880 



K::roRT— 1884. 



apply the tcachinjys of Si'Ction A in optical scienct', nnd in tlic onsc of fnffs, or ns 

 regards buoys lit ni','lit-linio, tlio science of Houn<l. I parent liel iciilly alliuied u 

 soundinfj:s ns one (indeed a principal onts) of the sareiruards of shi]is wlicii nii- 

 poaching shore. It is important in these days of high speeds tliat these slioiiid 

 be made witli ease and without tlie necessity of stopi)iiig tlic ship, or even of 

 diminisliing its Aelocity. Sir William Tliomson, by tlie ai)plicatinn of the scii'iice 

 of pneumatics, has enabled this to be done. Again, most inijiortant is it thnt 

 tlie compass, midst all the difliculties at' ,'n<lant nj)oti its lieinu' situated on (in irmi 

 or steel structure, slionld bo trustworthy. And here Sir William has iipnlii'd th" 

 science of magnetism in his improved compass to the practical purposes of navi- 

 gation. 



To go to another important branch of engineering— water sup))ly. '{'he rn^'iiici i 

 dealing with a district to be fed from tlu^ surface will lind himself very deliciciit if 

 he have not the })ower of applying the science of meteorology to the wdik tiiat !i ■ 

 has in hand; he must know, not the average rainfall, for that is of hut little ii.'ji' to 

 him, but the maximum, and most important of all, the minimum rainfall over a 

 consecutive period of years: the maximum so that he may provide sullicieut ehan 

 nels and by-washes for floods; the minimum so as to ]n'ovide suflicient storan,.. 

 He must know what are the losses by evaporation, what are tiie chances of IVust 

 interfering with his filters and with his distributive ])lant. 



Coming to the mathematical aide of Section A — whether we consider the naviil 

 architect preparing his design of a vessel to cleave the waves with the least resist- 

 ance at the highest speed, or whether we consider tlie unparalleled series of 

 experiments of that most able Associate of Naval Architects, the late William 

 Froude, carried out as they wevn by means of models which were admiraljlo in their 

 material, their mode of manufacture with absolute accuracy to the desired shape, 

 and their mode of tract ion and of record, we must see that both architect and experi- 

 menter should be able to apply mathematical science to their work, and that it is 

 in the highest degree desirable that they should possess, as Froude did, those most 

 excellent gifts, science and practical knowledge. 



Again, the mathematical side of Section A has to be apjilied by engineers when 

 considering the strength and proportion of boilers, ships, bridges, girders, viaducts, 

 retaining walls, and in short the whole of the work with which an engineer is 

 intrusted. Notable instances of groat bridges will occur to all our minds, especially 

 meeting as we are in this Continent of grand streams, Stephenson's Tubular ]5ridjie 

 in this city, Eads' St. Louis Bridge, lloeblings' Niagara IJridge, and his and bis i 

 sons' P]ast River Bridge, Ilannaford and Gzowski's International Bridge, and going j 

 back to our own land. Fowler and Baker's Bridge over the Forth. 



Passing from Section A to Section B, there is evidently so much overlapping 

 of these sections that a good deal that I have said in reference to Section A might I 

 properly have been reserved for Section B. The preparation from the ore of the 

 various metals is in truth a branch of engineering; but to enable this to he 

 accomplished with certainty, "with economy, involving the not throwing away of! 

 that which is called the waste product, but which is frequently a valuable material, it 

 is essential that the engineer and the chemist should either be combined in one and j 

 the same person, or should go hand in hand. In the manufacture of pig iron it is : 

 absolutely necessary that the chemical constituents of the ore, the fuel, and the j 

 flux should be thoroughly understood, and that the excellence of the process followed j 

 should be tested by an analysis of the slag. For want of this chemical knowledge I 

 thousands upon thousands of tons of bad pig iron have been made, and thou- 

 sands upon thousands of tons were formerly left in the issuing slag. Similar 

 remarks apply to the production of lead and of copper from the ores, and still I 

 more do they apply to that great metallurgical manufacture of the last few years— 

 ' steel.' In the outset steel was distrusted because of the uncertainty of its be- 

 haviour, but the application of chemical science now enables the manufacturer 

 to produce with precision the material required to fulfil the ' ' nical tests imposed j 

 by the engineer. 



Reverting to the water engineer, the chemist and the microscopist have their j 

 sciences applied to ascertain the purity of the intended source, and, as in the case 



