55S 



A'.-i TURE 



[October 4, 1S94 



PHYSICS ASD EXCrXEERIXG AT THE 

 M.GILL L\\'IVERS1T\\ MOXTKEAL. 



CO long ago 3S 1S55, Sir William D.-iwson pointed out ihe im- 

 "^ portance to the McGill L'niversiiy of a depailment of prac- 

 tical science. But though some attempt was ma<>e 10 carry out 

 the sugges'.ion, little success was obtained until 1S7S, when the 

 department was constiiiited a Faculty of Applied Science, with 

 Prof. M. T. Bovey as Dean. The Faculty passed through many 

 vicissitude>, but it was placed on a firm basis at the beginnmg 

 of last year, by the opening of well-furnished workshops and 

 laboratories equipped with ihe best and mo.-t modern apparatus 

 for scientific investigations in all kinds of engineering and 

 physics. .-V description of the opening ceremonies has lately 

 oeen published in a souvenir volume, together with descriptions 

 of the main features of the laboratories. We are indebted to 

 this volume for the following informition, and to Dean Bovey 

 for the accompanying illustration^. 



The McDonald Engineering Building, erected and equipped 



only twenty-three thousand pounds were asked for to erect and 

 equip the Engineering Laboratory of the University of Cam- 

 bridge. The exact amount of ^Ir. McDonald's benefactions 

 has not been told, but they are certainly nearer -even than six 

 figures. Everything, in fact, lei^uired in the pur.-uit of physical 

 and engineering study has been lavishly provided. Few occu- 

 piers of chairs of Physics here are in the fortunate position of 

 Prof. Cox. lie was instructed 10 spare no expense in obtain- 

 ing everything required to carry on work in experimental 

 physics. "From lirst to last," he says, "whether it was a 

 question of part of the buildings or of the eijuipment, I have 

 heard no other langunge from Mr. McDonald tiian ' Let us have 

 everything of the best, with a definite aim for everything, but 

 always the best.' " 



TheThermodynaniicLaboralory(Fig. l), inwhichheatengincs 

 are studied, has a vcrv notable equipment. 



The gre.at feature of interest is a four-cylinder steam engine 

 arranged double tandem fashion, and intended for use in a large 

 number of totally dilTeienl ways. This machine, designed by 



fltt. I.— Thermodjnamic LA^ornto^y. 



through the munificence of Mr. W. C. McDjnald, one ol the 

 Governors of the University, is a fine structure cont.iining 

 laboratories for all branches of engineering work. The Physic* 

 Building owes its existence to the generosity of the same donor. 

 It has been designed fur the leaching and study of physics 

 (including mechanics) with special regard to (1) its intrinsic 

 importance as an integral part of a liberal education in the 

 Faculty of .\rl5 ; (2) its essential necessity as a study pre- 

 liminary to the courses of engineering, mining, anil practical 

 chemistry in Ihe Faculty of Applied .Science, and (3) the pro- 

 secution of scientific research. The completeness and liberality 

 with which all the necessary plant has been put into these 

 buildings may be judged from the ace impanying illustrations 

 and brief descriptions. Ii will astonish the various aulhoii'ies 

 who have similar technical insliiules under their control in this 

 country, to know that ihe cost of the equipment alone of the two 

 buildings came lo very nearly one hundred thousand pounds 

 ilerling '. Compare this princely generosity with ihc fa:t that 



NO I 30 I, VOL. so] 



Messrs. Schonhcyder .-ind Druilt Ilalpin, of London, under the 

 general direction of Prof. C.Trus-Wilson, of Mcllill College, 

 was manufactured by Messry. Vales and Thorn, lil.ickburn. 



The engine may be described as a double tandem inverted 

 direct acting quadruple expansion engine, to work at 200 Hit. 

 pressure on the gauge, dcveloj^ing eighty horse-power at aboul 

 150 revolutions. 'J'he two engines may be uncoupled froui each 

 other, and run at HiiTercnt rates of speed on the plan profiosed 

 by Mr. John I. Thornycroft, and already carried out on the 

 triple cxpanvion engines 3t the Owens College, Manchester ; and 

 in this way the advantages of variation of relative cylinder volume 

 ate to some extent obtained. 



Tfic measurement of the power delivered to the brakes is 

 made by me.ms of hydraulic brakes of Ihe types designed 

 by the late K. L. Froude, and improved by Prof. Oiborne 

 Reynolds. 



'1 he steam pipes about the C)linders arc so arranged that Ibe 

 engines may run either quadruple, iriple, double, or single ex- 



