586 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Mr. Holley, of Buffalo, was invited to speak on the question 

 before the Club. He did so. 



Mr. Meigs, the Secretary, said that the oscillation was owing 

 to tlie irregular surfaces of the rails, none of whose bars could 

 maintain the right line under pressure of the locomotive and 

 train; and that upon a solid right line there could be no oscilla- 

 tion at any velocity whatever. 



Mr. Stetson, Mr. Butler, and others, spoke on the subject. 



Mr. Holley said that the history of the steam engine in the 

 United States ought to be written. It is a great desideratum, 

 and he was disposed to undertake it, although it would be a 

 heavy one, requiring study in all the engine makers' establish- 

 ments. It would require steady work for a year or two. 



The question for next meeting adopted by the committee is, 



" The building of walls impervious to heat and moisture," pro- 

 posed by Mr. Tillman. 



The Club then adjourned. HENRY MEIGS, Sec. 



March 26, 1856. 



Present — Messrs. Samuel D. Backus, President Pell, Judge 

 Scoville, Messrs. Ebbitts, Wright, Dr. Reid, of Edinburgh, Till- 

 man, Butler, Stetson, and others. Thirty members. 



Samuel D. Backus, the Chairman of the Club, stated the sub- 

 ject for discussion, selected by the Committee on Selection of 

 Questions, viz : " The building of walls impervious to heat and 

 moisture." 



President Pell said that the first thing necessary is to secure 

 proper stone, or building materials. By a series of experiments 

 recently tried in Washington to test the strength of various stones 

 used for building purposes, it was found, 



1st. That the sand stone of which the Capitol is built, broke 

 under a pressure, per square inch, of 5,245 pounds. 



2d. Several marbles broke under a pressure varying from 7000 

 to 10,000 pounds. 



3d. The compact red sandstone of which the Smithsonian In- 

 stitute is built, broke under a pressure of 9,518 pounds. 



4th. The granite or blue micaceous rocks employed for the 

 new foundations at Washington, broke (as the average of seven 

 samples) under 15,603 pounds pressure. 



Gth. The Malone sandstone, broke under 24,105 pounds. 



7th. The most compact sienite from Quincy, under 29,220 

 pounds. 



