Dec. ii, 1884] 



NA TURE 



Scotland. This Institution is not restricted to the marine 

 or any other special branch of engineering, but includes 

 among its members civil and mechanical engineers of all 

 classes, metallurgists, marine engineers, and shipbuilders. 

 Its published volumes of Transactions usually contain 

 papers of a varied and instructive character, and very 

 valuable communications from some of the most eminent 

 Clyde engineers are to be found in them. The import- 

 ance of this Institution may be judged of by the fact 

 that the number of its members, associates, and graduates 

 amounts to 581. 



The volume of Transactions just issued contains papers 

 and discussions upon the properties of the compound 

 engine, the stability of ships, screw piles, the testing of 

 turbines, cable tramways, and other subjects. There is 

 also a Presidential Address, delivered by the President, 

 Mr. James Reid, of the Springburn Locomotive Works. 

 Mr. Reid reviews briefly many of the latest engineering 

 achievements that have been recorded, or that are being 

 attempted. He refers to railway operations in this country 

 and abroad, tramways, steam-shipping, docks, harbours, 

 canals, bridges, hydraulic and electrical machinery, gas, 

 and smoke combustion. Where the range of subjects is 

 so varied and extensive, the briefest references are usually 

 of course all that are possible. 



Mr. Reid points out, with regard to rail way traffic, the bene- 

 ficial results of lower fares and other increased facilities in 

 not only wonderfully augmenting the volume of third- 

 class traffic, but also in adding, upon the whole, to the re- 

 ceipts of the railway companies. " As the downward move- 

 ment of classes is still continuing, the outcome will most 

 likely be a general reduction of the number of classes to 

 two — nominally first and third, but practically first and 

 second." The railway companies in this country yet have 

 a most useful work to do in circulating food-supplies. 

 The Fish League have had refrigerator cars constructed, 

 which are working between the Scotch ports and London ; 

 and this small commencement is capable of a very large 

 and urgently-needed development. A new departure in 

 locomotive practice has been taken by M. Anatole Mallet 

 in France, and by Mr. F. W. Webb in England, by com- 

 pounding the engines. The results thus obtained are stated 

 to be very satisfactory, although the maximum economy 

 th;it is practically possible can of course only be obtained 

 by steam-jacketing the cylinder, or by the use of super- 

 heated steam. 



The advances that have recently been made in steam- 

 shipping are referred to. The fastest voyage made by any 

 steamer prior to October 23, 1883, was that of the Alaska, 

 in which she ran 27S4 miles, between Oueenstown and 

 New York, in 6 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes. Mr. Reid 

 says that this is equivalent to a mean speed of 17 miles 

 per hour ; but he speaks of miles in connection with these 

 figures as though he were dealing with ordinary statute 

 miles. The figures given really relate, however, to knots, 

 or nautical miles, so that the speed of the Alaska upon the 

 voyage in question was at the rate of over 193 miles per 

 hour. Mr. Reid also says that at an average speed of 

 19,! miles per hour the Atlantic might be traversed in six 

 days. The average speed requisite for crossing the 

 Atlantic in six days is about 19^ knots, or 225 miles, per 

 hour, a speed which nearly amounts to that of many 

 ordinary railway trains. 



The performance of the Alaska, which Mr. Reid refers 

 to, has been much exceeded during the present year by 

 two Atlantic liners, the Oregon and the America. The 

 Oregon has crossed the Atlantic in less than 6 days, 10 

 hours, thus beating the Alaska by nearly half a day. The 

 Umbria and Etruria, the new vessels of the Cunard 

 Company, are expected to beat the Oregon by about as 

 much as the latter beat the Alaska. The Umbria is said 

 to have attained, upon the measured mile, a mean speed 

 of 2o£ knots, or nearly 24 miles per hour. It is possible 

 that she may succeed in crossing the Atlantic in six days. 



Passing from the wonderful strides thus making in 

 steam-shipping, the President calls attention 'to the chief 

 of the large canal schemes which are now before the 

 world, such as the Panama Canal — which the indomitable 

 energy of M. de Lesseps appears likely to bring to suc- 

 cessful completion — an independent canal across the 

 Isthmus of Suez, and the Manchester Ship Canal. It is 

 surprising, however, that, while referring to these various 

 means for facilitating transit across the ocean, and also 

 to the Channel Tunnel, Mr. Reid omits to notice the ship- 

 railway scheme of the American engineer, Capt. J. B. 

 Eads, C.E., which has now been for some time before the 

 engineering world, and has received the approval of some 

 of the most eminent authorities. 



The principal papers contained in the volume of 

 Transactions under notice are those upon the compound 

 engine viewed in its economical aspect, by Mr. R. L. 

 Weighton ; upon the stability of ships at launching, by 

 Mr. J. H. Biles ; and on approximation to curves of sta- 

 bility from data for known ships, by Messrs. F. P. Purvis 

 and B. Kindermann. Mr. Weighton's paper gives a clear 

 and able explanation of some of those properties of the 

 compound engine which affect its economical working ; 

 and while there is nothing novel or recondite in it, and it 

 is somewhat amateurish in style, it is of value in keeping 

 before the minds of engineers points of fundamental 

 importance which it is well for them to think pre- 

 cisely and frequently about ; and it did good service 

 in causing one of the longest and most interesting 

 discussions which took place during last year's meet- 

 ings. We dissent entirely from an opinion expressed 

 by one of the speakers, that " papers brought before an 

 Institution of this kind should either expound some new 

 theory, contain some novelty, or bring before them some 

 important addition to the mechanical details of any 

 machine." An exclusive striving after mere originality is 

 not an unmixed good ; besides which, one of the greatest 

 advantages of such institutions as that of the Engineers 

 and Shipbuilders in Scotland is that the members become 

 familiarised by papers and discussions which are'even of 

 a commonplace type with what is already known and 

 thought by the most capable men upon subjects that all 

 engineers require to thoroughly master. It is not novel 

 points nor original conceptions only which are of value to 

 the rank and file of members ; a still more potent cause 

 of good is to be found in the educating and informing 

 influence which is exerted by well-established scientific 

 ideas and recorded experience being frequently discussed, 

 and by the constant and ready reference to fundamental 

 and accepted principles which this involves. 



The paper on the stability of ships at launching 

 is accompanied by curves for various types of steamer 

 at launching-draught, and advocates constructing such 

 curves, as a rule, before launching ships. It is well worth 

 reading, as it, and the discussion upon it, show how diverse 

 and inconsistent though, on the whole, vague are the views 

 held by many shipbuilders, both upon the necessity for 

 ascertaining the precise degree of stability possessed by a 

 ship, and also as to the sufficiency of a given amount of sta- 

 bility for purposes of safety. The author is somewhat am- 

 biguous and inaccurate in his definitions of such terms as 

 " stability," " stiffness," &c, and inconsistent and loose 

 in his use of them : but this appears to be a common fault 

 with technical writers upon naval architecture, as was 

 pointed out by Prof. Osborne Reynolds at the British 

 Association meetings of last year. For instance it is 

 stated in the paper under consideration that " the kind of 

 stability which is required at launching is stiffness," and 

 "the question of stability at launching appears therefore 

 to reduce itself to one of stiffness," — stiffness being re- 

 presented by the metacentric height, which measures the 

 force required to incline a given vessel through small 

 angles from a position of rest in still water. Vet the 

 author goes on to say that "our only safe guide is the 



