Iviii 



C. Shaler Smith exhibited an interesting specimen, being the 

 head of a pile of resinous pine which had been driven by a pile- 

 driver w^eighing 4,700 lbs., delivering 300 blows per minute. The 

 top of the pile had been encircled by an iron ring, and just below 

 the ring the fibre of the wood had been upset, and the heat devel- 

 oped had set the wood on fire, so that the whole top burned off 

 and could be lifted oft' as a cap. 



Dr. T. G. Comstock was elected to associate membership. 



JVovember 1, 1880. 



Dr. E. Sander in the chair. Five members present. 



The Corresponding Secretary presented a collection of papers 

 from the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining En- 

 giners — the gift of Edwin Harrison — which were accepted with 

 a vote of thanks. 



The evening was devoted to business. 



November 15, 1880. 



Hon. A. Todd in the chair. Nine members present. 

 Mr. Holmes made some remarks on the antiquity of man in 

 the Rocky Mountain region. 



Mr. Nipher explained the action of the Bell photophone. 



December 6, 1880. 



Dr. Geo. Engelmann, President, in the chair. Nine members 

 present. 



Mr. Nipher made the following report on the 



METEOROLOGY OF NOVEMBER. 



The November just passed has been remarkable for the low temperature 

 reached, it having been the coldest ever observed in St. Louis. The mean 

 temperature at the University was 34°, although two other stations in St. 

 Louis gave a mean of 32°.!. 



Previous to this year, the lowest mean November temperatures observed 

 by Engelmann were— 1838, 34°. 7; in 1872, 36°.!; in 1S58, 37°. 6, and in 

 1842, 37°.7. Twelve times since 1837 the temperature has fallen below 40°, 



