Now, on turning the general axle through a third quarter revolution, the second, fourth, tee. axles only turn, and every cylinder on each turns at the same time through as many tenths of a revolution as are expressed by the figure in front of the cylinder immediately on its right hand ; there is thus made, as before, an addition of the figure previously in front of the turning cylinder and the figure on its right. A turn of the general axle through a fourth quarter revolution performs also, as before, the operation of carrying where neces sary; and now the cylinders on the first axle towards the left present to the front the figures constituting the number which, in the required series, follows the given number. The like operations are to be performed for all the succeeding numbers.
We have it not in our power to do more than give the following very general notion of the mechanism by which these remarkable movements are produced. Behind each column of the cylinders on whose convex surfaces are the nine numerals with zero is a vertical axle, carrying as many pairs of wheels, one above another, as there are cylinders. The upper wheel in each pair acts as a driving wheel to the cylinder, and has besides, on its circumference, teeth like those of an inverted crown wheel, and both wheels are capable of being connected with or disconnected from their common axle; the lower wheel carries on its upper surface an inclined plane, and between the two wheels is a bolt with two pins which project from it, one above and the other below. By the revolution of that wheel, the inclined plane is carried under the lower pin, and thus the upper pin is enabled to enter between two teeth in the crown wheel or to disengage itself from them. Another axle, in a vertical position behind the former, carries projecting bars which, when the axle is turned by the moving power, press upon the bolts and cause the pins to move up or down as above mentioned. This engagement and release of the inverted crown wheel are the means by which the cylinder is made to de scribe such part of a revolution as is required; and when the cylinder is to remain at rest while those on other axles turn round, an apparatus provided for the purpose removes out of its place the bar which should press against the end of the bolt. The process of carrying is accomplished by a bar on the axis of a cylinder, which at a proper time comes against the extremity of a claw ; and this then engages itself between the teeth of a ratchet wheel connected with the next cylinder.
In order to transfer to copper-plates results obtained from the machine, a curvili near bar of metal is to act on an arm of lever so as to raise it to ten different heights corresponding to the ten figures on the surface of each cylinder, and the opposite arm of lever is to move an arch carrying ten punches having on them in relief, the ten characters 1, 2, 3, &c. to 0. A bent lever is to press tin punch upon the copper-plate and produce tin impressions of the figure.
Various circumstances, concerning whit] there has been much discussion in Parliament and among men of science, have led to the suspension of the construction of this superl machine : a subject of great regret. Tin portion which has been already executed h now in the library of King's College, London and it is capable of producing tables of th( powers and roots of numbers not extendii4 beyond eight places of figures.
Ed.mondson's Railway Ticket Machine con sists of a series of multiplying wheels, with i stamping and cutting instrument in the inte rim There is an index wheel whose disc is engraved with letters and numbers corre sponding with those on an inner wheel, When the pasteboard material is and the machine set in motion by hand, the cards ready printed, numbered, and dated are ejected with great rapidity into a receiving box, ready packed and sorted for delivery; and the machine itself tells with unerring accuracy the number of tickets it has struck off. Machines of this kind are now exten sively used at railway stations. Nothing can be more beautiful than the arithmetical accu racy with which this machine delivers and tells off an immense number of tickets in a brief period.
Baranowski's calculating or registering machine, recently introduced, is intended to facilitate many commercial operations. One form of the machine is adapted to the prompt calculation of goods per ton, cwt., or lb., or for the calculation of monies per day, month, or year. By adjusting a slide displaying the given sum, and turning a wheel, the amount per year, or week, or month is given in a mar ginal slide, which is developed by the opera tion. Mr. Baranowski has patented various modifications of his machine, adapted for numbering, stamping, and registering.