Our Local Industries.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5228, 20 October 1885, Page 2

Our Local Industries.

We may, without boasting, take credit for the excellence of our local industries. Both our looal foundries hare been kept as busy as they can be for several weeks past in executing orders, amongst others two from Mr J. B.- Perry, who was for many years a resident here, but is now at Tamwortb, New South Wales. The orders comprised a pair of double-action pumps, manufactured by Mr Judd, and a horizontalgcondensing engine and pumps from the foundry of Messrs A. and G. Price. The two double-action pumps are to work up to 200lbs to the square inch, and represents a fall of 300 ft of water, and will require a 20 inch or 24 inch cylinder engine to work them. The eight valves are 12 inch, and all made of gun metal. The bed-plate, which was cast in two pieces, was 16 feet by 6 feet. At one end of tne bed in which the cylinder stands is a large hollow tank, and on the other end are a large G feet spur wheel, a fly«wheel weighing 1 ton, and a large pulley. On the top of the valve boxes are two large castiron bends, on which stands an air vessel. The total height of the whole machinery to the top of tfcis air vessel from the ground is 14 feet. The total weight is 11 tons, that of the bed-plate alone being very nearly 4 tons. All the gearing is exactly like that of a horizontal engine, but owing to the work required to be done by these pumps up to 2001bs to the square inch, everything had to be made unusually heavy and strong—as, for instance, the piston rods were 2f inch. Every part of the work has been carried out in the most faithful and careful manner, and Mr Judd has every reason to be proud of the admirable style in which the job has been turned out. A horizontal condensing engine and pumps (on the same bed) were also manufactured by Messrs A. and G. Price for Mr Perry, and are

in two parts, is 26 feet long, and atone end, where the pumps are fitted, is a hollow box for pump suction, with an inlet on either side for water. The 30----inch cylinder has a stroke of 28 inches. The pumps are two double acting plungers with a stroke the same as that of an engine 10 inches in diameter. They are \ wrought from crosshead of engine at connecting rod joint ; this rod leads to a crank shaft on extreme end of bed which has two heavy fly wheels on each end of tbe shaft. The condenser is fitted at back of cylinder, the air pump being wrought from tail rod of piston. The valve motion is taken from an eccentric on the shaft. The pump plunger cases are connected by a pipe cross shaped to one delivery pipe, which connects with both right and left side of engine. The total weight of the whole, engine and pump, is about twenty tons, and the whole of the work has been well finished, and, as turned out, will prove a credit to the Thames. Both Mr Judd and the Messrs Price's machinery were shipped late on Saturday evening on board the ketch Lizette for Auckland, whence they will be transhipped by the s.s. Tarawera to Newcastle, New South Wales, en route to Tamworth. We learned from Mr Price that be had re ceived from the directors of the Cambria G.M.. Co. the contract for erecting a single stamper at their battery (late Queen of Beauty) for the treatment of specimens.