ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



43 



of Mars," whose existence the paper tended to 

 throw into discredit. 



The physical section was well represented. 

 The address by Albert A. Michelson \v, 

 voted to a consideration of the problems in re- 

 lation to light-waves. A report on the teach- 

 ing of physics was presented on behalf of a 

 committee by Thomas C. Mendenhall. It took 

 full cognizance of the increased knowledge of 

 teachers and their consequent adaptability for 

 more advanced work in the elementary schools. 

 For the latter experimental work was recom- 

 mended. For college courses three hours a 

 week during the junior year was suggested as 

 a minimum. The report elicited considerable 

 discussion. AV. Le Conte Stevens's paper on 

 "The Qualities of Musical Sounds" was of 

 much interest as asserting that difference of 

 phase among the components of a sound affect- 

 ed its quality. Edward L. Nichols and AV. S, 

 Franklin described some experiments they had 

 made to determine the velocity of the electric 

 current. Although their method would have 

 detected a current of one thousand million 

 metres a second, it gave only negative results, 

 tending to prove that the velocity sought was 

 in excess of this amount. Edward P. Hovrland 

 read a practical paper on instantaneous pho- 

 tography, treating of the necessary conditions 

 for its success. He recommended as an illu- 

 minant a mixture of sulphur and magnesium. 

 He gave an interesting lecture, with experi- 

 ments, on the same subject. 



The chemical section was largely occupied 

 with a discussion of methods of water analy- 

 sis. A committee handed in its report, stat- 

 ing the progress made, and was continued. 

 "The Presence and Significance of Ammonia 

 in Potable Waters" was admirablv treated by 

 E. S. H. Bailey. Albert W. Smith spoke on 

 the subject of water and water-supply, with 

 special reference to Cleveland ; while the brines 

 from the gas-wells near the same city were 

 discussed by Charles F. Mabery and Herbert 

 H. Dow. A paper of great interest was pre- 

 sented by William P. Mason, of the Rensselaer 

 Polytechnic Institute, on " Fatal Poisoning by 

 Carbon Monoxide." It described the fatal acci- 

 dents due to an escape of fuel-gas at Troy. X. 

 Y., on Jan. 6, 1887. Three deaths and a num- 

 ber of cases of serious illness resulted. T! e 

 autopsies disclosed nothing abnormal except the 

 vivid redness of the tissues and blood. The 

 latter showed absorption bands due to the car- 

 bon monoxide, and a specimen was exhibited 

 that still showed the characteristic color and 

 absorption spectrum. In the di-cussion that 

 this paper elicited, William S. Dudley spoke 

 of cigarette- smoking, and traced its evil effects 

 to the inhalation of the products of combus- 

 tion containing carbon monoxide. The prod- 

 ucts from one and one fourth cigarette killed 

 a mouse, and its death was found to be due to 

 this gas and not to nicotine or any other alka- 

 loid. The vice-president's address in this sec- 

 tion, by Charles E. Munroe, presented the ad- 



vanced views of chemistry, as developed by 

 the labors of Mendelejeff and those who have 

 followed in his steps in their endeavors to sys- 

 tematize chemistry. The title of the address 

 was " Some Phases in the Progress of Chemis- 

 try." The committee on indexing chemical 

 literature presented its sixth report. 



The section of mechanical science and en- 

 gineering was somewhat delayed in its work 

 by the absence of its vice-president. Calvin M. 

 Woodward, but Charles H. J. Woodbury, of 

 Boston. Mass., was elected to fill his place. 

 The Nicaragua and the Panama canals loth 

 were subjects of papers, the former being 

 treated of by Robert E. Peary, the latter by 

 AVolfred Nelson. " The Influence of Alumin- 

 ium upon Cast-iron,'' as in the well-known 

 "mitis castir.gs." v as the subject of a p.vper 

 by AVilliam J. Keep, ar.d a discussion by A\ ill- 

 iam J. Keep. Charles F. Mabery, and L. D. 

 Yorce. The first-named read a paper detailing 

 its beneficial effects upon stove-castings, and 

 gave the foundation for the debate alluded to. 

 The quality ot the castings, it was shown, wrs 

 in every way in proved by the addition of s-mall 

 amounts of the metal in que.-tion. By repeated 

 remeltings of a given sample, followed by a 

 coresponding series of analyses, it was shown 

 that the aluminium remained in the metal, and 

 did not, practically speaking, disappear to any 

 extent. Much of its influence on the final cast- 

 ings was due to the fact that it kept the carbcn 

 in the graphitic form, precluding the possibility 

 of white iron. 



In the geological and geographical section a 

 number of interesting papers on geological 

 subjects were read, but geography was omit- 

 ted from the programme. A large number 

 cf speakers ga\e the results of their observa- 

 tions and studies. George H. Cook, the vice- 

 ] resident, in his address, spoke on the "Inter- 

 national geological congress, and our part in it 

 as American geologists.'' He gave briefly the 

 history of the congress ar.d its efforts to s(t- 

 tle upon fixed systems of nomenclature. :.r.d 

 colors for indicating different formations en 

 geological maps. He made the plea that the 

 American -workers should be more actively 

 represented, and that names less local, geo- 

 graphical, and strange, should be adopted for 

 different formations. The labors of John S. 

 Newberry, as usual, were represented by sev- 

 eral papers, one on the oil- fields of Colorado, 

 and others on palseontological subjects. Sources 

 of oil and gas recently discovered in Ohio, 

 Kentucky, and Indiana, -were described by Ed- 

 ward Orton. A new form of geological map 

 was exhibited by J. T. B. Ives. It consists of 

 a series of colored pasteboards, each of which 

 represents a geological system, the most recent 

 rocks forming the highest layer. AVhere rocks 

 of a given system do not exist they are cut out 

 of the pasteboard representing them. Then ly 

 placing these different layers one upon the 

 other a geological map is produced, valuable 

 for purposes of instruction. 



