MECHANICS' CLUB. 



Organized March 2, 1854. 



May 14, 1856. 



The first meeting of the season was held on Wednesday the 14th 

 day of May, 1856. 



Present — Messrs. Backus, Leonard, Tillman, Larned, Godwin, 

 Chambers, Creamer, Demorest, Erower, Dr. Smith, Crossley, Row- 

 ley, Breisach,DuHamel, Counsellor of the Russian Empire, Hiram 

 Dixon, and others — 34 members in all. 



The regular chairman, Samuel D. Backus, presided. Henry 

 Meigs, Secretary. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



The Secretary called the attention of the Club to the very large 

 glass plates recently imported from Lancashire, England, now at 

 the store of Roosevelt& Son, 94 Maiden Lane. These plates are 

 149 by 86 inches, and are three-eighths of an inch thick. Some 

 are now in Lancashire 200 by 140, polished, and weigh 2,000 lbs. 

 These plates remind me of the grand mirror plates made more 

 than a century ago by the Kings of Spain, at St. Ildephonso, near 

 Madrid. They were made for the Royal Palace, and for presents 

 to friendly monarchs. They are said to have been spotless, and 

 weighed each about three thousand pounds, and cost immense 

 sums of money. 



Mr. Leonard introduced Mr. Crossley of Boston, who exhibited 

 and explained his new patent printing machine for carpets. A 

 beautiful brass model of the large one, which when in operation, 

 prints any desired design on the carpet by vertical force, so as to 

 avoid all the imperfection to which roller printing is liable. The 

 cloth being brought regularly under the print block by an endless 



