966 Tbansactions of the American Institute. 



February llth, 1869. 



Prcfeseor S. D. Tillman in the chair ; Mr. C. E. Emery, Secretary. 



Impkoved Carpet Stketchee. 



Mr. Charles Ruckert exhibited his carpet stretcher, which acts on 

 the principle of the toggle joint, and exerts immense force. A num- 

 ber of teeth at the end of one of the levers fastens into the carpet, 

 and on working both levers the carpet is stretched very even and 

 tight. 



Gas Burning Stove. 



Mr. John Johnson, of Saco, Maine, exhibited his gas stoves. These 

 stoves, he said, on account of being made of corrugated iron and other 

 improvements, will warm a room sixteen by sixteen feet at a cost of 

 two cents an hour. 



Improvement of New York Harbor. 



Samuel McElroy, C. E., read the following paper on this subject, 

 which is a report made by him some years since. 



In November, 1858, while engaged on the construction of the 

 Brooklyn waterworks, I was requested by George S. Howland, Esq., 

 a prominent citizen of Brooklyn, to examine the feasibility of a plan 

 suggested by him, for two or more bridge piers across the East 

 river, to be arranged for the construction of warehouses, and built 

 on blocks and piles, or other open water ways, with draw bridges ; 

 these piers to carry wings at right angles, for increased warehouse 

 construction, which was a prominent feature of the design. 



My study of this plan made it clear, that while such an arrange- 

 ment for warehouses would be highly remunerative, there were 

 several objections to open water way bridges across the East river at 

 street grade. 



From considerable experience in the naval engineer service at the 

 navy yard, of the contingencies which, both in winter and summer, 

 affect the value of Xew York harbor as to its channel entrance, 

 Battery and East river anchorage, annual ice gorges and silt deposits, 

 excessive tidal currents and otherwise ; and also in view of the 

 increasing demand for an adequate and entirely reliable means of 

 transit for persons and vehicles between New York and Brooklyn, I 

 was led to change the plan suggested by Mr. Howland to a form 

 intended to furnish an absolute relief to the harbor as the first con- 



