June 1, 1899] 
NATRORE 
Wen 
terrestrial magnetism at the Johns Hopkins University. The 
journal, Zerrestréal Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity, 
beginning with the June number, will be issued hereafter from 
the Johns Hopkins University Press, Dr. Bauer continuing as 
editor-in-chief. 
ON the evening of May 13 a meeting of the New York 
Electrical Society was held at Madison Square Garden, where 
an Electrical Exhibition is now going on, to celebrate the cen- 
tennial of the discovery of the electric battery by Alessandro 
Volta. Mr. Edison sent a letter expressing his admiration of 
Volta’s investigations and researches, and associating himself 
with the fraternal messages which were sent to the Italian 
electrical society and to the Electrical Exhibition at Como, the 
birthplace of both Volta and the voltaic cell. The New York 
Electrical Review states the following message was cabled to 
the Italian Premier :—‘‘ The electricians of America, celebrating 
the Volta Centennial in New York, extend heartiest congratu- 
lations to the fellow-workers in Italy, and, in doing so, desire 
to express the hope that the work of such pioneers as Galvani, 
Volta, Pacinetti and Ferraris may be renewed and repeated by 
other members of the Italian race in the century which is now 
dawning. America owes a deep debt of gratitude to Italy for 
electrical discoveries, which have done so much to abridge dis- 
tance and add to the welfare of mankind. Please communicate 
these sentiments to King Humbert in the name of tne New 
York Electrical Society. —Gano S. Dunn, President.” 
THE Berlin correspondent of the 7zmes states that the com- 
mittee which is organising the German Antarctic expedition has 
decided that the expedition is to be composed of one ship only. 
The vessel, which is to be built entirely of wood, is to be laid 
down this autumn. The expedition is to be ready to start in 
the autumn of 1901, and is to be away two years altogether. 
After touching at the Cape, the expedition is to make for the 
Antarctic continent south of the Kerguelen Islands, and there 
establish a scientific station at some point suitable for wintering. 
A pack of Siberian dogs is to be taken, and dashes will be made 
on sledges towards the South Pole and the south magnetic pole. 
Meteorological observations will also be made from a captive 
balloon, After the breaking up of their winter quarters, the 
expedition will attempt to make as complete a survey as possible 
of the coast line of the Antarctic continent. As already 
announced in these columns, the leader of the expedition is 
to be Dr. von Drygalski, who conducted the German explor- 
‘ation of Greenland in the years 1891-93. The committee 
expresses great satisfaction that the English Antarctic expedition 
has at last been definitely decided on, and points out that the 
value of the two sets of meteorological observations will be 
greatly enhanced by their being carried on simultaneously. 
AN Industrial Exhibition organised by the Artist Club was 
opened at the Crystal Palace on Tuesday by the Duke and 
Duchess of Connaught. The exhibition has been furnished by 
about one hundred leading British manufacturers, and the 
élement of competition has been eliminated by only including 
one set of exhibits of any particular industry. Engineering 
appliances of various kinds are prominent. Railway and steam- 
ship interests are also well represented. Refrigerating processes 
employed in the Colonial meat trade are shown in operation. 
There is also an interesting display of printing machinery at 
work, and of type-setting by Linotype machines. Electricity 
figures in the exhibition, and a number of novel devices of 
various kinds are to be seen. As an example of quick work in 
photography, it is worth mention that the opening ceremony was 
photographed and projected upon the screen by the Biograph 
and Mutoscope Company before the Royal party left the Crystal 
Palace three hours later. 
NO. 1544, VOL. 60] 
Art the annual general meeting of the Institution of Electrica] 
Engineers, held on Thursday last, the announcement was made 
that the premiums for papers read during the session 1898-99 
had been awarded by the Council as follows :—The ‘‘ Institu- 
tion Premium,” value 257., to Mr. P. V. McMahon, for his 
paper on ‘Electric Locomotives in Practice, and Tractive 
Resistance in Tunnels, and Notes on Locomotive Design”; the 
‘* Paris Electrical Exhibition Premium,’’ value raised to 20/., to 
Mr. W. Duddell and Mr. E. W. Marchant, for their paper, 
‘Experiments on Alternate Current Arcs by aid of Oscillo- 
graphs” ; two ‘‘ Fahie Premiums,” none having been awarded 
in 1898, of 10/. each, one to Prof. O. Lodge, F.R.S., and one 
to Mr. G. Marconi, for their papers entitled respectively ‘‘ Im- 
provements in Magnetic Space Telegraphy”’ and ‘‘ Wireless 
Telegraphy ” ; two extra premiums of 10/7. each, one to Mrs. 
Ayrton for her paper on ‘‘ The Hissing of the Electric Arc,” 
the other to Mr. J. Elton Young, for his paper on ‘‘ Capacity 
Measurements of Long Submarine Cables’; the Senior 
“*Students’ Premium,” value ro/., to Mr. W. G. Royal- 
Dawson, student, for his paper on ‘‘ Alternating Currents of 
very High Frequency” ; the second ‘‘ Students’ Premium,” in- 
creased in value to toZ,, to Messrs. M. R. Gardner and W. P. 
Howgrave Graham, for their paper on ‘“‘ The Synchronising of 
Alteriators” ; the third ‘‘Students’ Premium,” value 5/., to 
Mr. Leonard Wilson, student, for his paper on ‘‘ The Effect of 
Governors on the Parallel Running of Alternators”; extra 
“« Students’ Premium,” value 4/,, to Mr. L. R. Morshead, for 
his paper on ‘‘ Enclosed Are Lamps,” and an extra ‘‘ Students’ 
Premium,” value 3/., to Mr. H. M. Dowsett, student, for his 
paper on ‘‘ Electricity Meters” ; the Salomons Scholarship for 
1899-1900, value 50/7, was awarded to Mr. H. J. Thomson, 
a student of the Central Technical College. 
Tue hydrographical surveys made in H.M. surveying 
vessels during the year 1898, and referred to in the recent 
report by the Hydrographer of the Admiralty, led to a number 
of important results. Resurveys of parts of the Thames and 
Medway show that remarkable changes have taken place. An 
examination of the Shingles patch in the Duke of Edinburgh 
| Channel has shown that this patch now has 15 feet of water on 
it, and its steady growth since 1882 has reduced the width of 
the Duke of Edinburgh Channel, at present the principal passage 
into the Thames for heavy vessels, from 14 miles to about 
zamile. The total obliteration of the passage, which seems 
by no means impossible, would entail a long circuit at the time 
of low water to large vessels to or from the Thames and Med- 
way, but the operations of nature in this estuary are far too 
great to be controlled by works. A resurvey was made of the 
Middle Swin. This passage way, the main route for the 
enormous trade between London and the north, has of late years 
much contracted and shoaled, and gives considerable anxiety to 
the Trinity House, as, if necessary to alter the route, many 
changes in lights and buoys would be necessary to make another 
passage safe. There is now very little more than 19 feet on 
the bar at low water. 
A SERIES of observations with a deep-sea current meter, 
| carried out in the large Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb by the officers 
of H.M. surveying vessel Stor/:, are referred to by the Hydro- 
grapher in his report. The observations, which are valuable 
as bearing on the system of circulation in the oceans, have been 
published in a report on the under-currents of the Straits of 
Bab-el-Mandeb ; but the broad result may be briefly stated. 
| . - 
There was a permanent current on the surface setting z¢o the 
Red Sea of about 14 knotsan hour. There was at 105 fathoms 
depth a permanent current of about the same velocity setting 
outwards, The tidal stream was about 1} knots at its maxi- 
mum, and flowed for about twelve hours each way, as might 
