This book is a comprehensive guide to determining the strength of materials like timber and iron, providing rules for their application in architecture, railways, bridges, and more. It includes an appendix that goes over the power of locomotive engines and the effect of friction on machinery. Written by renowned engineers John Fry Heather, Peter Barlow, and Robert Willis, this book is an essential reference for anyone involved in building and engineering in the 19th century. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.