£l28 transactions of the 



JuTit 24, 1857. 



Present — Messis. Tillman, Haskell, Leonard, Stetson, Fisher, 

 Waterman, Clough, Batler, Knight, and others — twentj-six mem- 

 bers in all. 



The regular chairman being absent, S. D. Tillman was elected 

 pro tempore. Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following articles taken from the works 

 received by the Institute, since the last meeting, viz : 



A valuable notice of the liability of gutta percha to decay. 



[Jonmal of the Society of Arts, London, March 13, 1857.] 



DECAY OF GUTTA PERCHA. 



The following observations on the state of the underground 

 wires of the British Electric Telegraph company, are given from 

 two reports of Mr. Edward Highton, to the directors of that com- 

 pany. 



Having understood that the wires south of Berkhamstead had 

 failed, in many parts, I went there yesterday with a view of en- 

 deavoring to ascertain the cause of such failure. I selected for 

 examination a district commencing about a mile to the south of 

 Berkhampstead. I selected a length where the wires passed near 

 the roots of oak trees, and then near the roots of ash, and Italian 

 poplars, with only one oak tree among them. I found the wires 

 and wooden boxing had failed, and had been renewed for several 

 yards, in passing every single oak tree, including the isolated one 

 above mentioned, and nowhere else ! 



I had the earth removed from the wires at various places, and 

 selected in particular, those spots where the newly replaced wires 

 and boxes joined the old wires and boxes. I found boxes laid 

 down in March last, in a state of decomposition, while old box- 

 ing, put down two or three years ago, and within seven yards of 

 the same, was perfect. I have found the wires perfectly good, 

 amd completely rotten within seven yards of each other. 



This proved the action to be local. My attention was then 

 directed to the probable cause of the decay. On opening the 

 first part where the wires were decayed, I observed a remarkable 

 peculiarity in the soil; I detected at once a whitish looking plant, 

 resembling the spawn of the mushroom, or of some other fungus, 



