Polytechnic Association. 667 



gentleman living in Providence, an Irishman, who knew nothing 

 about the apparatus, being employed to pass the earth through a 

 screen, that it might be used over again, did so without discovering 

 what it was, showing how thoroughly it was deodorized. Earth- 

 closets make the best system, not for this city, but wherever water- 

 closets cannot be advantageously used. 



The President stated that there was a prospect of carrying out the 

 system of supplying pure water to Jersey City, described in his paper 

 of last winter. We need to devise some system suited to the whole 

 country. The cities upon the seaboard are an exception, but the 

 arrangements generally throughout the country are of the rudest 

 kind. It is of great moment, therefore, that the pneumatic system is 

 to be tried on a large scale at Amsterdam, among an advanced and 

 reading people, who will give it a fair trial. 



W. E. Partridge said that, in four cases out of five, probably, the 

 rising of gas into the houses in this city is the fault of the plumbers, 

 and not of the system or of the sewers ; and he explained how it 

 occurred. It being inconvenient in many cases to connect the waste- 

 pipe from the sink and from the bath-tub with the main pipe above 

 the trap, they are connected below ; so that the only use of the trap 

 is to send the current of foul air through the bath-tub and the wash- 

 basin instead of through the water-closet. And lest this should be 

 closed, there is provided another opening, through the overflow pipe 

 of both wash-basin and bath-tub, which always affords direct commu- 

 nication from the sewer to the interior of our dwellings. 



Adjourned. 



December 1, 1871. 



Professor S. D. Tillman in the chair ; Robert Weir, Secretary. 



The Chairman read the following notes on recent scientific investi- 

 gations and discoveries : 



I. Another Planet Discovered. 



On the 14th of September last, Dr. Luther, of Bilk, discovered a 

 new planet. It was equal in brilliancy to a star of the eleventh 

 magnitude. The number of asteroids now known is 117. 



The President stated that American astronomers have discovered 

 more asteroids than have been discovered in Europe within the last 

 ten years. 



