14 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



parcels can be thus carried from London to Paris in 3 hours 

 at a charge of a halfpenny an ounce so as to leave a profit. 

 One of the most sensational surprises which the Germans have 

 given us is the long range gun used to bombard Paris from 

 a distance of 75 miles. It is considered that the shell must 

 traverse for a large portion of its course, high parts of the 

 atmosphere of extreme tenuity where the resistance is small, 

 and that the initial velocity must be about 5,000 feet per 

 second. The great demands on steel for war purposes have 

 led to the building of wooden ships in America for freight 

 purposes, but in this country wood is probably too scarce 

 at present to be thus used, and the output of steel has been 

 greatly increased since the w r ar began. Another material 

 which has been used is reinforced concrete, but time is re- 

 quired to shew how far this is trustworthy. It is strong 

 when used for buildings, but liable to cracks under strain. 

 The work of lifting into position the central span of the 

 Quebec bridge was successfully completed last September, 

 the weight being 5,000 tons and the height 150 feet. Another 

 large work lately finished is the Arrowrock dam in Idaho, 

 U.S.A., which is 348 feet high, 1,100 feet long, and 140 feet 

 thick at the base and composed of reinforced concrete. In 

 the present difficulty about coal, the water power available 

 in the various countries is assuming more importance. 

 In England this is unfortunately very limited, being estimated 

 at only 396,000 horse-power as against 9,200,000 in France, 

 and somewhat smaller amounts in other countries. Experi- 

 ments have shewn that one of the best methods of storing 

 coal is under water, in which case it surfers no deterioration. 

 Coal gas stored in cylinders or otherwise has in some cases 

 taken the place of petrol for motor omnibuses and taxis, 

 and is probably capable of further development, 250 c. feet 

 of gas being about an equivalent of one gallon of petrol. 

 A prize of 1,000 has been offered by the Automobile Associa- 

 tion in connection with this subject. It seems doubtful 

 whether petroleum exists under the surface in this country, 

 but there seems somd prospect of attempts being made to 



