14. For an improvement in Elastic Boot and Shoe Shanks; Isaiah Gale, Natchez, Mississippi, July 11.

This is for an alleged improvement in springs put between the outer and inner soles of boots and shoes for the support of the instep. Prior to this a single steel plate was used, extending from the heel to the ball of the foot; but the present patent is for the employment of two plates overlapping nearly their whole length, one of them being attached at the heel, and the other at the ball of the foot, the other end of each one being provided with a pin working in a slot in the other, as in elliptical carriage springs, to give them free play in bending.

Claim. "I do not claim the double elliptical spring, but what I do claim is the combination of the above described spring with the boot, or shoe, in the manner and for the purpose described.'

15. For an improvement in the Cylinder Mill for Grinding Grain; Jacob Groat, Troy, Renssalaer county, New York, July 11.

This improvement consists in the manner of setting the grinding surfaces of a cylinder mill, by rotating the concave about an imaginary centre not coincident with the centre of the grinding cylinder, instead of effecting this by moving the concave directly towards, or from, the cylinder, by means of which a concave can be employed extending around full, or more than, half the circumference of the cylinder.

Claim. "What I claim as new, is the method of adjusting the case, or concave, by rotating it around the cylinder, as described, by means of the grooves, ways, and adjusting screws, in the manner and for the purpose set forth, or by any other means substantially the same."

16. For improvements in the machine for Hulling and Pearling Rice, &c.; Jacob Groat, Troy, Renssalaer county, New York, July 11.

The machine which we have here, like many of the same class, consists of a reservoir and concave, or surrounding case, somewhat conical, and their rubbing surfaces are composed as fully expressed in the following—

Claim. "What I claim as my invention is, first, constructing the revolving cone in the manner described, with alternate staves of brushes, and gum elastic, and iron, or gum elastic and iron alone, combined and operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth; secondly, I claim, in combination with the above revolving cone, a case formed of triangular shaped files, as above fully made known; thirdly, I claim the method of combining the files with the upper and lower rings, so as to be adjustable, in the manner described, by inserting them in a groove with soft pieces of metal between them, by means of which they may be driven closer together, or separated, as occasion requires."

VOL IX, 3RD SERIES-No. 3.-MARCH, 1845.

15

17. For an improvement in the mode of Regulating the Supply of Water in Steam Boilers; John Cochrane, Newark, New Jersey, July 13.

The patentee says, "The nature of my invention is such that it is necessary for the pump attached to the engine to be of sufficient size to meet the expenditure of water in the boiler from evaporation, and other causes, and that it be allowed to work its full capacity; the apparatus being capable, without manual assistance, of applying so much of this water as may be required to the replenishment of the boiler, and of returning the remainder back again to the pump without loss of power, or heat."

The apparatus consists of a vessel communicating with the boiler, by means of two pipes, one above and the other below the water line, and with the supply pump, by means of a third pipe; the passage to the third pipe is provided with a check valve, the upper end of the stem of which has a float that keeps it open as long as the water is at a sufficient elevation, but which permits it to close when the water sinks to the low water mark. When the water is suffi ciently high, and the valve, therefore, open, all the water that is forced in by the pump follows the piston back, and runs out, but when there is a deficiency of water, and the valve is permitted to rest on its seat by the float, the water forced in does not run back until the required supply has been obtained. On the same stem with the check valve, and above it, there is another valve which commands the passage leading from this vessel to the boiler below the water line, so that when the water is sufficiently high in the boiler the float keeps this valve up against its seat, and thus prevents the surplus water from being forced into the boiler. To insure the buoyancy of the float, in case of a leak, the inside of it communicates with the pump through the valve stem, which is hollow for that purpose, and provided with a valve opening outwards, so that the downward stroke of the pump will exhaust it.

Claim. "What I claim, is, first, the manner in which I have connected and combined the float and the check valve with the force pump, and with the boiler, as herein described, so as to allow any excess of water from the pump to return back thereto by the opening of the check valve under the action of the float; secondly, the connecting of the second valve, placed in the pipe, or opening, through which the water passes from the chamber to the boiler, with the check valve and float, so that both may be operated on by the float, for the purpose and in the manner described; thirdly, the connecting of the float internally with the pump that supplies the boiler by means of a hollow stem and valve, in combination with the check valve, so that the float may be exhausted at each stroke of the pump, and thereby be made to discharge any water that may have leaked into it."

18. For an improvement in the Crimp for Crimping Leather for Horse Collars; Joseph H. Barkdull, Ballston, Saratoga county, New York, July 13.

This crimp is composed of three parts, designated in the claim by the letters a, b, and c, hinged together; and each part is divided in two along the middle, and connected by hinges in such manner that this middle joint of all the parts is in the same line; the hinges that connect parts a and c, with b, are situated at the junction of the two halves of the parts, and the axes of these hinges are at right angles with the axes of the hinges that unite the halves of the three parts, or sections, before the stretching operation is commenced, but after that the angle varies. The connected ends of the parts, or sections, a, b, c, are beveled from the hinges outwards, and the middle section b, is provided with curved tongues that fit and slide in mortises in sections a and c. The leather to be stretched, or crimped, is laid on that face of the instrument opposite the hinges, (which is a little rounding,) and is fastened to the outer edges by pins projecting therefrom, and then the parts, or sections, are turned on the connecting hinges, which enlarges and gives a curve in all directions to that face on which the leather is placed, which thus receives the required swell and curve; the whole is held together at the end of the operation by catches attached to the section, or part, b, and that take in notches in the other sections.

Claim. "What I claim is the combination and arrangement of the parts a, b, and c, constructed and arranged substantially in the manner set forth."

19. For an improvement in Buckles; Henry Lawrence, Manlius, Onondaga county, New York, July 13.

The improvement in question is for dispensing with the tongue, and holding the tug, or strap, by pressure instead thereof. The front end of the buckle is adapted and jointed to a lever, to one arm of which one of the straps is attached, the other strap, or the tug, which is to be fastened, being passed between the other arm of the lever and the plate, or main part, of the buckle, and then through a loop at the other end. From the above it will be evident that a pull on the straps forces one of the arms towards the plate of the buckle, and grips the strap, or tug, with a force proportioned to the force of the pull.

Claim. What I claim is the construction of the back piece and the front piece of the buckle, and the combination of the same on the lever principle, as described, causing the said front piece to be pressed firmly against the tug, or strap, so as to hold the same securely, and thus dispense with the common buckle tongue."

20. For an improvement in the Grain Separator, to be combined with a threshing, or winnowing, machine; Jacob V. A. Wemple, of Mohawk, New York, and George Westinghouse, of Schoharie, New York, July 13.

The grain with the straw, if from a threshing machine, or with the chaff, if from a winno wing machine, is discharged on to the separator, consisting of separate sections, each composed of a sheet of wire

gauze, surrounded with strips of wood, to prevent the grain from falling out, and all connected together and formed into an endless chain passing over rollers by means of endless belts of leather.

Claim. "What we claim as our invention, is the separator, as described, that is to say, a revolving screen, or separator, composed of separate portions, or sections, of wire gauze, constructed and secured by endless belts, in the manner described."

21. For an improvement in the Bee Palace; Lemon Hamlin, Kirkersville, Licking county, Ohio, July 13.

Claim. "What I claim as my invention, is the manner of ventilating the hives, by arranging them around a central vertical opening in the palace; the back of each hive being covered by wire gauze, and in combination with this arrangement, the moth trap placed at the top and bottom of said central opening, the construction and arrangement being as described."

The moth traps are placed at top and bottom of the central opening, the one at the top consisting simply of a circular case with a wire gauze bottom resting on the top of the central opening, and apertures in the case for the admission of the miller; and the one at the bottom is square with a wire gauze cap, which admits air to the central opening of the palace, and side openings, some provided with a gauze shutter, and the others with conical tubes extending in some distance, the smaller ends being within, to prevent the escape of the moth.

22. For improvements in the Washing Machine; William E. Arnold, Rochester, Monroe county, New York, July 13.

The improvements claimed under this patent, are applied to that kind of washing machines in which the clothes are washed by means of a swinging beater, or dash-board, perforated for the passage of water. The first improvement consists simply in giving an inclination to this dash-board, or beater, and hinging it by the lower edge, and so connecting it at top with the swing frame that the inclination can be varied at pleasure. The object is to throw up the clothes, which are then forced back, and turned by a reciprocating wedge, that has a movement up and down by being connected with arms that project out from the top of the swinging frame, so that as the dash-board advances towards the wedge, it rises, and descends as the dash-board is moved back.

Claim. "What I claim therein as new, is, first, the varying of the inclination of the dasher-board, in the manner and for the purpose described; I likewise claim the application and use of the reciprocating wedge, constructed and operating as set forth.”

23. For an improvement in the machine for Crimping Leather for Boots; Pelatiah Stevens, jr., Canton, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, July 15.

Claim.-"I claim the described arrangement of the clamping plates

and clamps, so as to extend entirely around, or in opposition with the lower edges of the boot former, and have a space between the clamp plates to receive and permit the depression of the boot former below, and its elevation above, their upper edges, in the manner set forth, the said improved arrangement of the parts enabling the attendant to 'stretch and shape the leather more thoroughly, conveniently and expeditiously, than by others heretofore used; and I also claim the wrinkle preventer, as applied to, or combined with, the boot former, and constructed and used substantially in the manner set forth."

The former slides up and down between the clamp plates, by means of a screw, and the edges of the leather are secured to the clamp plates by a series of clamps jointed to the plates; and the wrinkle preventer consists of a plate of metal bent in the form of a U, with the edges so curved as to correspond in form with the instep of the boot, and so connected, by means of a lever, with the frame of the machine, as to enable the operator to apply the curved edges to the leather, and prevent any tendency to wrinkle during the crimping operation.

24. For an improvement in Setting Logs on Saw Mill Carriages ; Francis M. Stetson, of Sangerfield, and John Eaton, of Brookfield, New York, July 15.

The slides on the head and tail blocks of the carriage to which the dogs are attached, are moved by means of screws, in a manner well known to those who are acquainted with saw mills; and for the purpose of operating the two screws simultaneously, they are connected by bevel cog-wheels, and a shaft extending from the head to the tail block, and parallel with, and at the side of, the carriage; the bevel cog-wheel on one end of the shaft being adapted to the shaft by a feather, or square socket, and connected with the tail block by a collar, so that the tail block can be moved towards, or from, the head block. Clain. "What we claim as our invention, is the connecting together the screws and sliding blocks on the head and tail blocks of the carriage, so as to move both ends of the log simultaneously and equally, and at the same time allowing the head blocks to recede from, or approach to, the foot block, and thus be adjusted to the length of the log to be sawed, the whole being arranged, combined, and connected substantially as set forth and described."

25. For an improvement in the Ice Breaker for boats and other vessels; Samuel Nicolson, Boston, Massachusetts, July 16.

The bow of the boat is to be provided with ice cutters, or breakers, attached to a rotating shaft actuated by a steam engine, or with permanent cutters moving with the boat; these instruments cut the ice, forward of the boat, into strips, which are broken off and forced under the surface of the water by an inclined shield attached to the bow of the boat, provided with two projecting inclined surfaces that run obliquely from the middle of the forward end to the sides, to force the