784 Transactions of the American Institute. 



formed a company to manufacture engines and cars for common street 

 railroads. His boilers are the safest, I think, that I have ever 

 examined. 



Mr. J. K. Fisher — I omitted to state that the boilers I have repre- 

 sented are intended to be so safe that they may be burst purposely with 

 out doing any harm. 



Artificial Musk and Organic Compounds. 



JDr. P. H. Van der Weyde — I have first to present for your exami- 

 nation a specimen of artificial musk, which is made of blood, treated 

 in a peculiar manner. At first it could be distinguished from the 

 genuine musk from the absence of the little hairs which musk always 

 contains ; but the inventor takes some of the hair and puts it in his 

 artificial musk, and now even the microscope cannot distinguish 

 between the two. 



Chemists have frequently transformed one organic substance into 

 another organic substance. Professor Schultz, of Germany, has suc- 

 ceeded in making mellithic acid, which may be changed into benzole, 

 and then we can make the whole series of anilines and all the aniline 

 colors, producing all these substances in the laboratory without the 

 assistance of any organic compound. Whether it will be of any 

 advantage is a question to be decided by experience. It is enough 

 for the present to know how it can be done. Oxalic acid and acetic 

 acid have both been before made artificially. Alcohol has been made 

 artificially from common coal gas. Dextrine also has been made arti- 

 ficially. 



The President — It will be remembered that I read an article on 

 mellithic acid a few weeks ago. 



Steam Boilers. 



Professor P. H. Thurston read the report of the judges on steam 

 boilers at the last fair of the American Institute, which will be found 

 in this volume of Transactions, page 66. 



After the reading of the report the following debate took place : 



Dr. P. H. Van der Weyde — One great point has been brought 

 out by this report, that the Blanchard boiler, which has the largest 

 amount of evaporating surface, was the most economical. 



Mr. J. K. Fisher — Could you tell, in these experiments, how much 

 heat went up the chimney ? 



Professor Thurston — We know the temperature of the gas that went 

 up the chimney, but not the quantity. 



