ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OP' SCIENCE. (AMKBICAX.) 27 



short-time phenomena was dwelt upon, and the 

 rr-ults obtained liy the application of the photo- 

 graphic metliod were presented. This address 

 I'rof. Nichols illustrated by photographs, in one 

 of which he showed a bullet in flight, photo- 

 graphed in nn interval so brief that the missile 

 seemed at rest. In another picture the bullet 

 was shown in the act of shattering a pane of 

 t,'l,t with all the incidental perturbation of the 

 surrounding air. 



The following-named papers were read and 

 discussed before this section : 



" Application of Intert'erential Methods to Measure- 

 ment.^ nt' Kxpansion of Long Bare," by Edward W. 

 Morley and William A. Huir'T- ; "\ Preliminary 

 Study of the Constants of the Morley Interferential 

 Comparator" and "On the Effect of Evaporation 

 upon the Relative Dimensions of Bars of Metal par- 

 tially submerged in Water," by William A. Rogers; 

 "On Physical Addition or Composition," by Alex- 

 ander Macfarlane ; " Some Rapid Changes of Poten- 

 tial studied hy Means of a Curve- Writing Voltmeter," 

 liv (ienrge S. Moler; " Some Applications of Eleetrie 

 ifeatiiiLT in Physical Laboratory Practice," by Edward 

 L. Nichols; "Note on the Use of a Rotating Disk in 

 Photometry," by Ervin S. Ferry ; " Irregularities in 

 Alternate Current Curves," by Frederick Bedell, K. 

 B. Miller, and W. F. Wagner ; " Experiments with an 

 Alternate Current Condenser," by Frederick Bedell ; 

 "On the Elasticity of Metals" and "Fatigue in the 

 Elasticity of Stretching," by Joseph O. Thompson; 

 44 The Elastic Strength of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous 

 Dielectrics," by Alexander Macfarlane and G. W. 

 Pierce j " Elastic Properties of Glass," by William S. 

 Franklin and L. B. Spinney ; " On So-called Nega- 

 tive Lightning" (with lantern illustrations), by W. 

 LeConte Stevens ; " An Automatic Toepler Pump," 

 by Edward W. Morley ; " Note on the Surface Ten- 

 sion of Liquids" (with lantern illustrations), by Er- 

 nest F. Nicnols ; " The Eifect of Temperature and 

 of Electric Driving on the Period of Tuning Forks," 

 by John S. Shearer; "On the Continuous Spectrum 

 ot the Alkalies," by Benjamin W. Snow " Electro- 

 lytic Polarization," by John Daniel ; and '' An Ap- 

 paratus for the Generation of Oxygen and Hydrogen 

 by Electrolysis," by Edward L. Nichols and George 

 S. Moler. 



C. Chemistry. The vice-president in charge 

 of the section was Prof. Edward Hart, who fills 

 the chair of Chemistry at Lafayette College, Eas- 

 ton, Pa. His address was entitled "Twenty- 

 five Years' Progress in Analytical Chemistry." 

 " One of the marked changes in analytical meth- 

 ods which the lapse of years has brought about 

 is in the time necessary for their performance. 

 In 1868 analyses were made, almost without ex- 

 ception, by persons usually employed in teach- 

 ing. Only here and there in the larger cities an 

 adventurous pioneer, depending altogether for 

 support upon fees received for doing analytical 

 work, had established himself. Nowadays care- 

 ful analysis is the foundation stone of nearly all 

 our larger industries, and the number of deter- 

 minations made has increased a millionfold." 

 Then taking up his subject more in detail, he re- 

 ferred to the steps through which the analysis of 

 iron had been developed. Determinations of sili- 

 con, that formerly required a day, were now made 

 in fifteen minutes. The number of efficient 

 chemists had largely increased. In 1868, in the 

 Lehigh valley, there were not more than three 

 competent analysts, while to-day there were 

 more than fifty. Methods of mineral analyses 

 and the improvements made in them were dis- 

 cussed quite fully. A greater knowledge of the 



chemical nature of the metals had created new 

 uses for them. These were mentioned. Im- 

 provements in chemical apparatus were cited, 

 and the torsion balance of I)r. Alfred Springer, 

 of Cincinnati, indicated as one of American in- 

 vention. This led to a mention of improved 

 chemical reagents. The value of electrolytic 

 methods in analytical chemistry, and the devel- 

 opments in this direction, were discussed. Vol- 

 u metrical analysis and spectrum analysis received 

 their share of treatment in the advances made, 

 and these were briefly pointed out. In closing, 

 he called attention to the fact that the chemists 

 in this country had contributed no little pro- 

 portion to the advancement made, and begged 

 that this be not forgotten when the subject was 

 considered. Those who advanced the practical 

 part were worthy of praise equally with those 

 who devoted themselves to the theory. " Be- 

 cause they do not devote their lives to a study 

 of the behavior of orthochlorparapropyl benzene 

 with sulfonitro - protocatechnic acid therefore 

 we should not hold their work worthy of con- 

 tempt." 



The following-named papers were read and 

 discussed before this section : 



" On the Atomic Weight of Oxygen," by Edward 

 W. Morley ; " The Acetyl and Benzoyl Derivatives of 

 the Pentoses," by Winthrop E. Stone: "The Elec- 

 trolytic Oxidation of Glycerol," bv Winthrop E. Stone 

 and H. N. McCoy ; " The Constitution of Paraldehyde 

 and Metaldehyde," by William R. Orndorff and John 

 White; "The Action of Sodium on Acetone," by 

 Paul C. Freer ; " Some Experiments on Sampling by 

 Quartation," by Porter W. Shinier and S. K. Rief- 

 snyder; "Solubility of Lead Oxide in the Normal 

 Tartrates and other Normal Organic Salts, with Obser- 

 vations on the Rotary Power of the Solutions thus Ob- 

 tained," by Louis Kahlenber^ and Homer W. llill- 

 yer ; " The Analysis of Lubricating Oils containing 

 ' Blown ' Rape-seed and ' Blown ' Cotton-seed Oils, 

 by Thomas B. Stillman; "On the Nitrites of some 

 Amines " and " Natural Gas from New Lisbon, Ohio," 

 by William A. Noyes: " Narceine, a New Formula 

 and New Derivatives " and " The Structural Formula 

 for Narceine and its Synthesis from Narcotine Pseudo- 

 Narceine," by George B. Frankforter ; " A Tempered 

 Steel Meteorite," by Edward Goldsmith ; " On the 

 Occurrence and Distribution of Nitrogen in Deep 

 Artesian Wells of the Mississippi Basin" and " The 

 Action of Gaseous Hydrochloric Acid and Oxygen 

 on the Platinum Metals," by Erastus G. Smith ; " The 

 Electro-Deposition of Iridium : a Method of Maintain- 

 ing the Uniform Composition of an Electroplating 

 Bath without the use of an Anode," by William L. 

 Dudley ; " The Advantages of Extended Examinations 

 of River Waters," by E. H. S. Bailey and Edward ('. 

 Franklin ; " On the Systematic Errors affecting all 

 the Atomic Weights of Stars" and " On a Review of 

 Atomechanics," by Gustavus Hinrichs; and "An Un- 

 usual Form of Calcium Glycerate," by Launcelot W. 

 Andrews. 



D. Mechanical Science and Engineering. 

 The president of this section was Prof. Stillman 

 W. Robinson, of the University of Ohio, who de- 

 livered an address on " Recent Advances in Me- 

 chanical Science." 



Three facts support the proposition for sys- 

 tematic training in the sciences underlying the 

 profession of the engineer, viz.: 1. The impor- 

 tant present and future bearing of engineering 

 practice upon the welfare of the country. 



2. The comprehensiveness of the training, 

 embracing the fundamental principle of all the 

 mechanical arts and manufactures. 



