18-lS.l 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



87 



its feet to the ground nearly under the middle of its body, and the thumb- 

 like toes are seen to turn to the right and to the left in the alternate pairs; 

 while in tlie American tracks, which form two parallel rows, all the thumb- 

 like toes in one set turn to the right, and in the other set to the left. Mr. 

 I.yell infers, therefore, that the American cheirotherium belongs to a new 

 genus of reptilian quadrupeds, wholly distinct from that which characterises 

 the triassic strata of Europe ; and such a generic diversity, he observes, 

 might have been expected in reptilian fossils of such different ages. The 

 geological position of the sandstone of Greensburg is perfectly clear, being 

 situated in the midst of the Appalachian coal-field, having the main bed of 

 coal, called the Pittsburg seam, a hundred feet above it worked in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and several other seams of coal at lower levels. The impressions 

 of lepidodendron, sigillaria, stigmaria, and other carboniferous plants, are 

 found both above and below the level of the reptilian footsteps. Mr. Lyell 

 then adverted to some spurious fossil foot-prints of dogs, hoofed quadru- 

 peds, birds, and other creatures seen on the surface of ledges of a soft 

 guartzose sandstone in the neighbourhood of Greensburg, which had been 

 confounded with the fossil ones. He pointed out the proofs that these had 

 been carved by the ancient inhabitants of America, whose graves are seen 

 in the vicinity ; and that the Indian hunters had sculptured similar bird- 

 tracks, together with human foot-prints, in solid limestone of the State of 

 Missouri, — the true origin of which was first explained by Mr. D. D. Owen, 

 of Indiana. 



To illustrate the mode of interpreting fossil foot-prints in geology, Mr. 

 Lyell gave a sketch of the discovery of three distinct species of cheirothe- 

 rium in Europe, — and explained bow, after it had been conjectured by Link 

 that they might belong to gigantic hatrachians, Mr. Owen found, by exa- 

 mining the teeth and bones of reptiles of triassic age, that three different 

 species of air-breathing reptiles of the batrachian order, referable to a new 

 genus, labyrinthodon, had existed, both in Germany and England, at that 

 period ; their fossil bones indicating that they were air-breathers, and there 

 being as great a disparity in size between the bones of their anterior and 

 posterior extremities as between the fore and hind foot-prints of the several 

 cheirotheria. To account for the sharpness of the casts of cheirotherium 

 on the under surfaces of slabs of sandstone, Mr. Lyell adverted to the man- 

 ner in which he had seen, on the sea-beach, near Savannah in Georgia, a 

 cloud of fine sand drifted by the wind filling up the foot-prints of racoons 

 and opossums, which, a few hours before, bad passed along the shore after 

 the retreat of the tide. Allusion was also made to the recent foot-prints of 

 birds called sandpipers {Tringa minuta), which Mr. Lyell saw running, in 

 1842, over the red mud thrown down every tide along the borders of estua- 

 ries connected with the Bay of Fundy, in Nova Scotia. These consist both 

 of impressions on the upper surfaces and of casts in relief on the under sides 

 of successive layers of red mud (see Lyell's " Travels in North America," 

 vol. ii. p. 166), — of which he has presented a specimen to the British Mu- 

 seum. The ancient foot-prints of more than thirty species of birds found 

 fossil in the new red sandstone or trias of the valley of the Connecticut 

 river, in Massachusetts, were stated to be analogous to these modern bird- 

 tracks ; and the size of the largest, although they indicate a biped more 

 huge than the ostrich, is exceeded in magnitude by the gigantic deiuornis of 

 New Zealand — of which nearly the entire skeleton has just been found fossil 

 by Mr. Walter Mantell. The absence hitherto of the bones of birds in the 

 ancient American strata of the triassic period appears to Mr. Lyell quite 

 intelligible; for the circumstances which combine to cause foot-prints of 

 landpipers in the recent mud of the Bay of Fundy, repeated throughout 

 many superimposed layers, have no tendency to preserve any bones of the 

 same birds, — and none have yet been ever observed in cutting trenches 

 through the red mud, where it has been laid dry by artificial embankments 

 and drained. 



In all the cases of foot-prints, hoth fossil and recent, and whether made 

 by quadrupeds or bipeds, the lecturer insisted on the necessity of assuming 

 that the creatures were air-breathers, for their weight would not have been 

 sufficient under water to have made impressions so deep and distinct. The 

 same conclusion is borne out by the evidence derived from the casts of 

 (racks produced in the same strata, by shrinkage, and so generally accom- 

 panying the impressions of feet ; and it was remarked that similar effects of 

 dessication are observable in the recent red mud of Nova Scotia, where 

 thousands of acres are dried by the sun in summer, between the spring and 

 neap tides. The ripple mark also so common in strata of every age, and 

 among others in the coal measures, and new red sandstone of Germany, 

 England, and America, exemplifies the accurate preservation of superficial 

 markings of strata, often less prominent than those caused by the tread of 

 reptiles or large birds. As the discovery of three species of cheirotheria 

 was soon followed by the recognition of as many species of labyrinthodon, 

 so the announcement by Dr. King, in 1844, of reptilian foot-prints in the 

 coal strata of Pennsylvania, has been followed by the news lately received 

 from Germany, that in the ancient coal measures of Saarbruck, near Treeves, 

 the antiquity of which is vouched for by Von Dechen, Prof. Goldfuss has 

 found the skeleton of a true saurian. Dr. Falconer, after a cursory exa- 

 mination of the original specimen, has stated his opinion in favour of its 

 reptilian character, and although the evidence has not yet been rigourously 

 tested by the most eminent comparative osteologists of Europe, Mr. Lyell 

 believes that the opinion of Prof. Goldfuss and Dr. Falconer will be con- 

 firmed. Such facts should serve to put us on our guard against premature 

 generalizations founded on mere negative evidence, and caution us not to 



assume the present limits of our knowledge of the time of the first appear- 

 ance of any class of beings in a fossil state to be identical with the date of 

 the first creaiiiin of such beings. 



FROCSBOINGS OF SCIEiWTiriC SOCIETIES. 



INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. 



Jan. 2C.— J. E. M'Connell, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



The first annual general meeting of the raeinbers of this Institution took 

 place at Birmingham, in the theatre of the Philosophical Institution, for the 

 purpose of receiving the Report of the Council and for the general trans- 

 action of business. There were present nearly 100 members. 



Mr. M'Connell said that as this was the anniversary of the establish- 

 ment of the Institution, he would content himself with referring to the 

 Report about to he read for the confirmation, he might say, of the mors 

 than realised hopes of the most sanguine promoters of the Institulion. lU 

 was gratified to see so large a meeting, and regretted the unexpected abseiic* 

 of the President. 



The Report of the Council was then read. It contained a brief outline of 

 the proceedings of the Institution for the past year: — The desirableness and 

 importance of founding a society such as this was known to have been long 

 and extensively felt by the engineering and mechanical profession in all parts 

 of the kingdom, and it is not too much to venture to say, that the best 

 expectations of the active and zealous promoters of the Institution bav« 

 been fully realised, and a great amount of scientific and valuable information 

 has been beneficially and mutually interchanged and diffused amongst tlis 

 members. In reviewing the matter and subjects brought under the notic* 

 and discussion of the members, as recorded and detailed in the minutes and 

 proceedings of the Institution, the Council felt it their duty to acknowledge 

 and particularise the following valuable aid : — the two papers on the " Fan- 

 Blast," by Mr. Buckle ; on a " Self-Acting Break," by the President ; on an 

 "Inverted Arch Bridge," by Mr. Cowper ; on "Locomotive Engines," by 

 Mr. Beyer; on a " Turn-Table Lathe," by Mr. A Slate; on "Jones's Gas 

 Exhauster," by Mr. Clift ; on a " Direct Action Steam Helve or Hammer," 

 by Mr. H. Smith. 



The following recommendation of the Council was then read : — 



" The Council, having had under their consideration the question of the 

 number of the members of the Council, have resolved to recommend to ths 

 members of the Institution to authorise the Council for the present year Co 

 add to their number, so as to place one member of Council, or more, as may 

 be considered desirable, in each district where such may be advantageous to 

 the interests of the Institution." 



A resolution to the above effect having been proposed, was carried unani- 

 mously. 



The officers for the ensuing year were then re-elected, viz. : — Mr. G. Sts- 

 phenson, President ; Mr. C. Beyer, J. E. M'Connell, and J. Mdler, Vice- 

 Presidents ; Messrs. W. Buckle, E. A. Cowper, B. Fothergill, E. Humphreys, 

 and A. Slate, Council ; Mr. C. Goocb, Treasurer; Mr. A. Kintrea, Secretary. 



After the conclusion of the business connected with the annual general 

 meeting, the following papers were read : — 



HYDRAULIC LIFTING JiCK. 

 " Description of a New Hydraulic Lifting Jack." By Mr. Ald. Thork- 



TON. 



The principle of this jack is the same as that of the hydraulic press, but 

 not having been before applied to a lifting jack, it is thought that the present 

 application of it will be useful for a variety of purposes. Its advantages 

 are, the ease and steadiness with which a great weight can be raised by one 

 person ; the facility with which the lowering of the weight can be regulated 

 without labour, and from there being no circular motion of the handle, there 

 can be no tendency in the jack to twist from the position in which it is 

 placed ; also by the use of strong wrougbt-iron tubes for the cylinder and 

 ram, the weight of the jack is less than others now known. This jack can 

 be used in all cases where others are available, and in some where others 

 are not so, for the motion of the lever being vertical instead of lateral, it 

 can be used wherever there is sufficient width to place it. With a jack of 

 the size shown one man can lift from 15 to 20 tons weight. Mr. Thornton 

 said although the jack was not new in principle, one of its great advantages 

 was to be found in the additional power which it gave to one man to raise 

 so great a weight. 



The Chairman said he presumed they all understood the description 

 given by Mr. Thornton. The jack displayed itself by its own appearance 

 and the drawing. So far as the trial he had had with it went, be had every 

 reason to be satisfied. It was very simple, acted very nicely, and he thought 

 it was a very ingenious improvement. 



Mr. Crampton wished to know if it had ever tumbled down ? 



Mr. MiDDLEToN said all persons acquainted with such things must be 

 fully aware that they could not get a jack boxed up. Until, however, an 

 alteration could be made in the handle, it could not be considered a good 

 thing practically. 



Mr. Slate observed that though a jack might not be practically good 

 when placed in atumbling position, it might be good in other cases. A jack 



