the Thames in certain places, things would be
+found by a little digging that neither you nor me dream of, and perhaps
+might not like to see, for even sandbanks at certain times and places
+are not pleasant to gaze upon. Eh?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+BRICKWORK. TIDAL WARNINGS. PIPE JOINTS. DREDGING.
+
+
+"You remember my old partner on the last dock works we were on?"
+
+"Rather. He had been properly educated, and knew the time of day, and
+there are few things he ever had to do with he did not get a bit
+'extra' out of. On that you can bet the family plate."
+
+"Right you are. Old partner, do you know I have a weakness. I liked the
+old times when there was plenty of work to be had, and few that knew
+how to do it. Then the likes of you and me were regarded at their
+proper value, and estimated as worth something extra. Now there are
+about a million too many of us, and not half the work to be done. Old
+England is not like a big place that wants opening up, and it is a rare
+high old breeding country, and a lot of folks seem to wish it to be
+nothing else.
+
+"My then partner took, labour only, a lot of brickwork in cement. It
+was a dock wall, and it averaged not far from 20 feet in thickness. It
+was a wall, and not a mere facing like little bridges. It gave a man a
+chance of something to work on. When a chap takes a contract, labour
+only, not having to find the materials, it is no use turning your
+attention to saving them; the only game to play is to use the mortar
+nearly liquid, so that it runs about of itself almost, and put some
+random work in between the face work and the back, and trust to
+mortar-rakes and grout, and oiling the human wheels as much as
+required. I don't like the word bribe the inspectors. For two chaps
+like us, that will have what we consider good work, it is not bribery,
+it is downright pure philanthropy that prompts us to give a sovereign
+away now and then in the proper and most deserving direction, which I
+generally find to be the inspector. I never give gold away without
+knowing it will come back well married, and may bring a family, and
+they are welcome to my best spread. That's just where our education
+enables us to grasp things right. What a shame it is for people to find
+fault with the School Board rate, when it is only about four times more
+than its promised highest figure, and the school buildings are such
+models of art and strength; and how thankful we ought to be to the
+teachers for their kind attendance, given for almost nothing! How
+pleased our old schoolmaster would be when he knew we took every
+advantage to make a profit somehow or other from what he taught us."
+
+"I guess he would be, the joy might kill him; but how did you apply
+your schooling to the brickwork?"
+
+"Wait, patience please! As I said before, or nearly did, there was not
+much face work compared with bulk in the wall. I had a lot of militia
+chaps, and well paid and lushed them. They were something like
+brickies. Bless me, the wall used to rise up; and I was half afraid if
+those at the office worked out the check time, and compared it with our
+cubic measurement, they would think I was paying all my chaps more than
+any other member of creation ever did, or making too big a profit to
+suit them, and don't you mistake. But there! the Company did the work
+themselves, or let it in bits, and of course the check-time game was
+not played anything like so strong as if we had been working for a boss
+contractor.
+
+"Well, we were doing trench work, and had shoots for the materials to
+travel from the surface down to the wall, and the trench was about 50
+feet in depth from the top to the foundation. We had one shoot for
+bricks and another for mortar in between each frame, and that would
+have been plenty if all the work had been laid to a bond, but when only
+about 4 feet in the front and 2 feet at the back was, and the rest
+raked in level, except a course or two now and again, we used to want a
+couple of shoots for each. I had the face of the wall made really
+pretty, just like a doll's house, and pointed up lovely; but let me
+give a bit of credit to the Company, for they gave us the best
+materials with which I ever had to do."
+
+"You mean the bricks and mortar were such that it would have been a
+downright waste of good muscle to put the bond the same throughout,
+simply pampering up the materials and turning them sickly, like some
+people do children, so as to appear so fond of them before other
+people!"
+
+"Precisely; so after my partner got the face in right, the stuff went
+down and in. All we had to be careful about was not to smash the
+bricks. We soon managed that, and we had few broken ones, for they were
+good, hard, and dark. Well, in they went, and when we began to work the
+show, some of the scenery was hard to get right. Of course the
+inspector began to find fault, that was what he was paid for, and was
+about the only way he could work round for his 'extras.' After oiling
+him a little, and pleasing him in the old-fashioned way, we managed
+gradually to overcome the natural dulness of his mind, and we became a
+happy crew--a lot of brickies with a single thought, and hearts that
+beat as one.
+
+"Well, in the stuff went; and after working out the averages according
+to the rules of the exact sciences, me and my partner arrived at the
+conclusion accordingly that about one-half or a trifle more bricks were
+put in by hand, and the rest were like machine-made bread, unsoiled by
+hand, and therefore must have been good and pure, as those alone know
+who work on the same lines. My partner, in his younger days, before he
+took to brickwork, had been to sea, and all the men used to call him
+'Captain.' When he wanted to give the chaps in the office the straight
+griffin, he used to say, 'Nelson's my guide.' That meant give them
+'biff,' in other words, finish off the enemy as quick as you know how."
+
+"You mean get the bricks in as fast as you can _only get them in
+quick_."
+
+"Yes, that's it. If good old Nelson sent his shots in as fast as these
+bricks were squatted, all I can say is the guns did not get much time
+to cool. Let me give my partner all praise, for although he had a nice
+spot to work on--as of course the timber in the trenches hid a lot of
+the work, and made a nice gloom--as a precaution he kept the ladder
+away from the top of the trenches, so that anyone had to walk along the
+top strut and then get down, consequently there was not much chance of
+being caught; and after the bottom courses were in and the face and
+back right, it was easy work, because there was always time to get the
+road right and all went as peacefully as could be wished. But the old
+Captain, on the same dock, nearly overdid it one day, and all to save
+him scarcely one hundred pence, but he got so eager that money to him
+was food, and it is my opinion if he had been born rich he would have
+made a fine miser; but apart from that, he knew how to make a contract
+and what work was, and the training on board ship he had in his young
+days set him right, and he was always on the work looking out for a bit
+'extra,' or on scout. But once he nearly overreached himself."
+
+"How did he do that?"
+
+"I will tell you, if you keep quiet."
+
+"Right away."
+
+"It happened like this, and might have wrecked the whole place, and was
+the consequence of working against orders. At one part of the works
+there was an old slope at the end of the dock which was no use without
+a new entrance. Where the trenches had been dug out for a wall a piece
+of earth was left in at the dock end, and was stepped down like a
+retaining wall, although only earth. Well, the orders were to keep it 4
+feet above a certain level, which made it not so nice for unloading
+from barges as 2 feet or so. As that end of the dock was only sloped
+off, and left to itself, for no one ever seemed to go there, and it was
+a good height, and up and down a bit at top, been stuff run to spoil,
+my partner, the old Captain thought he might as well take another 2
+feet off for about 10 feet or so, and ease the unloading the bricks,
+cement, and sand, and made certain it would not be noticed. Now of
+course it did not take long to pare a slice from that short length
+sufficient to help the unloading, and I should have said this was done
+soon after we began the brickwork. I remember the day well enough, for
+if I had not have happened to have been having my dinner by myself on
+the cofferdam, I believe we might have been flooded out and wrecked.
+
+"The wind was blowing strong and had been for several days from the
+same quarter, and it brought the water up till it was heaped. Before
+the wind began to blow it had been very wet, and it was also the time
+high tides were expected, so everything worked in the direction for a
+real high one. I began my dinner before the usual time, feeling a bit
+hollow, and had done by a quarter of an hour after the whistle had
+blown. I was just lighting my pipe when I happened to look upon the
+water. It wanted about an hour or more to high water, I watched the
+tide flowing up, and, all of a sudden, it struck me it would be a
+topper; but as the cofferdam was a long way above high water, so as to
+stop any waves breaking over, for the estuary was nearly one mile in
+width, and as this dam was a really well strutted one, it did not
+trouble me. I dare say I smoked for nearly ten minutes, and was
+thinking it was a nice job, and that 'extras' would have a good look
+in, when, just as things that frighten you do occur to you very
+quickly, it struck me--How about the Captain and his two feet off,
+pared off, up at the trench end bank? Well, I did not stop, but went at
+once to the place, although a good half mile away, and was soon there.
+I saw it must be a near squeak, and I knew there was no chance of the
+entrance gates being shut because a lot of craft was waiting to go into
+the dock, besides it would give the office that something was wrong,
+and I knew the chances were a thousand to one no one would come near as
+it was right away one end of the works, and nothing doing there except
+for us when we were unloading. Most of the chaps had never been that
+end of the works at all. Now this was all very pretty looked at from
+getting a bit of 'extra,' but it was hardly the same when that game was
+played by the tide putting in a bit 'extra' and rising nearly 2 feet
+more than ever recorded before. I looked at my watch and knew the tide
+had about an hour yet to run up. I got out my rule and measured, and
+then I was sure it would not be far off two feet over the dip the old
+Captain had cut to save an odd penny or two. I was just turning round
+to go to fetch him--for I knew where he was, and of course we always
+let one another know, although we don't name it--when I saw him coming
+pretty sharp with his ganger and a few trusty chaps. I beckoned to him.
+He was alongside very quickly, and I said, 'The tide will be over.'
+
+"He answered: 'I thought it might, as the bottom of the tenth step down
+on the landing place was just the same level as the top of the dip. I
+knew it by the water.'
+
+"I said, 'There may be a chance about it, but I don't think so, for
+this tide is running up so strongly that I know, from experience of the
+estuary, that it will beat the highest tide ever recorded.'
+
+"While I was speaking he measured, and took out his watch and timed
+five minutes. He measured again, and then off went his coat like
+greased lightning, and we all followed suit as if we were a lot of
+figures pulled by strings, and he shouted, 'We have not a moment to
+lose. It will rise 1 foot 6 inches above where we are.'
+
+"He then clenched his teeth. 'Planks, stakes, bags, tarpaulins, bring
+anything you can get, and come back at once or we are drowned out,
+wrecked, and lost, all ends up.'
+
+"We soon got some stakes in, and some planks, and we set to work, all
+six of us, raising the dip in the bank the old captain had made. He
+turned white as a sheet, and said, 'She is on us, simply romping in.
+Half a dollar each if you can stop her.'
+
+"We all worked like black devils flying from torture, for we only had
+half an inch start of the tide. It was a sort of life and death race,
+and death for choice.
+
+"'She is still rising, Captain.'
+
+"He then cried out: 'By thunder! She's over the far end at the plank
+dip. Once really over, and all will go.'
+
+"He stood still for a moment and then dashed to the place and laid down
+on his side full length, and shouted: 'Give me a short plank, and my
+coat.' He would not get up although we asked him. He had got the
+frights, so we let him be. He placed the plank in front of him, and his
+coat over it, and there we were filling in stuff at the back of him as
+fast as we could, and putting in stakes for the planks. The tide was
+still rising, He turned his head, and said: 'Are you ready?'
+
+"'Yes.'
+
+"He then rose, and a pretty mess he was in.
+
+"'By thunder! that was a close shave. If we had only had another
+tarpaulin or two we should have been right sooner. There was some sand
+there, I remember we upset a wagon-load.'
+
+"He looked scared, but soon brightened up and said: 'We are right now
+though. The tide has stopped, but keep at it, lads, we must bury
+everything and get a good 2 feet higher, for if once the water runs
+over, the tail-race of the largest mill stream in creation will be a
+fool to it, and it would only be a question of minutes before the whole
+earth-bank would burst and let in ten acres or more of dock water, and
+the sea, and perhaps break up a lot of craft and wreck the whole place.
+Lads, I well remember seeing a catch-water earth-bank give way, and it
+is soon over when the water runs down the back slope, and there is not
+much chance of stopping a breach.'
+
+"The men went away, and the captain said to me: 'My word, I shall not
+forget this.' He then sat down and wiped his forehead and said on the
+quiet to me: 'There is one blessing, no one on the work knows about it
+but us, and, if we are careful, no one will.'
+
+"'You had better get home at once and have a rub down and change and
+sixpenn'orth or more, hot. I know what to do, and will see all is put
+right.' He took the hint and skipped, but came back in half an hour,
+and then we had a talk.'
+
+"I tell you what it is, one can play a lot of tricks on land, and get
+'extras' many roads, but water won't stand it. It is too honest, and
+turns upon you and soon finds you out. I never did like water much, you
+can't beat it, that's why I left the sea. It's an unsociable element,
+and is most always in the way except when you're boating, washing,
+fishing, or mixing something. You can't educate it so as to look at
+work from an 'extras' point of view, for it cares for no one.
+
+"Take my advice and always give it a margin and allow in temporary
+structures a good 3 feet above the highest recorded water line, unless
+you want the work wrecked, and then add a height necessary to keep out
+the waves."
+
+"You are right, for I remember getting a bit 'extra' out of some pipe
+joints. Instead of making all the joints according to the
+specification, we made a good many with brown paper and covered them up
+quickly. The pipes were laid at a depth of some 20 feet, and it took a
+considerable time before they began to leak. At last there was a burst
+up, but it was so powerful that all the jointing was washed out, so
+they never knew who was to blame. The place where that happened is
+fully a couple of hundred miles away, and will never see me in it again
+as I did not like the people, so I said to myself, all right, I will
+leave something behind that will tickle you up, and cost the lot of you
+some beans to put right, and I did, and so got even with them all. It
+was one of those lovely small towns where everyone knew everybody's
+business much better than their own."
+
+"Do you remember Carotty Jack?"
+
+"Yes, rather. You mean him who was up to snuff in spoon-bag dredging.
+'Old tenpenny labor' only was his 'chaff' name."
+
+"He was the sharpest card, so I was told, on the river for getting
+'extras' out of dredging. He was measured by the barge, and paid
+accordingly. I confess I don't quite know how he worked it, but he did
+for years, and never got found out. You see, what is ten or twenty
+yards of dredging, nothing either way? It is never noticed, and you
+can't measure under the water as you can on land. It can't be done,
+except in new cuts, when new cross-sections have been taken over the
+ground. The beds of most rivers being always more or less on the move,
+water then becomes a nice servant to work a bit of 'extras' out of, and
+that is about the only way I am aware of where it comes in useful in
+that direction.
+
+"How Carotty did it, as I said before, I don't quite know, although I
+saw the thing, but he used to work it somehow or other by movable
+boards fixed on a pivot. He had three or four of them, and could fit
+them together just about as quick as the roulette tables are fastened
+by racecourse thieves and stowed away. They had two flaps at the sides
+covered with stiff tarpaulin, and the ends were closed by planks
+loosely fastened by a catch to the pivot. They were well made and
+fitted splendidly, just like hinged box-lids, and the whole thing was
+similar to a box with the bottom out and the sides hinged and ends to
+slide up and down. I believe Carotty would have made furniture A 1, if
+he had turned his attention to it.
+
+"He had an old ship's boat of his own. The apparatus was stowed away in
+it, and I might further say it resembled a shallow box upside down,
+with the lid off, working on a saddle, and the flaps at the sides moved
+as the box got pushed down on either side; but they kept the stuff from
+getting under it almost always; for when they measured the barge-load
+for depth, if they put the measuring-rod down on one side and touched
+the board, it went up a foot or so on the other, and no one suspected
+anything. The barges were all narrow ones, as usual with spoon-bag
+dredging. The measurer used to walk round the barge and be busy trying
+the stuff here and there, to see if there was no gammon. The mud was
+thick, and went up and down very slowly. Carotty always had two or
+three of these boxes fixed on the saddle, and just the right distance
+to be out of reach, and he did not fix them on the same line. He kept
+the frames two or three feet apart, so that if by any chance two men
+started probing on the same line he would soon shift them a little, and
+say it was an odd brick, or a tin, or a bottle, and then everything
+went down easily upon both sides, and for one place where they were
+extra sharp, he made the machinery in very short lengths, and zigzag
+fashion. He told me he got pretty nearly from six to ten yards extra
+out of every barge, according as the stuff and the size of the barge
+was kind towards 'extras.' Of course, from the solid dredging he had
+the best haul. Carotty was a cool card at the game of 'extras,' and had
+a face on him like a nun, and could look that innocent and lamb-like as
+only humbugs can. He used to laugh over it.
+
+"He told me that he had known the time when no 'extra' machinery such
+as his was needed, for plenty of water, some boxes, a false bottom, and
+a few planks, were all the things that were wanted. Then they had to be
+given up, and he said he was really compelled to make himself a present
+of the first small pump he could privately annex, and soon found the
+chance on one of the works where he had a little contract.
+
+"He got some old bags, mended them, and soaked them in some solution
+that made them tight, and he used to fill them with water and weight
+them with a stone or two. He had a rope with a draw-knot attached to
+short lengths of line so that he could let the bags loose or fasten
+them against a hook when he discharged the barge out at sea or
+elsewhere. Generally he used to unscrew the stopper of each bag at the
+side of the barge, and when on the return journey let out the water and
+then haul up. Although it cost him some labour, he said he used to get
+one way or other a bit of gold 'extra' by that means every barge load,
+or, rather, what was thought to be; and sometimes he did not let the
+water out of the bags at all if the people he had to deal with were
+easy, but now times were very hard on him, as he had to work at night
+to keep the machinery right, and he thought it very cruel of them, as
+it gave him a very short eight hours' recreation, as was the cry now
+for the third part of a day.
+
+"He was clever, and I believe he could have made an iron-clad out of
+old fire-irons and coal scuttles if they had given him enough goods,
+plenty of time, and paid him sufficiently, and you may bet the ship
+would have answered its rudder all serene.
+
+"He told me he actually got twopence a yard more on one occasion by
+using the boxes right for a week, on the ground of extra hard dredging,
+for, of course, all the stones and heaviest dredgings fall to the
+bottom. He put in his machinery pretty close together, and heaped up
+the stuff in the middle, and did the injured innocence business
+properly, and after they had done a lot of probing about, during which
+he told me the machinery worked lovely, they gave him another twopence
+a cubic yard. Measurement by the ton would have spoilt that game,
+though; but then it was not canal dredging he was doing, but in the
+open. Give Carotty his due, I was told there was not a man on the river
+who could dredge to a section as he could, and he did the work quickly
+and well, but he always managed to get paid for more than he did, and
+he told me he never meant to do otherwise. He said he considered he was
+cheap goods at the price, and wholesome; but he complained tremendously
+of the dredgers and excavators introduced lately, for they spoilt him,
+and there was but little chance of 'extras' now worth the trouble or
+the risk. In consequence, he had given up doing dredging."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+PERMANENT WAY.
+
+
+"Will you listen to me for a few minutes?"
+
+"Yes. I notice you have something pent up in your head."
+
+"Well, this was rather an amusing bit I am going to tell you, but was a
+near shave for real squalls, as you will agree when you hear about it.
+
+"I got the guv'nor to let me do a bit of linking in at so much per
+chain. Of course, he supplied the rails--they were flange
+rails--sleepers and fastenings, and they were all right. I linked in
+the road. We had a mixed up permanent way, nine by four and a half
+half-rounds, and ten by five rectangular sleepers. Check pattern, an
+odd and even road. Between you and me, I think mixing them up betwixt
+the joint sleepers is a mistake. It makes the road stiff one place and
+loose at another, and a train cannot run steadily, and I would rather
+have all rectangulars, and put them wider apart, and give the rail
+flange a bit of bearing, for half-rounds are mere sticks, although they
+are lighter to handle, and in that respect nicer. You see they have
+only about three-fifths of the bulk of rectangulars, and when they are
+adzed less than that, and not more than half the bearing for the rail
+flange. If I had to do the maintenance, no half-rounds for me, still
+they do for light traffic and for cheap agricultural lines."
+
+"I agree, they are temporary goods."
+
+"Well, it was funny, but here we had too much and too little of a good
+thing, and were as near in hot squalls as could be. I expect they made
+a mistake in loading them; anyhow, young Jack, my ganger, found he had
+no half-rounds, but a lot of rectangulars. He is a bit impetuous, and
+would not wait, it's not in him, so he put in all rectangulars that
+day, and, of course, with the result that they had not enough
+rectangulars left for the other road all through, so about six or seven
+chains were nearly all half-rounds, and he actually placed one
+rectangular one side of a rail joint, and a half-round on its back,
+flat end upwards, on the other, and so a lot of the half-rounds did
+duty for rectangulars.
+
+"It was a bit of a scurry, and as soon as the road was in the spikers,
+ballasters and packers were on us, and no time for thinking. Well,
+neither me nor Jack gained much by the fun, except our men would have
+been stopped, and they were not, and things would have been put out a
+bit for the day. My guv'nor did not know, or would have made us pull it
+all up and put it in right. Now, they knew the number of sleepers, &c.,
+that had been served out, and had sufficient confidence in me to be
+sure I never scamped the materials, except a bit of ballast here and
+there, and that is soon made up.
+
+"Of course, there was no mistake six or seven chains of road were weak,
+and I told Jack to put in a little extra good ballast and pack the
+sleepers well there, and what he did extra at that place was to come
+out of the part where all the rectangulars were, for I never throw away
+or lose anything on purpose."
+
+"Quite right, we agree. Shake, for I'm hearty to you."
+
+"He understood how I wanted the wind to blow, and it would have gone on
+all serene, but you know, just when you think you are out of a scrape,
+you sometimes find you are in it, or as near to it as wants 'an old
+parliamentary hand' to explain and fog away. I was down at the
+junction, when I saw the engineer, and some swells with him. The
+resident engineer was away that day. After a bit of jaw among them,
+they beckoned to me, and said they wanted to go to the end of the line,
+the very place where some of the sleepers were lying turned on their
+round faces. There was a bit of luck. I felt dead wrong. However, they
+had to walk about a couple of miles, and then wait till the engine had
+returned with the empties; so I said to the engineer, 'Please excuse
+me, sir, but I will arrange that the engine is at the ballast hole at
+four o'clock, as you wish, and I will be back to attend upon you as
+quickly as I can.'
+
+"I scampered up the slope of the cutting and out with an envelope. I
+always keep one or two about me handy. I tore out a leaf of my
+note-book, and called young Snipper, the brake boy, and said to him,
+'Jump on old Leather's nag. Take this to young Jack, and I'll make it
+all right for you when I see you next time; but go quickly, and give
+this letter to no one else but young Jack. If he is away for more than
+a few minutes bring the letter back to me. No--wait till he comes up,
+and send someone to fetch him to you. You understand.' 'Yes, sir, I
+know what you mean.' 'Now do a bit of the Johnny Gilpin business.' Off
+he went, and was busy.
+
+"This is what I wrote to young Jack, my ganger:--'Bosses has come, and
+will be up to you in about an hour. X.... them. Cover up the ends of
+the half-rounds, and sprinkle them pretty with fine ballast if you can
+do it in an hour. Then shunt the empties or the full wagons over where
+the half-rounds are, and look innocent, as if you had never moved above
+a foot all day, and be busy, or I'll pull your throat out, much as I
+love you. Smooth it right, and leave rest to me. Pull all your gumption
+out ready. Keep this, and hand it back to me. Show no one, or I'll have
+you hung. If I find all right, there are two pints, and something
+else.' That's what I call a business letter. No double meaning about
+it.
+
+"Young Snipper got there in double quick time, and young Jack was there
+as well. I saw he had carried out my letter of instructions. Still, I
+knew the engineer would be likely to twig, as he was near to being
+hawk-eyed. Now, I felt sure they would be hanging about for an hour,
+perhaps two, as most of them had never been up there before, and they
+thought of carrying the line on further to somewhere or other, but they
+did not on account of the expense, for several tunnels, viaducts, high
+retaining walls, and other heavy work would be required. Here was the
+very place for a rack railway on some system like Abt's, it seemed to
+me. I saw one at work in Germany, and know they are safely used in
+Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and in North and South America. As you
+know, you cannot nicely work a railway by adhesion only much above a
+gradient of one in fifty with sharp curves upon it, or one in forty on
+a straight line, consequently the rack is the thing to use then, I
+fancy, for on the Abt rack railway the pinions on the engine can be
+easily put in and out of gear on the rack, and the journey be continued
+by simple adhesion, as by an ordinary locomotive, and the rack system
+works all right round moderate curves.
+
+"I should think, in hilly parts of the country there are many places
+where 4 feet 8-1/2 inch gauge railways could be laid out almost on the
+surface of the ground, and at such gradients as about one in fourteen,
+and there should be no difficulty in working them safely, because
+similar lines have been worked for many years. There must be many
+little feeder lines that end nowhere almost now, that could be so
+continued over the hills to a main line, and thus join two large
+traffic trunk lines, and raise the feeder from obscurity to some
+importance, and from the state of a mere agricultural 5l. to 10l. per
+mile per week line of railway to one earning more than double. However,
+that's by the way. Now, my best game was to draw the swells away as
+quickly as I could, and yet not show them my hand. I started badly,
+though, for I said, 'Gentlemen, I think a shower is coming up over the
+hills, and if you command me, I will tell the engine driver to run you
+down quickly by himself, and come back for these empties. It won't
+delay the work in any way, gentlemen all.' They said, 'Never mind; if
+there was a shower they could stand upon the sleepers by the wagons and
+get sufficient shelter.'
+
+"That meant on the sleepers I was trying to hide. Just fancy, the very
+half-rounds that troubled me. I felt I could sink through the earth, as
+I saw the engineer's eyes were doing full time as lighthouse revolving
+lights. I thought, he will have me chucked from this job, sure as
+half-rounds are not rectangulars, for he would not have bad work.
+
+"Now the wagons did not quite reach all over the half round road, the
+swells took to walking between the roads. Why, I never knew, but they
+did. I felt certain, if any of them took to walking upon the
+half-rounds, they would find it all out. I got to young Jack, and on
+the quiet he returned to me my letter to him, which I burnt afterwards.
+By luck, one of the directors--that's what they were--drew the
+attention of the engineer to something on the station road close by;
+and all except two of them passed on, but two directors kept behind
+with me, and one started walking on the half-rounds, and on those too
+that were on their tops, as should have been uppermost, and one nearly
+got upset before he travelled five yards. So I went for him there and
+then, and said, 'Please, sir, the road is not packed yet, and has only
+just been put in to take these few empties. It will be as firm as a
+rock in two days, sir.' I left the rest to him. He looked at me and
+said, 'I hope it will be, or passengers will think they are travelling
+over the Rocky Mountains.'
+
+"I smiled, and looked as pleasant and truthful as I knew how, but
+thought, hope with you, as with me, is grand goods, but fact is better
+business. They were a smart lot, and no one was going to move them on
+till they had seen just about all they felt inclined to, but I had a
+bit of luck then, and ever after have liked birds."
+
+"What was it?"
+
+"Well, a cocktail rose almost at our feet. The line passed between two
+coppices. From that moment I was safe, as both the directors talked of
+nothing but shooting. I kept the game alive for all I knew and more
+than I did, that's certain, and before I had done had made out it was
+the finest part of the whole country for game, although they ran a bit
+wild, and wanted stopping. It is convenient to always ease down a
+strong sentence, then you can alter its meaning a bit when what you
+have said don't agree with what you are saying; so I warned them the
+birds wanted stopping. They all got talking and pointing about till
+they had no time to spare to get back so as to catch the train at the
+junction. I tell you it was a near squeak, and shook my constitution
+more than a trifle, and no fault of mine, but it ended all serene."
+
+"Your escape reminds me of one I had. It was a long while ago, must be
+about forty years back, when railways in many parts were a sort of
+novelty, and the natives used to turn out, swells and all, to see what
+was going on, and made a line a free show. One day about seven or eight
+swells came bearing down on me. One I knew had put a lot of money in
+the line, although he was not a director, and I have no doubt got it
+well back in a few years by the good the railway did his estate, for
+houses began to spring up all round soon after we had finished. I
+remember, and you will, that old Jack Slurry used to say married folks
+were nothing to a new railway for increasing the population in certain
+parts. It brings people together as never could come before, and so up
+goes the number of mouths, and no sooner do houses rise than shops
+follow, then churches and chapels and clubs and halls and so on like a
+procession, till the old folks almost wonder where they are. I'm
+talking a bit astray of my subject, and will now to it again.
+
+"These swells came straight to me and asked me to show them through a
+few of the cuttings, and I did. I met my ganger in one, and managed to
+get in front of them and ask on the quiet who they were. He said, 'Them
+is nobs. They be hanteaquariums. They are searching for as old goods as
+can be found!' I knew what he meant, so I broke a small boulder or two
+and showed them the impressions of shells, and I called to my young
+Snipper and he got them a specimen each, and they were pleased. One
+gave me a quid when they left. They were real gentlemen, at least one
+was; and it is only charitable to suppose the others were in company,
+and this one was banker!"
+
+"I agree with you."
+
+"After looking at a few of the cuttings, and my putting in some
+pleasant words which seemed to be food to them, one of them opened a
+gate and they commenced to walk back along the fields and through the
+wood, near to where a culvert is, and close to a bit of marsh. They did
+not seem to mind the dirt or brushwood, and they asked me to come with
+them, and point out and say anything I thought they would like to hear,
+and I did. Perhaps they would have liked to have known what the prices
+were I was paid, but I had not the heart to distract their minds from
+their own true-love study to such a plain thing as L _s._ _d._ I ought
+to have told you our engineer we used to call 'Old Fangbolts.' They
+were his hobby, and it is my opinion that if he has as long fangs to
+his teeth as the bolts he would have put down, when they get decayed he
+will know what pain is, and wish they were short spikes. He had his
+way, of course, although there was a great waste of metal. Now
+fangbolts are good things for getting a through grip of the sleepers
+when the fangs are screwed on tight, but still they don't keep the
+rails from spreading much more, if any, and I rather think less, than
+flat-faced spikes of fair length. At least, that is my experience."
+
+"And so it is mine."
+
+"Between you and me the chap that first had the stern end of a bolt put
+uppermost in the rail, so that he could be sure the nut was on, knew
+what he was about, because fangs are nasty goods to screw on, and,
+bless you, tricks are sometimes played that way. I have known them just
+turned round once and then wedged by a piece of ballast, and they
+appeared to be tight; and when a bit of the road had to be taken up and
+the fang had got loose it was on the premises--perhaps, it is truer to
+say, just outside and at the door--and then you could always say the
+threads were wrong and blame the maker, or wriggle out and wrestle with
+the subject in the direction that looked the most serene."
+
+"You mean work your lay according to circumstances."
+
+"Precisely. Besides I have had two fang bolts with triangular fangs to
+fix in the flange of a rail almost in line, one each side of the web,
+and they could not be both screwed tightly, for the points of the fangs
+under the sleeper met when you turned them. This time, of course, none
+of these nobs knew what a fangbolt was, and if I had told them I dare
+say at first they might have believed it was a Roman tooth, or a piece
+of chain armour, or part of an early Briton's war paint. Well, we were
+walking through a wood--it belonged to one of them--and clearing our
+way, for the brushwood was rather thick, when we came to a small mound,
+and I own I did not know what it was. One of the swells smiled, and
+said, 'How very interesting. This is a tumulus.' I said, 'Excuse me,
+gentlemen, but I am always glad to learn anything, and you don't mean
+to say some earth has tumours and, swells a bit, because if you will
+tell me how to work it it would save me and others money and a lot of
+work forming embankments, if it does not cost too much to start the
+swelling.'
+
+"They smiled, and one said 'A tu-mu-lus was not a tumour, but an
+artificial mound raised over those who were buried in ancient times.' I
+touched my hat and said 'I thought there was something wrong,
+gentlemen;' and told them I knew there were a good many women round
+these parts that had wens and they swell up as big as marrows, but I
+did not know the ground had tumours, and was eager to learn it had, as
+I thought I saw a useful application of them, and they might be a new
+form of wonder produced by inoculation. One of them then said, 'No
+doubt the women have their whims and playful humours, but he trusted
+they were free from wens or other tumours.' Then they all laughed, and
+one of them hazarded a remark and said, 'This is the ... formation.' It
+sounded to me like upper railroadian formation. I forgot myself, and
+turned round sharp to him and said, 'It is nothing of the kind,
+gentlemen. There is no such thing as a upper railroadian formation.'
+They did stare. I went straight on, and said straight out, 'There is no
+formation here at all, besides upper railroadian formation is utterly
+unknown on railways. The formation is at the bottom of the cuttings or
+the tops of the banks and nowhere else."
+
+"They stared just as if I was going to shoot them, and one of them
+laughed and said, 'I am afraid there is a slight misunderstanding
+somewhere.' Then the others smiled. I thought it was time to stop my
+tongue. The same one turned to me and said, 'My friend was alluding to
+the geological character of the locality. It undoubtedly is Upper
+Si-lu-rian.' So I touched my hat, and said, 'I hoped they would excuse
+me, and would they kindly remember I was a bit rough.' They all said,
+'Oh! certainly!' and they seemed to like the business that had just
+passed, and were enjoying themselves, I could see that.
+
+"Well, all this passed when we pulled up at the mound, which was about
+fifty feet away from the line, and in the thick of the brushwood. One
+of them began poking about with a stick, and bless me, I saw about
+half-a-dozen fangs here and there. I thought to myself it is lucky Old
+Fangbolts is not here. He would have shot me, and killed himself right
+off, or gone loose. I twigged what the mound was made of. It was only a
+small one, but the gentleman was at first mistaken, and no wonder,
+because there are a lot of real ancient mounds round and about the
+wood. However, this mound was a mixture of fangs that should have been
+screwed on the bolts and were not, that's certain, and earth and turf,
+and had been artfully covered up, for it was quite green except one
+little streak. I expect some vermin had tried it, and found it no good,
+and scratched away a bit, and bared it. Anyhow, it might have been
+awkward for me, for one of the party picked up a rusty old fang, and
+turned to the other nobs, and said, 'I don't think that is very
+ancient; at least, if it be so, it is a Birmingham-made ancient relic,
+and has been deposited upon the wrong battlefield.'
+
+"I believe that was only a sly hint to me that he meant the battlefield
+to be the permanent way; but, of course, I took no notice. He threw
+down the fang, and then we all walked on. No patter is sometimes the
+best game to play, and look as if you were learning a lot. However, on
+being asked about the mound, I said, 'It's only an old earth mound that
+has grown over green. It may have been there fifty years, not more,
+perhaps less.'
+
+"Really, it was full of fangs that ought to have been screwed on the
+bolts, a heap of them, too. So I gave the office in the right quarter,
+and two of us went next morning very early, and soon dug a hole, and
+buried the mound, and carefully cast the excavation as close by as
+possible, and covered it up with a nice green top, so as to look quite
+natural and pretty, and when we had done we considered we had improved
+the scenery. It was a near squeak though, and it was lucky no engineer
+was with them, or I should have been had.
+
+"It is my opinion, from what I have noticed, that the engine does a
+good deal to keep down the rails, and as long as the rails and sleepers
+are right, and the ballast good, and the sleepers well packed, the
+fastenings have more to prevent the rails spreading, and the road
+bursting than keeping the rails down, although, of course, that is
+necessary and should be done as well."
+
+"I think you are quite right there."
+
+"Old Fangbolts was all for the through grip, and did not seem to care
+much about preventing spreading. Well, engineers work in all grooves.
+Some have one way of thinking, some another, and all perhaps are partly
+right, and if they would but balance accounts, instead of harping on
+one string, it would be a smoother world."
+
+"There we agree."
+
+"Did you ever get a bit 'extra' out of rock ballast?"
+
+"No; never had a chance."
+
+"I did this way. Of course, rock ballast is not equal to shingle and
+clean gravel, but there is more chance of 'extra' profit, for you can
+pitch it in big, if you have a nice cover of small ballast, so as to
+make it look pretty at the finish, and like a garden path, and as
+occasion offers you can pare off the cess between the ballast wall and
+the top of the slope in embankments and the foot of the slope in
+cuttings, a couple of inches or so and sometimes get paid the specified
+depth that way, although the real depth of ballast throughout is not
+within 2 or 3 inches of it on the average. When the guv'nors are
+walking over the line keep them on the outside rail on curves as much
+as you can, as the cant makes the ballast wall look big. You have to be
+careful with the packing under the rail, because, if you don't mind, it
+may happen the centre of the sleeper is on a bit of rock, and then the
+sleeper may split when doing the see-saw trick as the trains pass and
+sway about.
+
+"Just so. You must be careful not to pack them upon a middle pivot."
+
+"I had two chaps who would almost have done for masons. They used to
+pack the sleepers with a few lumps where the rails rested on them, just
+to get the rail top nice and the rest was filled up anyhow, like nature
+on the sea shore; and we can't do wrong in taking a hint there, you
+know, for the cue is right, particularly when it runs towards 'extra'
+profit. Still, I don't like to chance breaking a sleeper's back, so I
+let them lie easy between the rails, or rather under the parts of the
+sleepers where no rails rest."
+
+"I understand. You pack the sleepers only where they are under the
+rail-flange."
+
+"Yes. One day the engineer said to the inspector who was a kind-hearted
+man and bred right, 'Mind the sleepers are evenly packed and not with
+large pieces of rock.' He called me up and repeated it extra treble to
+me. 'Very well, sir; but some of the rock will soon weather, and don't
+you think it better to keep it a bit large rather than small? The
+quarry runs very uneven. Some of the rock is as hard as nails, sir, and
+some soft, and it is not exactly the best ballast to handle or in the
+world; and if you will excuse me, don't you think, sir, on these soft
+banks another 3 inches under the sleeper would be advisable?'
+
+"He did not seem to want to agree, but after a week, an order came from
+my guv'nor for 3 inches extra depth upon all banks. That was a good
+stroke, as it enabled me to do with larger stuff, and lessened the
+breaking it up. He was right in what he did, and so was I. I like rock
+ballast for 'extras,' although the walling is a nuisance. There is more
+chance for expansion of profits than in gravel ballast, and that is a
+great recommendation to us, anyhow, and is good enough apart from what
+things really are. I gave the tip on the quiet in the quarry to send
+half the rock down a trifle bigger, and it did not want so much getting
+or handling in the quarry, so they liked the new order, and it saved
+some breaking. Consequently I prefer rock ballast that weathers quickly
+sometimes, although, of course, an engineer should avoid it for ballast
+if he can, and the money allows."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+"EXTRA" MEASUREMENTS. TOAD-STOOL CONTRACTORS, TESTIMONIALS.
+
+
+"Have you managed to get a bit 'extra' out of measurements?"
+
+"Yes, occasionally, but that game is about played out. In the good old
+times they used to let us all kinds of work, for we did business in
+company more then than we do now, and what one did not know the other
+did, and so we could do pretty nearly everything except metal work, so
+long as they supplied us with the materials.
+
+"I have already named about the 'extra' depth of foundations in
+bridges, and pipes that were not so large as thought. I have also got a
+bit 'extra' from side ditching when they had taken no cross sections of
+the ground by leaving a few buoys or mounds at the highest parts. I
+have also had a trifle out of the cuttings by rounding off the slopes a
+few inches when they were long but working right to the slope peg at
+top and nicking in an inch or two at the foot of the slope; but the
+game is hardly worth the candle, as they have almost given up soiling
+the slopes. Then there was a chance both ways. You got more measurement
+than the actual excavation, and also a bit 'extra' for soiling that was
+not put in, but it does not run into enough money to make it pay
+safely, and as the slopes and formation are so much on show the fun is
+hardly worth the risk. There is more to be had, so far as earthworks
+are concerned, in road approaches than railway cuttings, and in docks
+than either."
+
+"I think you are right there."
+
+"You see the earthwork is not so much in patches in dockwork, but all
+together, and there is often as much in an acre or so of dock as in a
+whole railway four or five miles in length, and inches in dockwork are
+worth remembering. Besides they are not noticed so much, and the
+excavation is soon covered up; and if it is in clay, and found out, you
+can always say to the bosses--'I never saw such clay to swell in
+patches.' Be sure to say 'in patches' for then you have an excuse handy
+if the clay 'swells' nowhere else except at the place you have not
+excavated to the right depth. You can generally get the surface not
+exactly level throughout, and you have a large space to work on then,
+and every inch means sovereigns. Really I think it does no one any
+harm, and does good to me if the bottom is a trifle elevated. It comes
+rather easy to most of us to make ourselves think a thing is good and
+nice when it would cost us something to think otherwise."
+
+"Yes. Money and our wishes usually work on the same main line."
+
+"I once got done out of a bit 'extra' measurement by an engineer really
+lovely."
+
+"Did you. How was that?"
+
+"I don't mind telling you, but there will be squalls if you blab. It
+happened like this. It was a line that had been commenced and most of
+the easy work done. It was in the days when every jerry-builder and
+parish sewer contractor, and big linen-draper too, thought he was a
+railway and dock contractor. You know they borrowed a bit from a local
+bank, and would take any contract from a bridge of balloons to the moon
+to a tunnel through the earth to Australia. Channel Tunnels, Forth
+Bridges, and Panama Canals would have been toys to them, and they could
+have made them on their heads. They sprung up just like
+toad-stools--can't call them mushrooms, it would be a libel on the
+plants--and every one of them thought they were quite as good as
+Brassey, and could have given him points. They had cheek, that was all,
+just like quack doctors. Well, what with, so they told me, big local
+loan-mongers to work the oracle and swim with them, and general
+recommendations--which I never take much notice of unless I know what a
+man has seen or done--saying they were full of the sublimest honesty
+and wisdom as ever had been known, and were that clever as few indeed
+could hope to be, the game was worked trumps for a time. Tests, not
+general testimonials, is my motto. What you have done or seen done, not
+what people are kind enough to say they think you can do, and which
+they don't know you can do. The man that asks a chap that he is
+friendly with to write a recommendation has his sentimental feelings
+worked on, and then truth takes a back seat, and of course you are
+bound to say your friend is the best man that could be made for the
+place, just that and nothing else. It costs a chap nothing to write it,
+and it is only very few that care to refuse, because it does not do to
+tell a man whom you wish to be friendly with that you don't think much
+of him, and that he is quite sufficiently a shirker and polite humbug
+to suit a good many, or that your own private opinion is he is not far
+off being twin-brother to a mouse-coloured beast of burden that brays.
+It is not good form, so we all, from kindness I suppose, write pretty
+of one another except when we are owed money and can't get it, then
+adjectives are often necessary, and as strong as you can find, with a
+few put in as are only known to chaps like you and me, and are not
+taught in schools, although they learn a lot there as they should not.
+Do you know when I read general testimonials I always think what a lot
+of saints and Solomons there are wanting situations, and it must be
+only the sinners and fools as are in harness. What you want to know
+from a reliable source is, how did a chap get on upon any particular
+bit of work he had to do, and have it specified what it was, and in
+what position he was, and whether all was and is right. Therefore, if I
+asked for a testimonial I want one specially written for the occasion
+and with reference to the kind of work that is in hand, and not as if I
+was going to let a man walk out with my daughter. I name this because,
+between you and me, I've found when a man is praised up as a sort of
+saint, and nothing said as to what he has done in work that he is near
+to being either a humbug or an ass. That was just the case here, for it
+was to one of these toad-stool contractors that the directors let the
+first contract, and engineers who do not advise their directors to have
+nothing to do with such public works contractors (!) I think deserve
+all the trouble they get into. Surely it is better to have a contractor
+who knows what work is and should be, even if he has but a small
+capital, than one who knows next to nothing about construction, and is
+financed by some loan-monger, or is at the mercy of some wire-puller?"
+
+"I say, you are hot on the question."
+
+"Well, I consider it about poisons some works that would otherwise have
+been made all right, and would have paid well too at the original
+capital. Besides it ought to be known a man must be specially educated
+to properly execute large public works, and should be bred an engineer,
+for one that can make shanties, dust-bins and privies, may blossom into
+a jerry runner-up of two-story stucco villas that have the faces and
+insides covered with lime and mud and half-penny paper, but it wants a
+contractor that is just about an engineer to know how to properly carry
+out railways, docks, bridges, canals, harbours, and all sea works and
+similar undertakings, and not a bell-pull mender and drain maker,
+because then he hardly knows anything himself of what has to be done
+and he is at the mercy of others. He tenders at figures below what he
+ought, and then the work cannot be properly executed, or the easy
+portion is done somehow or other and then the man goes smash. It is
+just the difference between our sterling building firms and the
+jerry-shanty-raisers who ought not to be called builders. Well, this
+one started with a rattle and scraped about, and then went to
+splinters. That's why I have named it, and because on this railway
+there was a road diversion. About a quarter of it was excavated and it
+was in an awful mess. It was in gravelly sand, and taken out in dabs,
+and in and out, all widths and depths.
+
+"I thought I saw a chance of a bit 'extra' and said nothing. One day I
+got rather fierce for 'extras,' and I sniffed out some small heaps at
+intervals up the approach. They were about a yard in height and four or
+five yards round. I felt sure they had not been put on the cross
+sections, which I got to know had been taken in some places as close as
+15 feet apart, so I thought, 'Before I get the wagon roads in and move
+another heap, I will see the young guv'nor.'
+
+"Well, I had to go to the office, and he knew of the heaps and said 'I
+will allow you 30 yards for those. I had not forgotten them.' Now that
+was what they were to a spadeful, so I thought it was good business as
+I knew they were not shown on the sections. He said 'In case anything
+should happen to you or me I will write what I mean and have it
+attached to the agreement.' I thought that was kind of him. Now, we had
+worked for about a week, and I was keen on plunder. He then dictated a
+few lines to the timekeeper, saying that it was agreed 30 cubic yards
+of earth were in the heaps and they were to be paid for as an allowance
+in addition to the 9239 cubic yards, the total measurement of the
+excavation I had to do under the contract. Of course it was worded
+right, but I give you the meaning. This I signed, and it was witnessed
+by the time-keeper and the young guv'nor. I made just about the same as
+he did of the total measurement, but was so eager after the 30 cubic
+yards in the heaps that I signed the paper off hand, but of course I
+knew then what was written, but thought no more about it. I left the
+office and had six of neat right off on the strength of those heaps. I
+will cut it short now.
+
+"Well, I finished the job quickly, and one day, just before I had done,
+I thought to myself, 'There have not been any "extras" on this approach
+road, for what with slope and fence pegs being set out there has
+actually been no chance of a bit "extra."' After thinking I said to
+myself, 'It is an awkward place to measure. I will make my measurements
+so that they work out five hundred yards more, add a little all over, I
+can but give way in the end, have a nice, warm, genteel wrangle that
+will shake up the cockles of my heart, and I may get half or something
+extra if I do the oily persuasive trick, and look wronged in my
+countenance.' So up I went to the office and said, 'I shall about
+finish to-morrow, sir, and I think you will say I have done the job
+well and quickly, and deserve another. It has been a tight fit, and has
+only just kept me going.'
+
+"Usual patter followed that is required on such occasions, and is kept
+in stock for them. I was beginning to feel real happy, and thinking I
+had got twenty pounds at least, and no mistake for talking pretty. So I
+said, 'As I am here, sir, do you mind telling me what you make the
+measurement?'"
+
+"'Certainly. 9239 cubic yards, and 30 yards allowed for heaps. Total,
+9269 cubic yards.'
+
+"That did not suit me, so I started on the injured innocence lay, and
+said meekly and persuasive like, 'You have left out something, I think,
+sir.'
+
+"'No; I have not.'
+
+"'Well, sir, I make 500 yards more than you; and if I don't get it it
+will be very bad for me, for I shall not be able to pay my men.' That
+did not seem to flurry him. He opened the safe, and read from the paper
+I had signed some months ago. Blessed if it ever occurred to me to
+think that I had signed for the total quantities, but I had, for I was
+then so taken up with the 30 yards. Like you, I am old enough to know
+that no contract is indisputable, and that many things in law have to
+be tried before they are law when a question arises, and that there is
+not much finality about the show; but here I was caught, and had made
+my own net, and no mistake; so, after putting in all I knew and saying
+to him, 'I did not take that bit of paper to mean the same as he did,'
+I considered it best to shake down easy as I saw I was grassed, so I
+took his measurement; but I wished blue ruin to the heaps, and may
+where they were tipped be well worried by worms and vermin. Look out! I
+shall break something."
+
+"Don't slap the table with your clenched fist like that, or we shall
+have to pay for damages, and have nothing left for drinks."
+
+"Right you are; but it does make me wild to think of it."
+
+"You were had at your own game there!"
+
+"Yes; but after all said and done, except the ground is level
+throughout, I heard two engineers say earthwork measurements are
+generally a matter of fair averaging; and if tables are used, some like
+this table and others that, so all are happy; but they agreed
+cross-sections are the best, and unless a plaster cast is made of the
+surface of some ground, no one could say what the measurement really
+was to a few yards, and that it does not much matter as the price per
+cubic yard is so little compared with most prices of work, such as
+masonry, brickwork, concrete, &c."
+
+"You have finished, I fancy?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Now I'll tell you how I once got a bit 'extra' from measurements in
+rather an odd way. The work was done without a contractor, it was
+principally let in pieces to sub-contractors, and the rest day-work;
+but I heard they did not gain much, if anything, by it. Came to nearly
+the same thing, and all the bother and risk themselves, and about the
+same good work.
+
+"Well, the funny way I made some extra profit, of course, as usual,
+very much against my will, was this. I happened to be in the engineer's
+office, and heard the resident say to his assistant, 'Mr. ----, please
+make a list of timber required for the quay sheds, and take out the
+quantities.' Now it is only fair to say the assistant knew his book and
+was up to snuff, but we are all caught tripping sometimes, and whether
+it was his anxiety to ascertain the exact quantities, I don't know, but
+he got mixed, and blessed if the timber was not ordered net lengths,
+and nothing allowed for mortises and making joints. Just as we were
+going to start on the sheds they took us away, and before the
+foundations were excavated for the walls. It was fortunate they did, as
+it happened, for it afterwards occurred to the assistant that he had
+forgotten to allow for mortises and joints. So the sheds had to be made
+about a foot less width than they should have been, and we got paid for
+the foot or so at each end that was left out; and the inspector got the
+tip, I suppose, for nothing was said, and it was not noticed, for they
+were wide store sheds, with a line of rails through the centre, and it
+really did not matter at all. So you see I was forced to take a bit
+'extra,' but that is the only time in the whole of my life. Of course
+it worried me much."
+
+"No doubt it caused another wrinkle to set on your forehead."
+
+"Very likely; but an old partner of mine told me he once was paid for
+the corners of a lot of level-crossing lodges twice over by taking the
+outside wall measurements all round instead of two outside and two
+inside, but only once, when things had to be done at a great rush; it
+was a case of hurry up all round, for all the final measurements of the
+whole line had to be done in a fortnight."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+MEN AND WAGES. 'SUB' FROM THE WOOD. A SUB-CONTRACTOR'S SCOUT AND FREE
+TRAVELLER.
+
+
+"It is nearly midnight. I am game for another hour, are you?"
+
+"Yes. I like talking on the quiet, it draws you together, you know; you
+feel for a time as if we all belonged to one family, although we do
+not, and don't want; that's a fact."
+
+"Precisely, old pal. Let us grip and sip."
+
+"Did any of your men ever play rough on you?"
+
+"Not often; but I remember one. He was a good working hand, and I did
+not mean to lose him. Ted Skip was his name. This is how it occurred.
+One Saturday night I was in the village, and saw at the corner of a
+lane a man standing up in a cart spouting away fit to give him heart
+disease, or break a blood-vessel, and getting hot so quick, that I am
+sure he was going to beat record time. I believe he was fed on
+dictionaries and stewed Socialist pamphlets that did not agree with
+him. He was pouring it out. He said in effect that pretty nearly
+everybody was a thief except himself and his comrades, and that nearly
+all things were poison as they were, and unless we all did as he said
+we were fools and felons, and worse. Then he went on to say, beer was
+poison, tobacco was poison, and the way things were now, and all went
+on, was worse than poison. Then he talked about us, called us railway
+slave drivers and slaves, and I am sure there was no one or nothing
+that existed that was not poison to him except himself and what he
+possessed, and the fools that paid him. I got wild after a bit, hearing
+him lying away as fast as he could speak, and I shouted, 'You are all
+poison, you old bit of arsenic, for what is not ass about you is from
+old Nick.' He was then shouting out 'Your constitution is wrong. All
+the bills are of no use.' That was too much for me, so I pushed my way
+in and showed him my fist, and said, 'I'll soon show you whether all
+the Bills are of no use and whether my constitution is wrong. My name
+is Bill Dark, and there are numbers of people here that know I have
+never been sick or sorry since I was born, and I have taken beer and
+smoked tobacco from the time I was fifteen. In moderation, I believe in
+this country it does good to most of us, and pretty well all except
+those that are built up peculiar, and if you want to see if I'm of no
+use, come on; only get a sack first, so that the pieces of you that
+remain, and are large enough to be found, can be taken away and burnt
+to-night instead of later on. You understand what I mean.'
+
+"Our chaps cheered me like mad, and I suppose old Arsenic thought his
+show was being wasted, for he threw up his arms and drove off, and we
+yelled him out of the village. Well, now you'll hear what came of it.
+Teddy Skip was there, and heard me say that beer and tobacco in
+moderation in this country I believe did good to most of us. A week or
+so passed, and I forgot all about old Arsenic when Teddy Skip came to
+me, and said, 'Guv'nor, after hearing you down in the village, and
+feeling a bit cold now and then, I thought I would try a pipe. I find
+it suits me, and is quite a friend, but it costs me nearly twopence a
+day, at least that is what I reckon it does. I have been with you a
+long time, and hope you won't mind another twopence a day just to buy
+the tobacco as you recommended to be used in moderation.'
+
+"He had me there, so I made no bones about it, and said, 'Very well
+then, another twopence from Monday;' but I gave him a parting shot in
+this way, 'I know you are courting Mary Plush, and may be joined soon,
+but don't you come to me for a rise after each lot of twins is born,
+and say you have done a kindness to me and the public generally;
+because the wife and ten children lay is played out for increase of
+wages, and folks do with them that show as much moderation in size of
+families as remember I said should be used with beer and tobacco.' He
+began to move, and said smiling, as he cleared out, 'All right,
+guv'nor, thank you, I understand.'"
+
+"That was pretty for you; but did I ever tell you how I got well
+insulted by one of my chaps?"
+
+"No. Out with it."
+
+"It was in my early days, about the first work I had on the piece. It
+was clearing and forming through a wood, and there were more rabbits
+there than trees. The contract was just started, and you know what the
+chaps are then, they want 'sub' nearly to their full time. Well, I was
+not flush, in fact they nearly drained me out, so the rabbits were too
+much for me, besides they were wasted in my sight where they were,
+simply gold running loose; so I bagged a fair lot, in fact as many as I
+could catch. Now, my men finding I was subbing them nicely seemed to
+think I was the man they had been looking to serve since they took to
+work, so I considered I ought to stop their game with another variety
+of sport. It does not do to let wrong ideas rest quiet in any man. It
+is not kind. It was Thursday, and on Saturday I should have a fairish
+draw for myself on account of work done; but as things were, I was
+nearly run out. About six wanted 'sub,' so I threw a rabbit to each of
+them, and said, 'That is tenpence, and it ought to be a shilling, for
+they are as big as hares and more feeding, and they are not half the
+trouble to cook.' They grumbled, so I growled out, 'Except on
+Saturdays, it is that this week and next most likely, or nothing, so
+choose your time.' One stayed behind, and said, 'Boss, just you look
+here: eightpence is enough for that, and too much, because I know it is
+poached, for I saw you doing a lift among the "furrers," and when I
+receive stolen goods I am paid for holding them, and chancing the
+consequences, and I don't pay for taking care of them. Do you
+understand? It is the last I take, and don't you mistake.'
+
+"This 'riled' me, so I said, 'Off you go, or I'll flatten you out.' I
+was had there. Of course, he was at the same game as I had been, and
+rabbits to him were not exactly a novelty. Well, I carried on the fun
+there to such a tune that at last it became too hot. A dealer used to
+fetch them. He had an old cart. It looked like a baker's, and had some
+name on it, and there was a bit of green baize, and a basket or two,
+and a few loaves to keep up the illusion. We worked it till it turned
+on us, and the business had to be stopped."
+
+"I never have done much at that. Not enough money for the risk to
+please me."
+
+"Believe me, I have given up the game twenty years or more. I soon
+found in taking work by the piece I was bound to have a bit of capital,
+and, as a rule, what I want I get if it is to be had by anyone, and I
+generally find it is. I overdid it though, that's the worst of money,
+the more you get the more you want, and it's the biggest slave-driver
+out and spares no one. Well, complaints about poaching went up to
+head-quarters and I was called before the guv'nor. He said to me very
+sharp, 'I shall measure up your work unless from this day I hear no
+more of your poaching.'
+
+"Of course I bluffed it a bit, but it was no good. However, knowing he
+always liked fun, he listened to me and I went off fond as a lamb.
+After promising I would keep watch on the men, which he did not let me
+finish saying before he had advised me to have assistance, he meant
+someone to watch me, I went straight for some joking, just to get the
+venom out of the subject. There is nothing like flattery to start a
+talk easy, so I said, 'You, sir, know a host of things more than me,
+and no doubt can explain how it was my father told me when I was a boy
+that all the family had a natural power of attracting animals. He said
+it was born in us. One day, sir, he drew me close to him and whispered,
+after feeling my head, 'You have the family gift very powerful.' You'll
+excuse me, sir, but I just name this because game always follows me
+about, and when these rabbits come on the work there is no mistake they
+are trespassing, and so I punish them by taking them into custody
+according to the law. When I walk up and down the line they seem to be
+that joyful, sir, as is real touching. They will come, and the bigger
+they are the more they seem to like me (between ourselves, that is you
+and me, to-night talking quiet, small 'uns don't suit me). I have not
+got the heart to frighten them away, and so they come to me, and sooner
+than let them go back to their savage life I take them up and become
+like a parent to them. You cut me so hard in price for the work, sir, I
+cannot afford to keep them long, so they have to partly keep me."
+
+"Did your guv'nor stand that?"
+
+"Yes. He was a good listener and always gave a man enough rope to hang
+himself."
+
+"I should have punched your head if I had been him."
+
+"Very likely you would have tried to, but he did not, so I went on to
+say, 'Well, sir, it is my undoubted belief the big rabbits down here
+can tell the difference between some letters and others, in the same
+way, I suppose, as they know the difference between some shot through
+their ears and a cabbage leaf in their mouth, or a horse and a fox; for
+they always run away from every cart but mine. I was just thinking I
+had said enough when the guv'nor had his turn and said:--
+
+"'After what you have told me, attach a dozen white boards to the
+fencing, and have these words painted upon them in six-inch black
+letters--"Rabbits are vermin," and have your name put underneath. As
+you say some of them can read, that will cause them to cease following
+you. I am determined that this poaching shall be stopped once and for
+all.'
+
+"'Excuse me, sir, but suppose they still will come to me after the
+notices are up, and I can't keep them away?'
+
+"He answered, 'In such an event fix notice boards painted thus: "Any
+rabbit found trespassing upon this railway will be prosecuted with the
+utmost rigour of the law, and any rabbit found destroying the fences or
+hedges, or committing any damage of whatsoever kind will be shot.' Have
+your name put on it as before.'
+
+"After that I thought it was time to go, and as I went out I could hear
+laughter. He had me, you know, so I was compelled to take to butcher's
+meat again throughout, and only a spare rabbit now and then went home
+to see his relations by aid of my mouth."
+
+"What a row there is outside?"
+
+"It's my dog barking. He must have heard you talk of rabbits. He is
+clever. I trained him so that I always knew when any engineers or
+inspectors were on the prowl. I call him 'Spot,' because he can 'spot'
+them so well. I made him do the spy business right round our end of the
+docks I was then on, and also on railway work."
+
+"What did he do?"
+
+"He used to do a tramp up and down quite naturally, about quarter of a
+mile in front of the tip and a quarter of a mile back of the gullet, or
+anywhere I had work, and not even the men knew he was on scout. He is
+the best watchman I have known; and so long as things were right and no
+bosses about he never came close to me unless I called him, but if
+anyone was prowling about he soon was close to me, and three pats
+communicated to him that I twigged, and he went on the scent again. He
+seemed to sniff out the faces of all my guv'nors in an instant, and
+looked anxious till I patted him three times, and then he turned up his
+eyes to meet mine, and a lovely beam of satisfaction came over him and
+he was as happy as he could be, and then he vanished. He was a sly dog,
+and useful too. He slept at the bottom of my bed in a basket. My wife
+did not like him on the bed; said dogs were dogs, and carried too many
+relations on their persons, so I hung a big basket to the tail end of
+our sleeping apparatus, and there he snoozed. Now, wherever I was, he
+was, or near to; he did not seem happy except he knew where I was. I
+always took him wherever I went, and on free pass. It's not very often
+I am travelling far, except when the works are finished; still, I
+easily trained him to be a good free traveller after a few trials, so
+that I never took a ticket for him. Not me. I always think it is hard,
+provided you have no luggage for the van, and have your dog well under
+control, that you cannot take him with you free, like you do a stick,
+an umbrella, or your pipe. A dog does not occupy a seat nor make a
+noise the same as a baby; but there, I don't mean to argue the
+question, and, personally, have no occasion, because I have not paid
+anything for my dog's travelling for years. The problem is solved as
+far as I am concerned, and the rest of creation will have to look out
+for themselves."
+
+"How do you do it?"
+
+"You mean, how does my dog, Spot, do it? In this way. I take my ticket,
+and before putting it into my pocket hold it in my hand for a moment. I
+then go on my right platform. Spot, that is my dog, then knows he is to
+get on that platform. He usually waits till a good many people want to
+pass, then he slips in beautifully quiet, sometimes by the side of a
+lady, or under cover of a group of passengers, and I have never known
+him noticed at the doors, as the ticket collectors are busy ticket
+snipping. I don't interfere with Spot's platform arrangements, for
+properly educated and well-brought-up dogs would object; but there is
+no doubt at some of the terminal stations the game could not be worked
+unless all the platforms are open. Suppose he was noticed on a
+platform, and they tried to find him, he was so good at hiding that
+they always thought he had gone; besides, they had plenty to do, and
+more serious business to look after. Once I saw they were searching for
+him, but they did not find him. He was not on the platform at all, but
+under a truck in the siding and enjoying the fun. He rested there, or
+at a convenient place till he heard the train coming, or saw I was
+about to get in. He timed his movements very cleverly, and has taken me
+by surprise sometimes, but he was sure to be under the seat, and hiding
+as quietly as a mouse, and taking no notice of me; not he.
+
+"When I arrived at my station, if it was a big one, there was no
+trouble, I got out and Spot sneaked out without taking any notice of
+me, nor did I of him then. He used to make straight for the wall, and
+you bet he got out of the station quick, or was turned out. I have seen
+him driven out, as the porters took him for a stray dog. Once they
+threw a stool at him, it just caught his tail, and made him squall a
+trifle; but although it was a hard trial for me, I suppressed my
+feelings, as I had no ticket for him. I have known him sit down after
+following me out of the carriage, close up to the wall one end of a
+platform, and wait till the ticket-collector was busy sorting the
+tickets, and then Spot would walk out like a nobleman. I waited for him
+at a respectful and safe distance from the station, and then we had an
+affectionate meeting, and he had a biscuit and I had a drink, and we
+were a happy two. Spot is a real good dog, and as honest as the day,
+for I trained him in the right direction from the time he was a pup. He
+is a cool one; but there, it is a gift of nature like a swell singer's
+voice."
+
+"Precisely."
+
+"Now, listen; for once I was nearly had, even with Spot. There were
+about ten people in the compartment of a long carriage, and I sat next
+to a fly-looking chap, and only got in just in time, with my dog handy.
+Off the train went, and I was trying to consider what I ought to think
+about during the journey, when we all started, for Spot barked really
+fierce; and I said, 'Quiet.' Blessed if there was not another bark, and
+from another member of the dog creation. I knew it was not Spot, so I
+looked under the seat, and saw two bags, and Spot looking very warm and
+ready on one of them, with his head a little on one side. I knew it was
+live game, and I saw the other bag move. I thought the railway company
+had got the office and caught me, and that it was a 'put up job,' but I
+was wrong. It was all right. The chap next to me whispered in my ear
+that he was a rat-catcher, and had live rats in one bag, and his dog in
+the other, and they were travelling as passengers' luggage. I winked,
+and he did. Then it occurred to me, I was too friendly with him.
+However, of course his dog was trained to keep quiet, but mine was not
+in the presence of rats, so I had to look under again, and put out my
+stick, and say. 'Quiet, bosses.' Spot knew what that meant, and was
+quiet.
+
+"Now, the other passengers steadied down very quickly, for of course
+they did not know we had not paid for the dogs. It was a fast local
+train and only stopped at the terminus, so there was no chance of their
+getting out before me at the station. I took care of that. It might
+have been awkward otherwise. The beauty of it was, this rat-catcher, I
+could see was not altogether satisfied when he came to dwell on it, for
+I fancy he thought I was a spy, and that he was caught; and I was not
+quite convinced he was not a detective. Still, a bold game generally
+pays the best; anyhow, I pretended I was dozing. It was evening, and
+when the train had barely stopped, after saying. 'Good-night all,' I
+got out first, and did not wait to see how the rat-catcher fared. I had
+Spot to look after, and was afraid the guard might have heard the
+barking; but he did not, for if he had we should both have been had
+lovely, all through a bag of rats. What my dog suffered from having to
+leave the game alone, it grieves me to think. All I know is, he was
+really bad for days after; but I should say the rats were tuning up to
+sing, 'We are all surrounded.'"
+
+"I'm off now. Good-bye, old chap. Cheer up."
+
+"Thank you for coming to see me, and having a good chat. It's lucky no
+one has heard us though, still, we have not confessed all. Have we?"
+
+"Not exactly. Good-bye."
+
+"Mind how you go, and I hope to see you to-morrow."
+
+"All right; I'm safe enough, for I have been in too many squalls not to
+be careful. I won't say artful."
+
+
+FINIS.
+
+
+
+
+_Crown 8vo, cloth, Price 4s. 6d._
+
+NOTES ON CONCRETE AND WORKS IN CONCRETE.
+
+By JOHN NEWMAN, ASSOC. M. INST. C.E.
+
+
+REVIEWS OF THE PRESS.
+
+ENGINEERING:
+
+_"An epitome of the best practice which may be relied upon not to
+mislead."_
+
+"The successful construction of works in concrete is a difficult matter
+to explain in books."
+
+"All the points which open the way to bad work are carefully pointed
+out by our Author with a pertinacious insistance which demonstrates his
+clear appreciation of their value."
+
+
+IRON:
+
+"As numerous examples are cited of the use of concrete in public works,
+and details supplied, _the book will greatly assist engineers engaged
+upon such works_."
+
+
+THE BUILDER:
+
+"A very practical little book, carefully compiled, and _one which all
+writers of specifications for concrete work would do well to peruse_."
+
+"_The book contains reliable information for all engaged upon public
+works._"
+
+"A perusal of Mr. Newman's valuable little handbook will point out the
+importance of a more careful investigation of the subject than is
+usually supposed to be necessary."
+
+
+AMERICAN PRESS.
+
+BUILDING:
+
+"To accomplish so much in so limited a space, the subject-matter has
+been confined to chapters."
+
+"_We take pleasure in saying that this is the most admirable and
+complete handbook on concretes for engineers of which we have
+knowledge._"
+
+
+E. & F. N. SPON, 125, STRAND, LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+_Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d._
+
+
+EARTHWORK SLIPS AND SUBSIDENCES UPON PUBLIC WORKS.
+
+By JOHN NEWMAN, ASSOC. M. INST. C.E.
+
+
+REVIEWS OF THE PRESS.
+
+THE BUILDER:
+
+"We gladly welcome Mr. Newman's book on slips in earthworks as an
+important contribution to a right comprehension of such matters."
+
+"There is much in this book that will at all events guide the mind of
+the student to the points--and there are many of them--which have to be
+weighed by designers of engineering works, and which, if attended to
+and fixed on the memory, will certainly guard them against probable if
+not against possible slips in earthwork."
+
+"There is much to read, and read carefully, on all these points."
+
+"He then presents us with sixteen maxims to be observed, where
+practicable, in the consideration of the location of earthworks (hints
+as to what should be avoided, which are of considerable value).... The
+capital cost of a work and the cost of its maintenance may both be very
+sensibly reduced by attention to all the points alluded to by the
+author."
+
+"We are glad to see that the author enters at some length into the
+subject of the due provision of drainage at the backs of retaining
+walls, a matter so often neglected or overlooked, and carries this
+subject to a far larger one, the causes which tend to disturb the
+repose of dock walls. His remarks on these matters are well worthy of
+consideration, and are thoroughly practical, and the items which have
+to be taken into account in the necessary statical calculations very
+well introduced."
+
+"In conclusion we may say that there is plenty of good useful
+information to be obtained from this work, which touches a subject
+possessing an exceedingly scanty vocabulary."
+
+"It contains an immense deal of matter which must be swallowed sooner
+or later by every one who desires to be a good engineer."
+
+&c.     &c.     &c.     &c.
+
+
+BUILDING NEWS:
+
+"Mr. John Newman, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., has written a volume on a
+subject that has hitherto only been treated of cursorily."
+
+"Useful advice is given which the railway engineer and earthwork
+contractor may profit by."
+
+"The book contains a fund of useful information."
+
+&c.     &c.     &c.     &c.
+
+
+BUILDER'S REPORTER AND ENGINEERING TIMES:
+
+"The book which Mr. John Newman has written imparts a new interest to
+earthworks. It is in fact a sort of pathological treatise, and as such
+may be said to be unique among books on construction, for in them
+failures are rarely recognised. Now in Mr. Newman's volume the majority
+of the pages relate to failures, and from them the reader infers how
+they are to be avoided, and thus to form earthworks that will endure
+longer than those which are executed without much regard to risks."
+
+"The manner of dealing with the subsidences when they occur, as well as
+providing against them, will be found described in the book."
+
+"It can be said that the subject is thoroughly investigated, and
+contractors as well as engineers can learn much from Mr. Newman's
+book."
+
+&c.     &c.     &c.     &c.
+
+
+E. & F. N. SPON, 125, STRAND, LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+1891.
+
+BOOKS RELATING TO APPLIED SCIENCE
+
+PUBLISHED BY E. & F. N. SPON, LONDON: 125, STRAND. NEW YORK: 12,
+CORTLANDT STREET.
+
+
+_The Engineers' Sketch-Book of Mechanical Movements, Devices,
+Appliances, Contrivances, Details employed in the Design and
+Construction of Machinery for every purpose._ Collected from numerous
+Sources and from Actual Work. Classified and Arranged for Reference.
+_Nearly 2000 Illustrations._ By T. B. BARBER, Engineer. 8vo, cloth,
+7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Pocket-Book for Chemists, Chemical Manufacturers, Metallurgists,
+Dyers, Distillers, Brewers, Sugar Refiners, Photographers, Students,
+etc., etc._ By THOMAS BAYLEY, Assoc. R.C. Sc. Ireland, Analytical and
+Consulting Chemist and Assayer. Fourth edition, with additions, 437
+pp., royal 32mo, roan, gilt edges, 5_s._
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS:
+
+    Atomic Weights and Factors--Useful Data--Chemical Calculations--
+    Rules for Indirect Analysis--Weights and Measures--Thermometers and
+    Barometers--Chemical Physics--Boiling Points, etc.--Solubility of
+    Substances--Methods of Obtaining Specific Gravity--Conversion of
+    Hydrometers--Strength of Solutions by Specific Gravity--Analysis--
+    Gas Analysis--Water Analysis--Qualitative Analysis and Reactions--
+    Volumetric Analysis--Manipulation--Mineralogy--Assaying--Alcohol
+    --Beer--Sugar--Miscellaneous Technological matter relating to
+    Potash, Soda, Sulphuric Acid, Chlorine, Tar Products, Petroleum,
+    Milk, Tallow, Photography, Prices, Wages, Appendix, etc., etc.
+
+_The Mechanician_: A Treatise on the Construction and Manipulation of
+Tools, for the use and instruction of Young Engineers and Scientific
+Amateurs, comprising the Arts of Blacksmithing and Forging; the
+Construction and Manufacture of Hand Tools, and the various Methods of
+Using and Grinding them; description of Hand and Machine Processes;
+Turning and Screw Cutting. By CAMERON KNIGHT, Engineer. _Containing
+1147 illustrations_, and 397 pages of letter-press. Fourth edition,
+4to, cloth, 18_s._
+
+
+
+
+_Just Published, in Demy 8vo, cloth, containing 975 pages and 250
+Illustrations, price 7s. 6d._
+
+SPONS' HOUSEHOLD MANUAL:
+
+A Treasury of Domestic Receipts and Guide for Home Management.
+
+
+PRINCIPAL CONTENTS.
+
+Hints for selecting a good House, pointing out the essential
+requirements for a good house as to the Site, Soil, Trees, Aspect,
+Construction, and General Arrangement; with instructions for Reducing
+Echoes, Waterproofing Damp Walls, Curing Damp Cellars.
+
+Sanitation.--What should constitute a good Sanitary Arrangement;
+Examples (with Illustrations) of Well- and Ill-drained Houses; How to
+Test Drains; Ventilating Pipes, etc.
+
+Water Supply.--Care of Cisterns; Sources of Supply; Pipes; Pumps;
+Purification and Filtration of Water.
+
+Ventilation and Warming.--Methods of Ventilating without causing cold
+draughts, by various means; Principles of Warming; Health Questions;
+Combustion; Open Grates; Open Stoves; Fuel Economisers; Varieties of
+Grates; Close-Fire Stoves; Hot-air Furnaces; Gas Heating; Oil Stoves;
+Steam Heating; Chemical Heaters; Management of Flues; and Cure of Smoky
+Chimneys.
+
+Lighting.--The best methods of Lighting; Candles, Oil Lamps, Gas,
+Incandescent Gas, Electric Light; How to test Gas Pipes; Management of
+Gas.
+
+Furniture and Decoration.--Hints on the Selection of Furniture; on
+the most approved methods of Modern Decoration; on the best methods of
+arranging Bells and Calls; How to Construct an Electric Bell.
+
+Thieves and Fire.--Precautions against Thieves and Fire; Methods of
+Detection; Domestic Fire Escapes; Fireproofing Clothes, etc.
+
+The Larder.--Keeping Food fresh for a limited time; Storing Food
+without change, such as Fruits, Vegetables, Eggs, Honey, etc.
+
+Curing Foods for lengthened Preservation, as Smoking, Salting,
+Canning, Potting, Pickling, Bottling Fruits, etc.; Jams, Jellies,
+Marmalade, etc.
+
+The Dairy.--The Building and Fitting of Dairies in the most approved
+modern style; Butter-making; Cheesemaking and Curing.
+
+The Cellar.--Building and Fitting; Cleaning Casks and Bottles; Corks
+and Corking; Aerated Drinks; Syrups for Drinks; Beers; Bitters;
+Cordials and Liqueurs; Wines; Miscellaneous Drinks.
+
+The Pantry.--Bread-making; Ovens and Pyrometers; Yeast; German Yeast;
+Biscuits; Cakes; Fancy Breads; Buns.
+
+The Kitchen.--On Fitting Kitchens; a description of the best Cooking
+Ranges, close and open; the Management and Care of Hot Plates, Baking
+Ovens, Dampers, Flues, and Chimneys; Cooking by Gas; Cooking by Oil;
+the Arts of Roasting, Grilling, Boiling, Stewing, Braising, Frying.
+
+Receipts for Dishes.--Soups, Fish, Meat, Game, Poultry, Vegetables,
+Salads, Puddings, Pastry, Confectionery, Ices, etc., etc.; Foreign
+Dishes.
+
+The Housewife's Room.--Testing Air, Water, and Foods; Cleaning and
+Renovating; Destroying Vermin.
+
+Housekeeping, Marketing.
+
+The Dining-Room.--Dietetics; Laying and Waiting at Table: Carving;
+Dinners, Breakfasts, Luncheons, Teas, Suppers, etc.
+
+The Drawing-Room.--Etiquette; Dancing; Amateur Theatricals; Tricks
+and Illusions; Games (indoor).
+
+The Bedroom and Dressing-Room; Sleep; the Toilet; Dress; Buying
+Clothes; Outfits; Fancy Dress.
+
+The Nursery.--The Room; Clothing; Washing; Exercise; Sleep; Feeding;
+Teething; Illness; Home Training.
+
+The Sick-Room.--The Room; the Nurse; the Bed; Sick Room Accessories;
+Feeding Patients; Invalid Dishes and Drinks; Administering Physic;
+Domestic Remedies; Accidents and Emergencies; Bandaging; Burns;
+Carrying Injured Persons; Wounds; Drowning; Fits; Frost-bites; Poisons
+and Antidotes; Sunstroke; Common Complaints; Disinfection, etc.
+
+The Bath-Room.--Bathing in General; Management of Hot-Water System.
+
+The Laundry.--Small Domestic Washing Machines, and methods of getting
+up linen, Fitting up and Working a Steam Laundry.
+
+The School-Room.--The Room and its Fittings; Teaching, etc.
+
+The Playground.--Air and Exercise; Training; Outdoor Games and
+Sports.
+
+The Workroom.--Darning, Patching, and Mending Garments.
+
+The Library.--Care of Books.
+
+The Garden.--Calendar of Operations for Lawn, Flower Garden, and
+Kitchen Garden.
+
+The Farmyard.--Management of the Horse, Cow, Pig, Poultry, Bees,
+etc., etc.
+
+Small Motors.--A description of the various small Engines useful for
+domestic purposes, from 1 man to 1 horse power, worked by various
+methods, such as Electric Engines, Gas Engines, Petroleum Engines,
+Steam Engines, Condensing Engines, Water Power, Wind Power, and the
+various methods of working and managing them.
+
+Household Law.--The Law relating to Landlords and Tenants, Lodgers,
+Servants, Parochial Authorities, Juries, Insurance, Nuisance, etc.
+
+_On Designing Belt Gearing_. By E. J. COWLING WELCH, Mem. Inst. Mech.
+Engineers, Author of 'Designing Valve Gearing.' Fcap. 8vo, sewed, 6_d._
+
+_A Handbook of Formulae, Tables, and Memoranda, for Architectural
+Surveyors and others engaged in Building._ By J. T. HURST, C.E.
+Fourteenth edition, royal 32mo, roan, 5_s._
+
+    "It is no disparagement to the many excellent publications we refer
+    to, to say that in our opinion this little pocket-book of Hurst's
+    is the very best of them all, without any exception. It would be
+    useless to attempt a recapitulation of the contents, for it appears
+    to contain almost _everything_ that anyone connected with building
+    could require, and, best of all, made up in a compact form for
+    carrying in the pocket, measuring only 5 in. by 3 in., and about
+    3/4 in. thick, in a limp cover. We congratulate the author on the
+    success of his laborious and practically compiled little book,
+    which has received unqualified and deserved praise from every
+    professional person to whom we have shown it."--_The Dublin
+    Builder._
+
+_Tabulated Weights of Angle, Tee, Bulb, Round, Square, and Flat Iron
+and Steel_, and other information for the use of Naval Architects and
+Shipbuilders. By C. H. JORDAN, M.I.N.A. Fourth edition, 32mo, cloth,
+2_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Complete Set of Contract Documents for a Country Lodge_, comprising
+Drawings, Specifications, Dimensions (for quantities), Abstracts, Bill
+of Quantities, Form of Tender and Contract, with Notes by J. LEANING,
+printed in facsimile of the original documents, on single sheets fcap.,
+in paper case, 10_s._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on Heat, as applied to the Useful Arts_; for the
+Use of Engineers, Architects, &c. By THOMAS BOX. _With 14 plates._
+Sixth edition, crown 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Descriptive Treatise on Mathematical Drawing Instruments_: their
+construction, uses, qualities, selection, preservation, and suggestions
+for improvements, with hints upon Drawing and Colouring. By W. F.
+STANLEY, M.R.I. Sixth edition, _with numerous illustrations_, crown
+8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Quantity Surveying._ By J. LEANING. With 42 illustrations. Second
+edition, revised, crown 8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+    _Contents:_
+
+    A complete Explanation of the London Practice.
+    General Instructions.
+    Order of Taking Off.
+    Modes of Measurement of the various Trades.
+    Use and Waste.
+    Ventilation and Warming.
+    Credits, with various Examples of Treatment.
+    Abbreviations.
+    Squaring the Dimensions.
+    Abstracting, with Examples in illustration of each Trade.
+    Billing.
+    Examples of Preambles to each Trade.
+    Form for a Bill of Quantities.
+      Do.      Bill of Credits.
+      Do.      Bill for Alternative Estimate.
+    Restorations and Repairs, and Form of Bill.
+    Variations before Acceptance of Tender.
+    Errors in a Builder's Estimate.
+    Schedule of Prices.
+    Form of Schedule of Prices.
+    Analysis of Schedule of Prices.
+    Adjustment of Accounts.
+    Form of a Bill of Variations.
+    Remarks on Specifications.
+    Prices and Valuation of Work, with Examples and Remarks upon
+      each Trade.
+    The Law as it affects Quantity Surveyors, with Law Reports.
+    Taking Off after the Old Method.
+    Northern Practice. The General Statement of the Methods
+      recommended by the Manchester Society of Architects for
+      taking Quantities.
+    Examples of Collections.
+    Examples of "Taking Off" in each Trade.
+    Remarks on the Past and Present Methods of Estimating.
+
+_Spons' Architects' and Builders' Price Book, with useful Memoranda._
+Edited by W. YOUNG, Architect. Crown 8vo, cloth, red edges, 3_s._ 6_d._
+_Published annually._ Seventeenth edition. Now ready.
+
+_Long-Span Railway Bridges_, comprising Investigations of the
+Comparative Theoretical and Practical Advantages of the various adopted
+or proposed Type Systems of Construction, with numerous Formulae and
+Tables giving the weight of Iron or Steel required in Bridges from 300
+feet to the limiting Spans; to which are added similar Investigations
+and Tables relating to Short-span Railway Bridges. Second and revised
+edition. By B. BAKER, Assoc. Inst. C.E. _Plates_, crown 8vo, cloth,
+5_s._
+
+_Elementary Theory and Calculation of Iron Bridges and Roofs._ By
+AUGUST RITTER, Ph.D., Professor at the Polytechnic School at
+Aix-la-Chapelle. Translated from the third German edition, by H. R.
+SANKEY, Capt. R.E. With 500 _illustrations_, 8vo, cloth, 15_s._
+
+_The Elementary Principles of Carpentry._ By THOMAS TREDGOLD. Revised
+from the original edition, and partly re-written, by JOHN THOMAS HURST.
+Contained in 517 pages of letter-press, and _illustrated with 48 plates
+and 150 wood engravings_. Sixth edition, reprinted from the third,
+crown 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+    Section I. On the Equality and Distribution of Forces--Section II.
+    Resistance of Timber--Section III. Construction of Floors--Section
+    IV. Construction of Roofs--Section V. Construction of Domes and
+    Cupolas--Section VI. Construction of Partitions--Section VII.
+    Scaffolds, Staging, and Gantries--Section VIII. Construction of
+    Centres for Bridges--Section IX. Coffer-dams, Shoring, and
+    Strutting--Section X. Wooden Bridges and Viaducts--Section XI.
+    Joints, Straps, and other Fastenings--Section XII. Timber.
+
+_The Builder's Clerk_: a Guide to the Management of a Builder's
+Business. By THOMAS BALES. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Practical Gold-Mining_: a Comprehensive Treatise on the Origin and
+Occurrence of Gold-bearing Gravels, Rocks and Ores, and the methods by
+which the Gold is extracted. By C. G. WARNFORD LOCK, co-Author of
+'Gold: its Occurrence and Extraction.' _With 8 plates and 275
+engravings in the text_, royal 8vo, cloth, 2_l._ 2_s._
+
+_Hot Water Supply_: A Practical Treatise upon the Fitting of
+Circulating Apparatus in connection with Kitchen Range and other
+Boilers, to supply Hot Water for Domestic and General Purposes. With a
+Chapter upon Estimating. _Fully illustrated_, crown 8vo, cloth, 3_s._
+
+_Hot Water Apparatus_: An Elementary Guide for the Fitting and Fixing
+of Boilers and Apparatus for the Circulation of Hot Water for Heating
+and for Domestic Supply, and containing a Chapter upon Boilers and
+Fittings for Steam Cooking. _32 illustrations_, fcap. 8vo, cloth, 1_s._
+6_d._
+
+_The Use and Misuse, and the Proper and Improper Fixing of a Cooking
+Range._ _Illustrated_, fcap. 8vo, sewed, 6_d._
+
+_Iron Roofs_: Examples of Design, Description. _Illustrated with 64
+Working Drawings of Executed Roofs._ By ARTHUR T. WALMISLEY, Assoc.
+Mem. Inst. C.E. Second edition, revised, imp. 4to, half-morocco, 3_l._
+3_s._
+
+_A History of Electric Telegraphy_, to the Year 1837. Chiefly compiled
+from Original Sources, and hitherto Unpublished Documents, by J. J.
+FAHIE, Mem. Soc. of Tel. Engineers, and of the International Society of
+Electricians, Paris. Crown 8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+_Spons' Information for Colonial Engineers._ Edited by J. T. HURST.
+Demy 8vo, sewed.
+
+    No. 1. Ceylon. By ABRAHAM DEANE, C.E. 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+        CONTENTS:
+
+        Introductory Remarks--Natural Productions--Architecture and
+        Engineering--Topography, Trade, and Natural History--Principal
+        Stations--Weights and Measures, etc., etc.
+
+    No. 2. Southern Africa, including the Cape Colony, Natal, and the
+    Dutch Republics. By HENRY HALL, F.R.G.S., F.R.C.I. With Map. 3_s._
+    6_d._
+
+        CONTENTS:
+
+        General Description of South Africa--Physical Geography with
+        reference to Engineering Operations--Notes on Labour and
+        Material in Cape Colony--Geological Notes on Rock Formation
+        South Africa--Engineering Instruments for Use in South
+        in Africa--Principal Public Works in Cape Colony: Railways,
+        Mountain Roads and Passes, Harbour Works, Bridges, Gas Works,
+        Irrigation and Water Supply, Lighthouses, Drainage and Sanitary
+        Engineering, Public Buildings, Mines--Table of Woods in South
+        Africa--Animals used for Draught Purposes--Statistical
+        Notes--Table of Distances--Rates of Carriage, etc.
+
+    No. 3. India. By F. C. DANVERS, Assoc. Inst. C.E. With Map. 4_s._
+    6_d._
+
+        CONTENTS:
+
+        Physical Geography of India--Building Materials--Roads--
+        Railways-- Bridges--Irrigation--River Works--Harbours--
+        Lighthouse Buildings-- Native Labour--The Principal Trees of
+        India--Money--Weights and Measures--Glossary of Indian Terms,
+        etc.
+
+_Our Factories, Workshops, and Warehouses_: their Sanitary and
+Fire-Resisting Arrangements. By B. H. THWAITE, Assoc. Mem. Inst. C.E.
+_With 183 wood engravings_, crown 8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on Coal Mining._ By GEORGE G. ANDRE, F.G.S.,
+Assoc. Inst. C.E., Member of the Society of Engineers. _With 82
+lithographic plates._ 2 vols., royal 4to, cloth, 3_l._ 12_s._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on Casting and Founding_, including descriptions
+of the modern machinery employed in the art. By N. E. SPRETSON,
+Engineer. Fifth edition, with _82 plates_ drawn to scale, 412 pp., demy
+8vo, cloth, 18_s._
+
+_A Handbook of Electrical Testing._ By H. R. KEMPE, M.S.T.E. Fourth
+edition, revised and enlarged, crown 8vo, cloth, 16_s._
+
+_The Clerk of Works_: a Vade-Mecum for all engaged in the Superintendence
+of Building Operations. By G. G. HOSKINS, F.R.I.B.A. Third edition, fcap.
+8vo, cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._
+
+_American Foundry Practice_: Treating of Loam, Dry Sand, and Green Sand
+Moulding, and containing a Practical Treatise upon the Management of
+Cupolas, and the Melting of Iron. By T. D. WEST, Practical Iron Moulder
+and Foundry Foreman. Second edition, _with numerous illustrations_,
+crown 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Maintenance of Macadamised Roads._ By T. CODRINGTON, M.I.C.E.,
+F.G.S., General Superintendent of County Roads for South Wales. Second
+edition. 8vo.                                        [_Nearly ready._
+
+_Hydraulic Steam and Hand Power Lifting and Pressing Machinery._ By
+FREDERICK COLYER, M. Inst. C.E., M. Inst. M.E. _With 73 plates_, 8vo,
+cloth, 18_s._
+
+_Pumps and Pumping Machinery._ By F. COLYER, M.I.C.E., M.I.M.E. _With
+23 folding plates_, 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Pumps and Pumping Machinery._ By F. COLYER. Second Part. _With 11
+large plates_, 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Treatise on the Origin, Progress, Prevention, and Cure of Dry Rot in
+Timber_; with Remarks on the Means of Preserving Wood from Destruction
+by Sea-Worms, Beetles, Ants, etc. By THOMAS ALLEN BRITTON, late
+Surveyor to the Metropolitan Board of Works, etc., etc. _With 10
+plates_, crown 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Artillery of the Future and the New Powders._ By J. A. LONGRIDGE,
+Mem. Inst. C.E. 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Gas Works_: their Arrangement, Construction, Plant, and Machinery. By
+F. COLYER, M. Inst. C.E. _With 31 folding plates_, 8vo, cloth, 12_s._
+6_d._
+
+_The Municipal and Sanitary Engineer's Handbook._ By H. PERCY BOULNOIS,
+Mem. Inst. C.E., Borough Engineer, Portsmouth. _With numerous
+illustrations._ Second edition, demy 8vo, cloth.
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    The Appointment and Duties of the Town Surveyor--Traffic--Macadamised
+    Roadways--Steam Rolling--Road Metal and Breaking--Pitched Pavements
+    --Asphalte--Wood Pavements--Footpaths--Kerbs and Gutters--Street
+    Naming and Numbering--Street Lighting--Sewerage--Ventilation of
+    Sewers--Disposal of Sewage--House Drainage--Disinfection--Gas and
+    Water Companies, etc., Breaking up Streets--Improvement of Private
+    Streets--Borrowing Powers--Artisans' and Labourers' Dwellings--
+    Public Conveniences--Scavenging, including Street Cleansing--
+    Watering and the Removing of Snow--Planting Street Trees--Deposit
+    of Plans--Dangerous Buildings--Hoardings--Obstructions--Improving
+    Street Lines--Cellar Openings--Public Pleasure Grounds--Cemeteries
+    --Mortuaries--Cattle and Ordinary Markets--Public Slaughter-houses,
+    etc.--Giving numerous Forms of Notices, Specifications, and General
+    Information upon these and other subjects of great importance to
+    Municipal Engineers and others engaged in Sanitary Work.
+
+_Metrical Tables._ By Sir G. L. MOLESWORTH, M.I.C.E. 32mo, cloth, 1_s._
+6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    General--Linear Measures--Square Measures--Cubic Measures--Measures
+    of Capacity--Weights--Combinations--Thermometers.
+
+_Elements of Construction for Electro-Magnets._ By Count TH. DU MONCEL,
+Mem. de l'Institut de France. Translated from the French by C. J.
+WHARTON. Crown 8vo, cloth, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Treatise on the Use of Belting for the Transmission of Power._ By J.
+H. COOPER. Second edition, _illustrated_, 8vo, cloth, 15_s._
+
+_A Pocket-Book of Useful Formulae and Memoranda for Civil and Mechanical
+Engineers._ By Sir GUILFORD L. MOLESWORTH, Mem. Inst. C.E. _With
+numerous illustrations_, 744 pp. Twenty-second edition, 32mo, roan,
+6_s._
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS:
+
+    Surveying, Levelling, etc.--Strength and Weight of Materials--
+    Earthwork, Brickwork, Masonry, Arches, etc.--Struts, Columns,
+    Beams, and Trusses--Flooring, Roofing, and Roof Trusses--Girders,
+    Bridges, etc.--Railways and Roads--Hydraulic Formulae--Canals,
+    Sewers, Waterworks, Docks--Irrigation and Breakwaters--Gas,
+    Ventilation, and Warming--Heat, Light, Colour, and Sound--Gravity:
+    Centres, Forces, and Powers--Millwork, Teeth of Wheels, Shafting,
+    etc.--Workshop Recipes--Sundry Machinery--Animal Power--Steam and
+    the Steam Engine--Water-power, Water-wheels, Turbines, etc.--Wind
+    and Windmills--Steam Navigation, Ship Building, Tonnage, etc.--
+    Gunnery, Projectiles, etc.--Weights, Measures, and Money--
+    Trigonometry, Conic Sections, and Curves--Telegraphy--Mensuration
+    --Tables of Areas and Circumference, and Arcs of Circles--
+    Logarithms, Square and Cube Roots, Powers--Reciprocals, etc.--
+    Useful Numbers--Differential and Integral Calculus--Algebraic
+    Signs--Telegraphic Construction and Formulae.
+
+_Hints on Architectural Draughtsmanship._ By _G. W. Tuxford Hallatt_.
+Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Spons' Tables and Memoranda for Engineers_; selected and arranged by
+J. T. HURST, C.E., Author of 'Architectural Surveyors' Handbook,'
+'Hurst's Tredgold's Carpentry,' etc. Eleventh edition, 64mo, roan, gilt
+edges, 1_s._; or in cloth case, 1_s._ 6_d._
+
+This work is printed in a pearl type, and is so small, measuring only
+2-1/2 in. by 1-3/4 in. by 1/4 in. thick, that it may be easily carried
+in the waistcoat pocket.
+
+    "It is certainly an extremely rare thing for a reviewer to be
+    called upon to notice a volume measuring but 2-1/2 in. by 1-3/4
+    in., yet these dimensions faithfully represent the size of the
+    handy little book before us. The volume--which contains 118 printed
+    pages, besides a few blank pages for memoranda--is, in fact, a true
+    pocket-book, adapted for being carried in the waistcoat pocket, and
+    containing a far greater amount and variety of information than
+    most people would imagine could be compressed into so small a
+    space.... The little volume has been compiled with considerable
+    care and judgment, and we can cordially recommend it to our readers
+    as a useful little pocket companion."--_Engineering._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on Natural and Artificial Concrete, its Varieties
+and Constructive Adaptations._ By HENRY REID, Author of the 'Science
+and Art of the Manufacture of Portland Cement.' New Edition, _with 59
+woodcuts and 5 plates_, 8vo, cloth, 15_s._
+
+_Notes on Concrete and Works in Concrete_; especially written to assist
+those engaged upon Public Works. By JOHN NEWMAN, Assoc. Mem. Inst.
+C.E., crown 8vo, cloth, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Electricity as a Motive Power._ By Count TH. DU MONCEL, Membre de
+l'Institut de France, and FRANK GERALDY, Ingenieur des Ponts et
+Chaussees. Translated and Edited, with Additions, by C. J. WHARTON,
+Assoc. Soc. Tel. Eng. and Elec. _With 113 engravings and diagrams_,
+crown 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Treatise on Valve-Gears_, with special consideration of the
+Link-Motions of Locomotive Engines. By Dr. GUSTAV ZEUNER, Professor of
+Applied Mechanics at the Confederated Polytechnikum of Zurich.
+Translated from the Fourth German Edition, by Professor J. F. KLEIN,
+Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. _Illustrated_, 8vo, cloth, 12_s._
+6_d._
+
+_The French-Polisher's Manual._ By a French-Polisher; containing Timber
+Staining, Washing, Matching, Improving, Painting, Imitations,
+Directions for Staining, Sizing, Embodying, Smoothing, Spirit
+Varnishing, French-Polishing, Directions for Re-polishing. Third
+edition, royal 32mo, sewed, 6_d._
+
+_Hops, their Cultivation, Commerce, and Uses in various Countries._ By
+P. L. SIMMONDS. Crown 8vo, cloth, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Principles of Graphic Statics._ By GEORGE SYDENHAM CLARKE, Major
+Royal Engineers. _With 112 illustrations._ Second edition, 4to, cloth,
+12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Dynamo Tenders' Hand-Book._ By F. B. BADT, late 1st Lieut. Royal
+Prussian Artillery. _With 70 illustrations._ Third edition, 18mo,
+cloth, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Practical Geometry, Perspective, and Engineering Drawing_; a Course of
+Descriptive Geometry adapted to the Requirements of the Engineering
+Draughtsman, including the determination of cast shadows and Isometric
+Projection, each chapter being followed by numerous examples; to which
+are added rules for Shading, Shade-lining, etc., together with
+practical instructions as to the Lining, Colouring, Printing, and
+general treatment of Engineering Drawings, with a chapter on drawing
+Instruments. By GEORGE S. CLARKE, Capt. R.E. Second edition, _with 21
+plates_. 2 vols., cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Elements of Graphic Statics._ By Professor KARL VON OTT,
+translated from the German by G. S. CLARKE, Capt. R.E., Instructor in
+Mechanical Drawing, Royal Indian Engineering College. _With 93
+illustrations_, crown 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on the Manufacture and Distribution of Coal Gas._
+By WILLIAM RICHARDS. Demy 4to, with _numerous wood engravings and 29
+plates_, cloth, 28_s._
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS:
+
+    Introduction--History of Gas Lighting--Chemistry of Gas Manufacture,
+    by Lewis Thompson, Esq., M.R.C.S.--Coal, with Analyses, by J.
+    Paterson, Lewis Thompson, and G. R. Hislop, Esqrs.--Retorts, Iron
+    and Clay--Retort Setting--Hydraulic Main--Condensers--Exhausters--
+    Washers and Scrubbers--Purifiers--Purification--History of Gas
+    Holder--Tanks, Brick and Stone, Composite, Concrete, Cast-iron,
+    Compound Annular Wrought-iron--Specifications--Gas Holders--
+    Station Meter--Governor--Distribution--Mains--Gas Mathematics,
+    or Formulae for the Distribution of Gas, by Lewis Thompson,
+    Esq.--Services--Consumers' Meters--Regulators--Burners--Fittings--
+    Photometer--Carburization of Gas--Air Gas and Water Gas--
+    Composition of Coal Gas, by Lewis Thompson, Esq.--Analyses
+    of Gas--Influence of Atmospheric Pressure and Temperature
+    on Gas--Residual Products--Appendix--Description of Retort
+    Settings, Buildings, etc., etc.
+
+_The New Formula for Mean Velocity of Discharge of Rivers and Canals._
+By W. R. KUTTER. Translated from articles in the 'Cultur-Ingenieur,' by
+LOWIS D'A. JACKSON, Assoc. Inst. C.E. 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Practical Millwright and Engineers Ready Reckoner_; or Tables for
+finding the diameter and power of cog-wheels, diameter, weight, and
+power of shafts, diameter and strength of bolts, etc. By THOMAS DIXON.
+Fourth edition, 12mo, cloth, 3_s._
+
+_Tin_: Describing the Chief Methods of Mining, Dressing and Smelting it
+abroad; with Notes upon Arsenic, Bismuth and Wolfram. By ARTHUR G.
+CHARLETON, Mem. American Inst. of Mining Engineers. _With plates_, 8vo,
+cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Perspective, Explained and Illustrated._ By G. S. CLARKE, Capt. R.E.
+_With illustrations_, 8vo, cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Practical Hydraulics;_ a Series of Rules and Tables for the use of
+Engineers, etc., etc. By THOMAS BOX. Ninth edition, _numerous plates_,
+post 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_The Essential Elements of Practical Mechanics; based on the Principle
+of Work_, designed for Engineering Students. By OLIVER BYRNE, formerly
+Professor of Mathematics, College for Civil Engineers. Third edition,
+_with 148 wood engravings_, post 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    Chap. 1. How Work is Measured by a Unit, both with and without
+    reference to a Unit of Time--Chap. 2. The Work of Living Agents,
+    the Influence of Friction, and introduces one of the most beautiful
+    Laws of Motion--Chap. 3. The principles expounded in the first and
+    second chapters are applied to the Motion of Bodies--Chap. 4. The
+    Transmission of Work by simple Machines--Chap. 5. Useful
+    Propositions and Rules.
+
+_Breweries and Maltings_: their Arrangement, Construction, Machinery,
+and Plant. By G. SCAMELL, F.R.I.B.A. Second edition, revised, enlarged,
+and partly rewritten. By F. COLYER, M.I.C.E., M.I.M.E. _With 20
+plates_, 8vo, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on the Construction of Horizontal and Vertical
+Waterwheels_, specially designed for the use of operative mechanics. By
+WILLIAM CULLEN, Millwright and Engineer. _With 11 plates._ Second
+edition, revised and enlarged, small 4to, cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on Mill-gearing, Wheels, Shafts, Riggers, etc._;
+for the use of Engineers. By THOMAS BOX. Third edition, _with 11
+plates_. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Mining Machinery_: a Descriptive Treatise on the Machinery, Tools, and
+other Appliances used in Mining. By G. G. ANDRE, F.G.S., Assoc. Inst.
+C.E., Mem. of the Society of Engineers. Royal 4to, uniform with the
+Author's Treatise on Coal Mining, containing 182 _plates_, accurately
+drawn to scale, with descriptive text, in 2 vols., cloth, 3_l._ 12_s._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    Machinery for Prospecting, Excavating, Hauling, and Hoisting--
+    Ventilation--Pumping--Treatment of Mineral Products, including
+    Gold and Silver, Copper, Tin, and Lead, Iron, Coal Sulphur,
+    China Clay, Brick Earth, etc.
+
+_Tables for Setting out Curves for Railways, Canals, Roads, etc._,
+varying from a radius of five chains to three miles. By A. KENNEDY and
+R. W. HACKWOOD. _Illustrated_ 32mo, cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Practical Electrical Notes and Definitions for the use of Engineering
+Students and Practical Men._ By W. PERREN MAYCOCK, Assoc. M. Inst.
+E.E., Instructor in Electrical Engineering at the Pitlake Institute,
+Croydon, together with the Rules and Regulations to be observed in
+Electrical Installation Work. Second edition. Royal 32mo, roan, gilt
+edges, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Draughtsman's Handbook of Plan and Map Drawing_; including
+instructions for the preparation of Engineering, Architectural, and
+Mechanical Drawings. _With numerous illustrations in the text, and 33
+plates (15 printed in colours)._ By G. G. ANDRE, F.G.S., Assoc. Inst.
+C.E. 4to, cloth, 9_s._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    The Drawing Office and its Furnishings--Geometrical Problems--
+    Lines, Dots, and their Combinations--Colours, Shading, Lettering,
+    Bordering, and North Points--Scales--Plotting--Civil Engineers'
+    and Surveyors' Plans--Map Drawing--Mechanical and Architectural
+    Drawing--Copying and Reducing Trigonometrical Formulae, etc., etc.
+
+_The Boiler-maker's and Iron Ship-builder's Companion_, comprising a
+series of original and carefully calculated tables, of the utmost
+utility to persons interested in the iron trades. By JAMES FODEN,
+author of 'Mechanical Tables,' etc. Second edition revised, _with
+illustrations_, crown 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Rock Blasting_: a Practical Treatise on the means employed in Blasting
+Rocks for Industrial Purposes. By G. G. ANDRE, F.G.S., Assoc. Inst.
+C.E. _With 56 illustrations and 12 plates_, 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Experimental Science_: Elementary, Practical, and Experimental
+Physics. By GEO. M. HOPKINS. _Illustrated by 672 engravings._ In one
+large vol., 8vo, cloth, 18_s._
+
+_A Treatise on Ropemaking as practised in public and private
+Rope-yards_, with a Description of the Manufacture, Rules, Tables of
+Weights, etc., adapted to the Trade, Shipping, Mining, Railways,
+Builders, etc. By R. CHAPMAN, formerly foreman to Messrs. Huddart and
+Co., Limehouse, and late Master Ropemaker to H. M. Dockyard, Deptford.
+Second edition, 12mo, cloth, 3_s._
+
+_Laxton's Builders' and Contractors' Tables_; for the use of Engineers,
+Architects, Surveyors, Builders, Land Agents, and others. Bricklayer,
+containing 22 tables, with nearly 30,000 calculations. 4to, cloth,
+5_s._
+
+_Laxton's Builders' and Contractors' Tables._ Excavator, Earth, Land,
+Water, and Gas, containing 53 tables, with nearly 24,000 calculations.
+4to, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Egyptian Irrigation._ By W. WILLCOCKS, M.I.C.E., Indian Public Works
+Department, Inspector of Irrigation, Egypt. With Introduction by
+Lieut.-Col. J. C. Ross, R.E., Inspector-General of Irrigation. _With
+numerous lithographs and wood engravings_, royal 8vo, cloth, 1_l._
+16_s._
+
+_Screw Cutting Tables for Engineers and Machinists_, giving the values
+of the different trains of Wheels required to produce Screws of any
+pitch, calculated by Lord Lindsay, M.P., F.R.S., F.R.A.S., etc. Cloth,
+oblong, 2_s._
+
+_Screw Cutting Tables_, for the use of Mechanical Engineers, showing
+the proper arrangement of Wheels for cutting the Threads of Screws of
+any required pitch, with a Table for making the Universal Gas-pipe
+Threads and Taps. By W. A. MARTIN, Engineer. Second, edition, oblong,
+cloth, 1_s._, or sewed, 6_d._
+
+_A Treatise on a Practical Method of Designing Slide-Valve Gears by
+Simple Geometrical Construction_, based upon the principles enunciated
+in Euclid's Elements, and comprising the various forms of Plain
+Slide-Valve and Expansion Gearing; together with Stephenson's, Gooch's,
+and Allan's Link-Motions, as applied either to reversing or to variable
+expansion combinations. By EDWARD J. COWLING WELCH, Memb. Inst.
+Mechanical Engineers. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
+
+_Cleaning and Scouring_: a Manual for Dyers, Laundresses, and for
+Domestic Use. By S. CHRISTOPHER. 18mo, sewed, 6_d._
+
+_A Glossary of Terms used in Coal Mining._ By WILLIAM STUKELEY GRESLEY,
+Assoc. Mem. Inst C.E., F.G.S., Member of the North of England Institute
+of Mining Engineers. _Illustrated with numerous woodcuts and diagrams_,
+crown 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_A Pocket-Book for Boiler Makers and Steam Users_, comprising a variety
+of useful information for Employer and Workman, Government Inspectors,
+Board of Trade Surveyors, Engineers in charge of Works and Slips,
+Foremen of Manufactories, and the general Steam-using Public. By
+MAURICE JOHN SEXTON. Second edition, royal 32mo, roan, gilt edges,
+5_s._
+
+_Electrolysis_: a Practical Treatise on Nickeling, Coppering, Gilding,
+Silvering, the Refining of Metals, and the treatment of Ores by means
+of Electricity. By HIPPOLYTE FONTAINE, translated from the French by J.
+A. BERLY, C.E., Assoc. S.T.E. _With engravings._ 8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+_Barlow's Tables of Squares, Cubes, Square Roots, Cube Roots,
+Reciprocals of all Integer Numbers up to 10,000._ Post 8vo, cloth,
+6_s._
+
+_A Practical Treatise on the Steam Engine_, containing Plans and
+Arrangements of Details for Fixed Steam Engines, with Essays on the
+Principles involved in Design and Construction. By ARTHUR RIGG,
+Engineer, Member of the Society of Engineers and of the Royal
+Institution of Great Britain. Demy 4to, _copiously illustrated with
+woodcuts and 96 plates_, in one Volume, half-bound morocco, 2_l._
+2_s._; or cheaper edition, cloth, 25_s._
+
+    This work is not, in any sense, an elementary treatise, or history
+    of the steam engine, but is intended to describe examples of Fixed
+    Steam Engines without entering into the wide domain of locomotive
+    or marine practice. To this end illustrations will be given of the
+    most recent arrangements of Horizontal, Vertical, Beam, Pumping,
+    Winding, Portable, Semi-portable, Corliss, Allen, Compound, and
+    other similar Engines, by the most eminent Firms in Great Britain
+    and America. The laws relating to the action and precautions to be
+    observed in the construction of the various details, such as
+    Cylinders, Pistons, Piston-rods, Connecting-rods, Cross-heads,
+    Motion-blocks, Eccentrics, Simple, Expansion, Balanced, and
+    Equilibrium Slide-valves, and Valve-gearing will be minutely dealt
+    with. In this connection will be found articles upon the Velocity
+    of Reciprocating Parts and the Mode of Applying the Indicator, Heat
+    and Expansion of Steam Governors, and the like. It is the writer's
+    desire to draw illustrations from every possible source, and give
+    only those rules that present practice deems correct.
+
+_A Practical Treatise on the Science of Land and Engineering Surveying,
+Levelling, Estimating Quantities, etc._, with a general description of
+the several Instruments required for Surveying, Levelling, Plotting,
+etc. By H. S. MERRETT. Fourth edition, revised by G. W. USILL, Assoc.
+Mem. Inst. C.E. _41 plates, with illustrations and tables_, royal 8vo,
+cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+    PRINCIPAL CONTENTS:
+
+    Part 1. Introduction and the Principles of Geometry. Part 2. Land
+    Surveying; comprising General Observations--The Chain--Offsets
+    Surveying by the Chain only--Surveying Hilly Ground--To Survey an
+    Estate or Parish by the Chain only--Surveying with the Theodolite
+    --Mining and Town Surveying--Railroad Surveying--Mapping--
+    Division and Laying out of Land--Observations on Enclosures--
+    Plane Trigonometry. Part 3. Levelling--Simple and Compound
+    Levelling--The Level Book--Parliamentary Plan and Section--
+    Levelling with a Theodolite--Gradients--Wooden Curves--To Lay
+    out a Railway Curve--Setting out Widths. Part 4. Calculating
+    Quantities generally for Estimates--Cuttings and Embankments--
+    Tunnels--Brickwork--Ironwork--Timber Measuring. Part 5.
+    Description and Use of Instruments in Surveying and Plotting--
+    The Improved Dumpy Level--Troughton's Level--The Prismatic
+    Compass--Proportional Compass--Box Sextant--Vernier--Pantagraph--
+    Merrett's Improved Quadrant--Improved Computation Scale--The
+    Diagonal Scale--Straight Edge and Sector. Part 6. Logarithms of
+    Numbers--Logarithmic Sines and Co-Sines, Tangents and Co-Tangents
+    --Natural Sines and Co-Sines--Tables for Earthwork, for Setting
+    out Curves, and for various Calculations, etc., etc., etc.
+
+_Mechanical Graphics._ A Second Course of Mechanical Drawing. With
+Preface by Prof. PERRY, B.Sc., F.R.S. Arranged for use in Technical and
+Science and Art Institutes, Schools and Colleges, by GEORGE HALLIDAY,
+Whitworth Scholar. 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
+
+_The Assayers Manual_: an Abridged Treatise on the Docimastic
+Examination of Ores and Furnace and other Artificial Products. By BRUNO
+KERL. Translated by W. T. BRANNT. _With 65 illustrations_, 8vo, cloth,
+12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Dynamo-Electric Machinery_: a Text-Book for Students of
+Electro-Technology. By SILVANUS P. THOMPSON, B.A., D.Sc., M.S.T.E.
+[_New edition in the press._
+
+_The Practice of Hand Turning in Wood, Ivory, Shell, etc._, with
+Instructions for Turning such Work in Metal as may be required in the
+Practice of Turning in Wood, Ivory, etc.; also an Appendix on
+Ornamental Turning. (A book for beginners.) By FRANCIS CAMPIN. Third
+edition, _with wood engravings_, crown 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    On Lathes--Turning Tools--Turning Wood--Drilling--Screw Cutting--
+    Miscellaneous Apparatus and Processes--Turning Particular Forms--
+    Staining--Polishing--Spinning Metals--Materials--Ornamental
+    Turning, etc.
+
+_Treatise on Watchwork, Past and Present._ By the Rev. H. L. NELTHROPP,
+M.A., F.S.A. _With 32 illustrations_, crown 8vo, cloth, 6_s._ 6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    Definitions of Words and Terms used in Watchwork--Tools--Time--
+    Historical Summary--On Calculations of the Numbers for Wheels
+    and Pinions; their Proportional Sizes, Trains, etc.--Of Dial Wheels,
+    or Motion Work--Length of Time of Going without Winding up--The
+    Verge--The Horizontal--The Duplex--The Lever--The Chronometer--
+    Repeating Watches--Keyless Watches--The Pendulum, or Spiral Spring--
+    Compensation--Jewelling of Pivot Holes--Clerkenwell--Fallacies of
+    the Trade--Incapacity of Workmen--How to Choose and Use a Watch,
+    etc.
+
+_Algebra Self-Taught._ By W. P. HIGGS, M.A., D.Sc., LL.D., Assoc.
+Inst C.E., Author of 'A Handbook of the Differential Calculus,' etc.
+Second edition, crown 8vo, cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    Symbols and the Signs of Operation--The Equation and the Unknown
+    Quantity--Positive and Negative Quantities--Multiplication--
+    Involution--Exponents--Negative Exponents--Roots, and the Use of
+    Exponents as Logarithms--Logarithms--Tables of Logarithms and
+    Proportionate Parts--Transformation of System of Logarithms--
+    Common Uses of Common Logarithms--Compound Multiplication and
+    the Binomial Theorem--Division, Fractions, and Ratio--Continued
+    Proportion--The Series and the Summation of the Series--Limit
+    of Series--Square and Cube Roots--Equations--List of Formulae, etc.
+
+_Spons' Dictionary of Engineering, Civil, Mechanical, Military, and
+Naval_; with technical terms in French, German, Italian, and Spanish,
+3100 pp., and _nearly 8000 engravings_, in super-royal 8vo, in 8
+divisions, 5_l._ 8_s._ Complete in 3 vols., cloth, 5_l._ 5_s._ Bound in
+a superior manner, half-morocco, top edge gilt, 3 vols., 6_l._ 12_s._
+
+_Notes in Mechanical Engineering._ Compiled principally for the use of
+the Students attending the Classes on this subject at the City of
+London College. By HENRY ADAMS, Mem. Inst. M.E., Mem. Inst. C.E., Mem.
+Soc. of Engineers. Crown 8vo, cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Canoe and Boat Building_: a complete Manual for Amateurs, containing
+plain and comprehensive directions for the construction of Canoes,
+Rowing and Sailing Boats, and Hunting Craft. By W. P. STEPHENS. _With
+numerous illustrations and 24 plates of Working Drawings._ Crown 8vo,
+cloth, 9_s._
+
+_Proceedings of the National Conference of Electricians, Philadelphia_,
+October 8th to 13th, 1884. 18mo, cloth, 3_s._
+
+_Dynamo-Electricity_, its Generation, Application, Transmission,
+Storage, and Measurement. By G. B. PRESCOTT. _With 545 illustrations._
+8vo, cloth, 1_l._ 1_s._
+
+_Domestic Electricity for Amateurs._ Translated from the French of E.
+HOSPITALIER, Editor of "L'Electricien," by C. J. WHARTON, Assoc. Soc.
+Tel. Eng. _Numerous illustrations._ Demy 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    1. Production of the Electric Current--2. Electric Bells--3.
+    Automatic Alarms--4. Domestic Telephones--5. Electric Clocks--6.
+    Electric Lighters--7. Domestic Electric Lighting--8. Domestic
+    Application of the Electric Light--9. Electric Motors--10. Electrical
+    Locomotion--11. Electrotyping, Plating, and Gilding--12. Electric
+    Recreations--13. Various applications--Workshop of the Electrician.
+
+_Wrinkles in Electric Lighting._ By VINCENT STEPHEN. _With
+illustrations._ 18mo, cloth, 2_s._ 6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    1. The Electric Current and its production by Chemical means--2.
+    Production of Electric Currents by Mechanical means--3.
+    Dynamo-Electric Machines--4. Electric Lamps--5. Lead--6. Ship
+    Lighting.
+
+_Foundations and Foundation Walls for all classes of Buildings_, Pile
+Driving, Building Stones and Bricks, Pier and Wall construction,
+Mortars, Limes, Cements, Concretes, Stuccos, &c. _64 illustrations._ By
+G. T. POWELL and F. BAUMAN. 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Manual for Gas Engineering Students._ By D. LEE. 18mo, cloth, 1_s._
+
+_Telephones, their Construction and Management._ By F. C. ALLSOP. Crown
+8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Hydraulic Machinery, Past and Present._ A Lecture delivered to the
+London and Suburban Railway Officials' Association. By H. ADAMS, Mem.
+Inst. C.E. _Folding plate._ 8vo, sewed, 1_s._
+
+_Twenty Years with the Indicator._ By THOMAS PRAY, Jun., C.E., M.E.,
+Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 2 vols., royal 8vo,
+cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Annual Statistical Report of the Secretary to the Members of the Iron
+and Steel Association on the Home and Foreign Iron and Steel Industries
+in 1889._ Issued June 1890. 8vo, sewed, 5_s._
+
+_Bad Drains, and How to Test them_; with Notes on the Ventilation of
+Sewers, Drains, and Sanitary Fittings, and the Origin and Transmission
+of Zymotic Disease. By R. HARRIS REEVES. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Well Sinking._ The modern practice of Sinking and Boring Wells, with
+geological considerations and examples of Wells. By ERNEST SPON, Assoc.
+Mem. Inst. C.E., Mem. Soc. Eng., and of the Franklin Inst., etc. Second
+edition, revised and enlarged. Crown 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Voltaic Accumulator_: an Elementary Treatise. By EMILE REYNIER.
+Translated by J. A. BERLY, Assoc. Inst. E.E. _With 62 illustrations_,
+8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+_Ten Years' Experience in Works of Intermittent Downward Filtration._
+By J. BAILEY DENTON, Mem. Inst. C.E. Second edition, with additions.
+Royal 8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_Land Surveying on the Meridian and Perpendicular System._ By WILLIAM
+PENMAN, C.E. 8vo, cloth, 8_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Electromagnet and Electromagnetic Mechanism._ By SILVANUS P.
+THOMPSON, D.Sc., F.R.S. 8vo, cloth, 15_s._
+
+_Incandescent Wiring Hand-Book._ By F. B. BADT, late 1st Lieut. Royal
+Prussian Artillery. _With 41 illustrations and 5 tables._ 18mo, cloth,
+4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_A Pocket-book for Pharmacists, Medical Practitioners, Students, etc.,
+etc. (British, Colonial, and American)._ By THOMAS BAYLEY, Assoc. R.
+Coll. of Science, Consulting Chemist, Analyst, and Assayer, Author of a
+'Pocket-book for Chemists,' 'The Assay and Analysis of Iron and Steel,
+Iron Ores, and Fuel,' etc., etc. Royal 32mo, boards, gilt edges, 6_s._
+
+_The Fireman's Guide_; a Handbook on the Care of Boilers. By TEKNOLOG,
+foereningen T. I. Stockholm. Translated from the third edition, and
+revised by KARL P. DAHLSTROM, M.E. Second edition. Fcap. 8vo, cloth,
+2_s._
+
+_A Treatise on Modern Steam Engines and Boilers_, including Land
+Locomotive, and Marine Engines and Boilers, for the use of Students. By
+FREDERICK COLYER, M. Inst. C.E., Mem. Inst. M.E. _With 36 plates._ 4to,
+cloth, 12_s._ 6_d._
+
+    CONTENTS:
+
+    1. Introduction--2. Original Engines--3. Boilers--4. High-Pressure
+    Beam Engines--5. Cornish Beam Engines--6. Horizontal Engines--7.
+    Oscillating Engines--8. Vertical High-Pressure Engines--9. Special
+    Engines--10. Portable Engines--11. Locomotive Engines--12. Marine
+    Engines.
+
+_Steam Engine Management_; a Treatise on the Working and Management of
+Steam Boilers. By F. COLYER, M. Inst. C.E., Mem. Inst. M.E. 18mo,
+cloth, 2_s._
+
+_A Text-Book of Tanning_, embracing the Preparation of all kinds of
+Leather. By HARRY R. PROCTOR, F.C.S., of Low Lights Tanneries. _With
+illustrations._ Crown 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Aid Book to Engineering Enterprise._ By EWING MATHESON, M. Inst. C.E.
+The Inception of Public Works, Parliamentary Procedure for Railways,
+Concessions for Foreign Works, and means of Providing Money, the Points
+which determine Success or Failure, Contract and Purchase, Commerce in
+Coal, Iron, and Steel, &c. Second edition, revised and enlarged, 8vo,
+cloth, 21_s._
+
+_Pumps, Historically, Theoretically, and Practically Considered._ By P.
+R. BJOeRLING. _With 156 illustrations._ Crown 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Marine Transport of Petroleum._ A Book for the use of Shipowners,
+Shipbuilders, Underwriters, Merchants, Captains and Officers of
+Petroleum-carrying Vessels. By G. H. LITTLE, Editor of the 'Liverpool
+Journal of Commerce.' Crown 8vo, cloth, 10_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Liquid Fuel for Mechanical and Industrial Purposes._ Compiled by E. A.
+BRAYLEY HODGETTS. _With wood engravings._ 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Tropical Agriculture_: A Treatise on the Culture, Preparation,
+Commerce and Consumption of the principal Products of the Vegetable
+Kingdom. By P. L. SIMMONDS, F.L.S., F.R.C.I. New edition, revised and
+enlarged, 8vo, cloth, 21_s._
+
+_Health and Comfort in House Building_; or, Ventilation with Warm Air
+by Self-acting Suction Power. With Review of the Mode of Calculating
+the Draught in Hot-air Flues, and with some Actual Experiments by J.
+DRYSDALE, M.D., and J. W. HAYWARD, M.D. _With plates and woodcuts._
+Third edition, with some New Sections, and the whole carefully Revised,
+8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Losses in Gold Amalgamation._ With Notes on the Concentration of Gold
+and Silver Ores. _With six plates._ By W. MCDERMOTT and P. W. DUFFIELD.
+8vo, cloth, 5_s._
+
+_A Guide for the Electric Testing of Telegraph Cables._ By COL. V.
+HOSKIOER, Royal Danish Engineers. Third edition, crown 8vo, cloth,
+4_s._ 6_d._
+
+_The Hydraulic Gold Miners' Manual._ By T. S. G. KIRKPATRICK, M.A.
+Oxon. _With 6 plates._ Crown 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
+
+    "We venture to think that this work will become a text-book on the
+    important subject of which it treats. Until comparatively recently
+    hydraulic mines were neglected. This was scarcely to be surprised
+    at, seeing that their working in California was brought to an
+    abrupt termination by the action of the farmers on the debris
+    question, whilst their working in other parts of the world had not
+    been attended with the anticipated success."--_The Mining World and
+    Engineering Record._
+
+_The Arithmetic of Electricity._ By T. O'CONOR SLOANE. Crown 8vo,
+cloth, 4_s._ 6_d._
+
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+Commercial Purposes. By R. O. ALLSOP, Architect. _With plans and
+sections._ 8vo, cloth, 6_s._
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+_Earthwork Slips and Subsidences upon Public Works_: Their Causes,
+Prevention and Reparation. Especially written to assist those engaged
+in the Construction or Maintenance of Railways, Docks, Canals,
+Waterworks, River Banks, Reclamation Embankments, Drainage Works, &c.,
+&c. By JOHN NEWMAN, Assoc. Mem. Inst. C.E., Author of 'Notes on
+Concrete,' &c. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7_s._ 6_d._
+
+_Gas and Petroleum Engines_: A Practical Treatise on the Internal
+Combustion Engine. By WM. ROBINSON, M.E., Senior Demonstrator and
+Lecturer on Applied Mechanics, Physics, &c., City and Guilds of London
+College, Finsbury, Assoc. Mem. Inst. C.E., &c. _Numerous
+illustrations._ 8vo, cloth, 14_s._
+
+_Waterways and Water Transport in Different Countries._ With a
+description of the Panama, Suez, Manchester, Nicaraguan, and other
+Canals. By J. STEPHEN JEANS, Author of 'England's Supremacy,' 'Railway
+Problems,' &c. _Numerous illustrations._ 8vo, cloth, 14_s._
+
+_A Treatise on the Richards Steam-Engine Indicator and the Development
+and Application of Force in the Steam-Engine._ By CHARLES T. PORTER.
+Fourth Edition, revised and enlarged, 8vo, cloth, 9_s._
+
+    CONTENTS.
+
+    The Nature and Use of the Indicator:
+      The several lines on the Diagram.
+      Examination of Diagram No. 1.
+    Of Truth in the Diagram.
+    Description of the Richards Indicator.
+    Practical Directions for Applying and Taking Care of the Indicator.
+    Introductory Remarks.
+    Units.
+    Expansion.
+    Directions for ascertaining from the Diagram the Power exerted by
+      the Engine.
+    To Measure from the Diagram the Quantity of Steam Consumed.
+    To Measure from the Diagram the Quantity of Heat Expended.
+    Of the Real Diagram, and how to Construct it.
+    Of the Conversion of Heat into Work in the Steam-engine.
+    Observations on the several Lines of the Diagram.
+    Of the Loss attending the Employment of Slow-piston Speed, and the
+      Extent to which this is Shown by the Indicator.
+    Of other Applications of the Indicator.
+    Of the use of the Tables of the Properties of Steam in Calculating
+      the Duty of Boilers.
+    Introductory.
+    Of the Pressure on the Crank when the Connecting-rod is conceived
+      to be of Infinite Length.
+    The Modification of the Acceleration and Retardation that is
+      occasioned by the Angular Vibration of the Connecting-rod.
+    Method of representing the actual pressure on the crank at every
+      point of its revolution.
+    The Rotative Effect of the Pressure exerted on the Crank.
+    The Transmitting Parts of an Engine, considered as an Equaliser
+      of Motion.
+    A Ride on a Buffer-beam (Appendix).
+
+
+
+
+In demy 4to, handsomely bound in cloth, _illustrated with 220 full
+page plates_, Price 15_s._
+
+
+ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES
+
+IN BRICK, STONE, WOOD, AND IRON.
+
+A COMPLETE WORK ON THE DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENT OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
+AND DESIGN.
+
+BY WILLIAM FULLERTON, ARCHITECT.
+
+Containing 220 Plates, with numerous Drawings selected from the
+Architecture of Former and Present Times.
+
+_The Details and Designs are Drawn to Scale, 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", and Full
+size being chiefly used._
+
+
+The Plates are arranged in Two Parts. The First Part contains Details
+of Work in the four principal Building materials, the following being a
+few of the subjects in this Part:--Various forms of Doors and Windows,
+Wood and Iron Roofs, Half Timber Work, Porches, Towers, Spires,
+Belfries, Flying Buttresses, Groining, Carving, Church Fittings,
+Constructive and Ornamental Iron Work, Classic and Gothic Molds and
+Ornament, Foliation Natural and Conventional, Stained Glass, Coloured
+Decoration, a Section to Scale of the Great Pyramid, Grecian and Roman
+Work, Continental and English Gothic, Pile Foundations, Chimney Shafts
+according to the regulations of the London County Council, Board
+Schools. The Second Part consists of Drawings of Plans and Elevations
+of Buildings, arranged under the following heads:--Workmen's Cottages
+and Dwellings, Cottage Residences and Dwelling Houses, Shops, Factories,
+Warehouses, Schools, Churches and Chapels, Public Buildings, Hotels and
+Taverns, and Buildings of a general character.
+
+All the Plates are accompanied with particulars of the Work, with
+Explanatory Notes and Dimensions of the various parts.
+
+[Illustration: _Specimen Pages, reduced from the originals._]
+
+
+
+
+Crown 8vo, cloth, with illustrations, 5_s._
+
+WORKSHOP RECEIPTS,
+
+FIRST SERIES.
+
+BY ERNEST SPON.
+
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.
+
+    Bookbinding.
+    Bronzes and Bronzing.
+    Candles.
+    Cement.
+    Cleaning.
+    Colourwashing.
+    Concretes.
+    Dipping Acids.
+    Drawing Office Details.
+    Drying Oils.
+    Dynamite.
+    Electro-Metallurgy--(Cleaning, Dipping, Scratch-brushing, Batteries,
+      Baths, and Deposits of every description).
+    Enamels.
+    Engraving on Wood, Copper, Gold, Silver, Steel, and Stone.
+    Etching and Aqua Tint.
+    Firework Making--(Rockets, Stars, Rains, Gerbes, Jets, Tour-billons,
+      Candles, Fires, Lances, Lights, Wheels, Fire-balloons, and minor
+      Fireworks).
+    Fluxes.
+    Foundry Mixtures.
+    Freezing.
+    Fulminates.
+    Furniture Creams, Oils, Polishes, Lacquers, and Pastes.
+    Gilding.
+    Glass Cutting, Cleaning, Frosting, Drilling, Darkening, Bending,
+      Staining, and Painting.
+    Glass Making.
+    Glues.
+    Gold.
+    Graining.
+    Gums.
+    Gun Cotton.
+    Gunpowder.
+    Horn Working.
+    Indiarubber.
+    Japans, Japanning, and kindred processes.
+    Lacquers.
+    Lathing.
+    Lubricants.
+    Marble Working.
+    Matches.
+    Mortars.
+    Nitro-Glycerine.
+    Oils.
+    Paper.
+    Paper Hanging.
+    Painting in Oils, in Water Colours, as well as Fresco, House,
+      Transparency, Sign, and Carriage Painting.
+    Photography.
+    Plastering.
+    Polishes.
+    Pottery--(Clays, Bodies, Glazes, Colours, Oils, Stains, Fluxes,
+      Enamels, and Lustres).
+    Scouring.
+    Silvering.
+    Soap.
+    Solders.
+    Tanning.
+    Taxidermy.
+    Tempering Metals.
+    Treating Horn, Mother-o'-Pearl, and like substances.
+    Varnishes, Manufacture and Use of.
+    Veneering.
+    Washing.
+    Waterproofing.
+    Welding.
+
+
+
+
+Crown 8vo, cloth, 485 pages, with illustrations, 5_s._
+
+WORKSHOP RECEIPTS,
+
+SECOND SERIES.
+
+BY ROBERT HALDANE.
+
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.
+
+    Acidimetry and Alkalimetry.
+    Albumen.
+    Alcohol.
+    Alkaloids.
+    Baking-powders.
+    Bitters.
+    Bleaching.
+    Boiler Incrustations.
+    Cements and Lutes.
+    Cleansing.
+    Confectionery.
+    Copying.
+    Disinfectants.
+    Dyeing, Staining, and Colouring.
+    Essences.
+    Extracts.
+    Fireproofing.
+    Gelatine, Glue, and Size.
+    Glycerine.
+    Gut.
+    Hydrogen peroxide.
+    Ink.
+    Iodine.
+    Iodoform.
+    Isinglass.
+    Ivory substitutes.
+    Leather.
+    Luminous bodies.
+    Magnesia.
+    Matches.
+    Paper.
+    Parchment.
+    Perchloric acid.
+    Potassium oxalate.
+    Preserving.
+
+Pigments, Paint, and Painting: embracing the preparation of
+_Pigments_, including alumina lakes, blacks (animal, bone, Frankfort,
+ivory, lamp, sight, soot), blues (antimony, Antwerp, cobalt, caeruleum,
+Egyptian, manganate, Paris, Peligot, Prussian, smalt, ultramarine),
+browns (bistre, hinau, sepia, sienna, umber, Vandyke), greens (baryta,
+Brighton, Brunswick, chrome, cobalt, Douglas, emerald, manganese,
+mitis, mountain, Prussian, sap, Scheele's, Schweinfurth, titanium,
+verdigris, zinc), reds (Brazilwood lake, carminated lake, carmine,
+Cassius purple, cobalt pink, cochineal lake, colcothar, Indian red,
+madder lake, red chalk, red lead, vermilion), whites (alum, baryta,
+Chinese, lead sulphate, white lead--by American, Dutch, French, German,
+Kremnitz, and Pattinson processes, precautions in making, and
+composition of commercial samples--whiting, Wilkinson's white, zinc
+white), yellows (chrome, gamboge, Naples, orpiment, realgar, yellow
+lakes); _Paint_ (vehicles, testing oils, driers, grinding, storing,
+applying, priming, drying, filling, coats, brushes, surface,
+water-colours, removing smell, discoloration; miscellaneous
+paints--cement paint for carton-pierre, copper paint, gold paint, iron
+paint, lime paints, silicated paints, steatite paint, transparent
+paints, tungsten paints, window paint, zinc paints); _Painting_
+(general instructions, proportions of ingredients, measuring paint
+work; carriage painting--priming paint, best putty, finishing colour,
+cause of cracking, mixing the paints, oils, driers, and colours,
+varnishing, importance of washing vehicles, re-varnishing, how to dry
+paint; woodwork painting).
+
+
+
+
+Crown 8vo, cloth, 480 pages, with 183 illustrations, 5_s._
+
+WORKSHOP RECEIPTS,
+
+THIRD SERIES.
+
+BY C. G. WARNFORD LOCK.
+
+Uniform with the First and Second Series.
+
+
+    SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.
+
+    Alloys.
+    Aluminium.
+    Antimony.
+    Barium.
+    Beryllium.
+    Bismuth.
+    Cadmium.
+    Caesium.
+    Calcium.
+    Cerium.
+    Chromium.
+    Cobalt.
+    Copper.
+    Didymium.
+    Electrics.
+    Enamels and Glazes.
+    Erbium.
+    Gallium.
+    Glass.
+    Gold.
+    Indium.
+    Iridium.
+    Iron and Steel.
+    Lacquers and Lacquering.
+    Lanthanum.
+    Lead.
+    Lithium.
+    Lubricants.
+    Magnesium.
+    Manganese.
+    Mercury.
+    Mica.
+    Molybdenum.
+    Nickel.
+    Niobium.
+    Osmium.
+    Palladium.
+    Platinum.
+    Potassium.
+    Rhodium.
+    Rubidium.
+    Ruthenium.
+    Selenium.
+    Silver.
+    Slag.
+    Sodium.
+    Strontium.
+    Tantalum.
+    Terbium.
+    Thallium.
+    Thorium.
+    Tin.
+    Titanium.
+    Tungsten.
+    Uranium.
+    Vanadium.
+    Yttrium.
+    Zinc.
+    Zirconium.
+
+
+
+
+WORKSHOP RECEIPTS,
+
+FOURTH SERIES,
+
+DEVOTED MAINLY TO HANDICRAFTS & MECHANICAL SUBJECTS.
+
+BY C. G. WARNFORD LOCK.
+
+250 Illustrations, with Complete Index, and a General Index to the
+Four Series, 5_s._
+
+
+Waterproofing--rubber goods, cuprammonium processes, miscellaneous
+preparations.
+
+Packing and Storing articles of delicate odour or colour, of a
+deliquescent character, liable to ignition, apt to suffer from insects
+or damp, or easily broken.
+
+Embalming and Preserving anatomical specimens.
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+
+Cooling Air and Water, producing low temperatures, making ice,
+cooling syrups and solutions, and separating salts from liquors by
+refrigeration.
+
+Pumps and Siphons, embracing every useful contrivance for raising and
+supplying water on a moderate scale, and moving corrosive, tenacious,
+and other liquids.
+
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+natural and artificial products.
+
+Distilling--water, tinctures, extracts, pharmaceutical preparations,
+essences, perfumes, and alcoholic liquids.
+
+Emulsifying as required by pharmacists and photographers.
+
+Evaporating--saline and other solutions, and liquids demanding
+special precautions.
+
+Filtering--water, and solutions of various kinds.
+
+Percolating and Macerating.
+
+Electrotyping.
+
+Stereotyping by both plaster and paper processes.
+
+Bookbinding in all its details.
+
+Straw Plaiting and the fabrication of baskets, matting, etc.
+
+Musical Instruments--the preservation, tuning, and repair of pianos
+harmoniums, musical boxes, etc.
+
+Clock and Watch Mending--adapted for intelligent amateurs.
+
+Photography--recent development in rapid processes, handy apparatus,
+numerous recipes for sensitizing and developing solutions, and
+applications to modern illustrative purposes.
+
+
+
+
+NOW COMPLETE.
+
+_With nearly 1500 illustrations_, in super-royal 8vo, in 5 Divisions,
+cloth. Divisions 1 to 4, 13_s._ 6_d._ each; Division 5, 17_s._ 6_d._;
+or 2 vols., cloth, L3 10_s._
+
+SPONS' ENCYCLOPAEDIA
+
+OF THE
+
+INDUSTRIAL ARTS, MANUFACTURES, AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS.
+
+EDITED BY C. G. WARNFORD LOCK, F.L.S.
+
+
+Among the more important of the subjects treated of, are the
+following:--
+
+    Acids, 207 pp. 220 figs.
+    Alcohol, 23 pp. 16 figs.
+    Alcoholic Liquors, 13 pp.
+    Alkalies, 89 pp. 78 figs.
+    Alloys. Alum.
+    Asphalt. Assaying.
+    Beverages, 89 pp. 29 figs.
+    Blacks.
+    Bleaching Powder, 15 pp.
+    Bleaching, 51 pp. 48 figs.
+    Candles, 18 pp. 9 figs.
+    Carbon Bisulphide.
+    Celluloid, 9 pp.
+    Cements. Clay.
+    Coal-tar Products, 44 pp. 14 figs.
+    Cocoa, 8 pp.
+    Coffee, 32 pp. 13 figs.
+    Cork, 8 pp. 17 figs.
+    Cotton Manufactures, 62 pp. 57 figs.
+    Drugs, 38 pp.
+    Dyeing and Calico Printing, 28 pp. 9 figs.
+    Dyestuffs, 16 pp.
+    Electro-Metallurgy, 13 pp.
+    Explosives, 22 pp. 33 figs.
+    Feathers.
+    Fibrous Substances, 92 pp. 79 figs.
+    Floor-cloth, 16 pp. 21 figs.
+    Food Preservation, 8 pp.
+    Fruit, 8 pp.
+    Fur, 5 pp.
+    Gas, Coal, 8 pp.
+    Gems.
+    Glass, 45 pp. 77 figs.
+    Graphite, 7 pp.
+    Hair, 7 pp.
+    Hair Manufactures.
+    Hats, 26 pp. 26 figs.
+    Honey. Hops.
+    Horn.
+    Ice, 10 pp. 14 figs.
+    Indiarubber Manufactures, 23 pp. 17 figs.
+    Ink, 17 pp.
+    Ivory.
+    Jute Manufactures, 11 pp. 11 figs.
+    Knitted Fabrics--Hosiery, 15 pp. 13 figs.
+    Lace, 13 pp. 9 figs.
+    Leather, 28 pp. 31 figs.
+    Linen Manufactures, 16 pp. 6 figs.
+    Manures, 21 pp. 30 figs.
+    Matches, 17 pp. 38 figs.
+    Mordants, 13 pp.
+    Narcotics, 47 pp.
+    Nuts, 10 pp.
+    Oils and Fatty Substances, 125 pp.
+    Paint.
+    Paper, 26 pp. 23 figs.
+    Paraffin, 8 pp. 6 figs.
+    Pearl and Coral, 8 pp.
+    Perfumes, 10 pp.
+    Photography, 13 pp. 20 figs.
+    Pigments, 9 pp. 6 figs.
+    Pottery, 46 pp. 57 figs.
+    Printing and Engraving, 20 pp. 8 figs.
+    Rags.
+    Resinous and Gummy Substances, 75 pp. 16 figs.
+    Rope, 16 pp. 17 figs.
+    Salt, 31 pp. 23 figs.
+    Silk, 8 pp.
+    Silk Manufactures, 9 pp. 11 figs.
+    Skins, 5 pp.
+    Small Wares, 4 pp.
+    Soap and Glycerine, 39 pp. 45 figs.
+    Spices, 16 pp.
+    Sponge, 5 pp.
+    Starch, 9 pp. 10 figs.
+    Sugar, 155 pp. 134 figs.
+    Sulphur.
+    Tannin, 18 pp.
+    Tea, 12 pp.
+    Timber, 13 pp.
+    Varnish, 15 pp.
+    Vinegar, 5 pp.
+    Wax, 5 pp.
+    Wool, 2 pp.
+    Woollen Manufactures, 58 pp. 39 figs.
+
+
+
+
+In super-royal 8vo, 1168 pp., _with 2400 illustrations_, in 3
+Divisions, cloth, price 13_s._ 6_d._ each; or 1 vol., cloth, 2_l._; or
+half-morocco, 2_l._ 8_s._
+
+A SUPPLEMENT
+
+TO
+
+SPONS' DICTIONARY OF ENGINEERING.
+
+EDITED BY ERNEST SPON, MEMB. SOC. ENGINEERS.
+
+
+    Abacus, Counters, Speed Indicators, and Slide Rule.
+    Agricultural Implements and Machinery.
+    Air Compressors.
+    Animal Charcoal Machinery.
+    Antimony.
+    Axles and Axle-boxes.
+    Barn Machinery.
+    Belts and Belting.
+    Blasting. Boilers.
+    Brakes.
+    Brick Machinery.
+    Bridges.
+    Cages for Mines.
+    Calculus, Differential and Integral.
+    Canals.
+    Carpentry.
+    Cast Iron.
+    Cement, Concrete, Limes, and Mortar.
+    Chimney Shafts.
+    Coal Cleansing and Washing.
+    Coal Mining.
+    Coal Cutting Machines.
+    Coke Ovens. Copper.
+    Docks. Drainage.
+    Dredging Machinery.
+    Dynamo-Electric and Magneto-Electric Machines.
+    Dynamometers.
+    Electrical Engineering, Telegraphy, Electric Lighting and its practical
+      details, Telephones.
+    Engines, Varieties of.
+    Explosives. Fans.
+    Founding, Moulding and the practical work of the Foundry.
+    Gas, Manufacture of.
+    Hammers, Steam and other Power.
+    Heat. Horse Power.
+    Hydraulics.
+    Hydro-geology.
+    Indicators. Iron.
+    Lifts, Hoists, and Elevators.
+    Lighthouses, Buoys, and Beacons.
+    Machine Tools.
+    Materials of Construction.
+    Meters.
+    Ores, Machinery and Processes employed to Dress.
+    Piers.
+    Pile Driving.
+    Pneumatic Transmission.
+    Pumps.
+    Pyrometers.
+    Road Locomotives.
+    Rock Drills.
+    Rolling Stock.
+    Sanitary Engineering.
+    Shafting.
+    Steel.
+    Steam Navvy.
+    Stone Machinery.
+    Tramways.
+    Well Sinking.
+
+
+
+
+JUST PUBLISHED.
+
+In demy 8vo, cloth, 600 pages, and 1420 Illustrations, 6_s_.
+
+SPONS'
+
+MECHANICS' OWN BOOK;
+
+A MANUAL FOR HANDICRAFTSMEN AND AMATEURS.
+
+
+    CONTENTS.
+
+    Mechanical Drawing--Casting and Founding in Iron, Brass, Bronze,
+    and other Alloys--Forging and Finishing Iron--Sheetmetal Working--
+    Soldering, Brazing, and Burning--Carpentry and Joinery, embracing
+    descriptions of some 400 Woods, over 200 Illustrations of Tools
+    and their uses, Explanations (with Diagrams) of 116 joints and
+    hinges, and Details of Construction of Workshop appliances, rough
+    furniture, Garden and Yard Erections, and House Building--
+    Cabinet-Making and Veneering--Carving and Fretcutting--Upholstery
+    --Painting, Graining, and Marbling--Staining Furniture, Woods,
+    Floors, and Fittings--Gilding, dead and bright, on various
+    grounds--Polishing Marble, Metals, and Wood--Varnishing--Mechanical
+    movements, illustrating contrivances for transmitting motion--
+    Turning in Wood and Metals--Masonry, embracing Stonework, Brickwork,
+    Terracotta, and Concrete--Roofing with Thatch, Tiles, Slates,
+    Felt, Zinc, &c.--Glazing with and without putty, and lead glazing--
+    Plastering and Whitewashing--Paper-hanging--Gas-fitting--Bell-hanging,
+    ordinary and electric Systems--Lighting--Warming--Ventilating--
+    Roads, Pavements, and Bridges--Hedges, Ditches, and Drains--Water
+    Supply and Sanitation--Hints on House Construction suited to new
+    countries.
+
+E. & F. N. SPON, 125, Strand, London.
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+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Scamping Tricks and Odd Knowledge, by John Newman
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SCAMPING TRICKS AND ODD KNOWLEDGE ***
+
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