July 7. 1910] 



NATURE 



in the construction of opcn-liearth furnaces ; C. Grosze 

 (Metz), tiie present position of the methods of purifying 

 blast-furnace gases in Gurniany ; Prof. F. Herbst (Aachen), 

 on the development of coUing as regards the construction of 

 coko ovens and the improvement in mechanical appliances ; 

 Prof. E. Heyn (Gross-Lichterfelde), contribution to the sub- 

 ject of rusting; C. Irresberger (Miilheim), present-day 

 iron-foundrv practice in (_iermany ; O. Alauritz (Niirnberg), 

 the economics of the various forms of working blowing- 

 engines in steel works : Dr. B. Neumann (IJarmstadt), 

 the existing processes for the production of electro-steel in 

 Germany ; H. Ortmann (Volklingen), improvements in 

 the construction of rolling-mills during the last decade ; 

 Dr. R. Passow (.Aachen), the value of the microscope in 

 judging blast-furnace slags : Dr. J. Puppe (Dortmund), 

 the results of recent investigations in rolling-mill practice 

 ■n Germany ; Dr. O. Rau (.Aachen), the advances in the 

 recovery of by-products in coke-oven plants ; Dr. B. Schiick 

 (Berlin), a new process for the generation of hydrogen, and 

 its application in metallurgy. 



Section ii.b. Theoretical Metallurgy. — Dr. C. Benedicks 

 (Upsala), the synthesis of meteoric iron ; Prof. W. 

 Borchers (Aachen), the reactions in the melting and refin- 

 ing of copper, their acceleration, and their simplification bv 

 electric smelting; Dr. K. Bornemann and P. Miiller 

 (.Aachen), the electrical conductivity of alloys in the liquid 

 state ; Dr. H. Braune and E. Hubendick (Stockholm), the 

 generation of producer-gas, free from tar, from uncoked 

 fuel, from the point of view of organic chemistry ; C. 

 Brisker (Leoben), the theoretical and practical import- 

 ance of the electric blast-furnace ; G. Charpy (Montlugon), 

 the part played by carbon and carbon monoxide in 

 metallurgical reactions; Dr. W. Conrad (Vienna), the 

 current and the voltage in the electric furnace ; Dr. G. 

 Gillhausen (Aachen), the balance of heat and of matter 

 in the blast-furnace ; Dr. P. Goerens (Aachen), the 

 gases contained in the various kinds of iron ; Dr. H. Gross- 

 mann (Berlin), the volumetric estimation of nickel and 

 cobalt; Prof. Guillet (Paris), the thermic treatment of 

 special steels ; certain practical and theoretical observa- 

 tions upon cementation ; — Joisten (.Aachen), the influence 

 of heat treatment upon the dimensions of the grain of iron ; 

 Prof. J. W. Richards (South Bethlehem), Gruner's ideal 

 working of a blast-furnace ; the rationale of dried 

 blast ? E. Richarme (Zarizinsky Savod), the dephos- 

 phorisation of iron in the presence of carbon ; Prof. R. 

 Rucr (Aachen), the iron-nickel system ; O. Thallner (Rem- 

 scheid), the relations between the thermic effect, the 

 metallurgical phenomena, and crystallisation in basic and 

 acid processes of electric fusion ; F. Weyl (Aachen), 

 cementation in vacuo ; Dr. H. Winter (Bochum), the 

 influence of galvanisation on the strength of wire ; Prof. F. 

 W'iist (Aachen), the causes of the economy of fuel and 

 the increased production in the blast-furnace by the use of 

 heated and dried blast ; Prof. F. Wiist and — Felser 

 (.Aachen), the influence of segregation on the strength of 

 ingot-iron. 



It need only be said here that the division of the 

 metallurgical section into two portions was rendered neces- 

 sary by the large number of metallurgical papers presented, 

 and even so the sections were somewhat overweighted with 

 work. 



Section Hi., Mechanical Engineering^. — M. Androuin and 

 C. Stein (Paris), the influence of the improvements in heat- 

 ing on the development of machine forging ; T. v. Bavier 

 (DCisseldorf), the development of ventilators and compressors 

 in German mining; P. Bernstein (Cologne), hydraulic com- 

 pressors; P. Bodenstein (Kalk), modern ore-dressing; W. 

 Ellingen fCologne), aerial ropeways of great capacity ; — 

 Giller (Miilheim), haulage by compressed-air locomotives 

 in mines ; G. v. Hanffstengel (Leipzig), the cheapening of 

 the cost of transport bv means of wire-rope and electrical 

 aerial railwavs ; — Heym (Wetter), the influence of elec- 

 tricity on the development and efficiency of lifting appliances 

 in mines and works ; Dr. H. Hoffmann (Bochum), the 

 working of motor engines, especially for winding engines, 

 rolling-mill engines, and dynamos ; Prof. P. Langer 

 (.Aachen), recent experience in large gas-engine plants; 

 K. Maleyka (Berlin),' electricity in metallurgy ; W. PhilippI 

 (Berlin), electricity in mining; C. Matschoss (Berlin), the 

 position of mining and metallurcy in the history of machine 



NO. 2123, VOL. 84] 



construction ; Dr. Rateau (Paris), turbo-compressors ; 

 — Stach (Bochum), the development of independent and of 

 central condensation ; heat accumulators for the utilisation 

 of waste steam ; F. Tillmann (Saarbriicken), underground 

 haulage. 



It will be noticed that very few of these papers deal with 

 purely engineering subjects ; some of them are in the main 

 metallurgical, and most of them are upon mining subjects. 

 The only reason for their inclusion in this section lies in 

 the fact that the other sections were overcrowded. 



Section iv.. Applied Geology.— Dc. C. Barrois (Lille), 

 the origin of the clastic coal deposits and of the erratic 

 pebbles found in the north of France ; Dr. Beyschlag (Ber- 

 lin), communication on the iron-ore supplies of the world ; 

 C. Capacci (Florence), the gold deposits of Abyssinia and 

 Erythrea ; Dr. G. Fliegel (Berlin), the tectonics of the Lower 

 Rhine basin, and their importance in the development of 

 the lignite formation ; — Holz (Aachen), the utilisation of 

 water-power, with special reference to Germany and Scan- 

 dinavia ; M. Krahmann (Berlin), the modern policy respect- 

 ing mineral deposits, and its problems ; P. Kukuk (Bochum), 

 the tectonic conditions of the coal deposits of the Lower 

 Rhine and Westphalia in the light of the most recent in- 

 vestigations ; E. Link (Essen), the dams of the Ruhr dis- 

 trict, and particularly the dam of the Mbhne valley ; A. 

 Macco (BrUhl), the science of mining economics, its objects 

 and its limits; L. Mintrop (Bochum), on artificial earth- 

 quakes; H. Mortimer-Lamb (Montreal), the unique mineral 

 resources of Canada ; Dr. M. Mourlon (Brussels), a synthesis 

 of Belgian geology as obtained from documents ; Dr. H. 

 Potoni^ (Berlin), the origin of coal ; Prof. A. Renier 

 (Li^ge), the state of our knowledge of the general strati- 

 graphy of the Belgian coal-formation ; B. Schulz-Briescn 

 (Dusseldorf), the scientific and economic importance of prac- 

 tical geology ; Dr. G. Steinmann (Bonn), the composite 

 mineral veins in the South American Cordilleras ; Dr. O. 

 Stutzer (Freiberg), recent springs: H. Werner (St. Andreas- 

 berg), the silver-bearing veins of St. Andreasberg in the 

 Harz ; Dr. W. Wunstorf (Berlin), the coal-bearing forma- 

 tion in the region of the Rhine and the Maas ; Dr. S. 

 Papavasiliou (Na.xos), on Grecian emery. 



All this formidable list of papers was disposed of by the 

 various sections in three sessions, on Monday morning and 

 afternoon and on Tuesday morning. Whilst the standard 

 of the various papers was, on the whole, a high one, some 

 being, indeed, of especial interest, the discussions were 

 disappointing, being, in general, brief, and of no great 

 importance ; the great majority of the papers were not 

 discussed at all. This was probably due to the large 

 number of papers set down for reading. It would have 

 been far better to have limited their number, or to have 

 read them only in the briefest abstract, so as to have left 

 time for adequate discussion, this being usually the most 

 interesting feature of such gatherings. 



Tuesday afternoon, June 21, Wednesday, and Thursday 

 were devoted to excursions, of which there was a list of 

 more than forty, which gave an opportunity to see all the 

 more important collieries and iron works of this flourishing 

 industrial region. A special set of geological excursions 

 was arranged for the members of section iv. An interest- 

 ing series of trips had also been arranged for the ladies 

 accompanying the members to a number of points of 

 interest in and near Dusseldorf. The social functions 

 included a reception on Monday evening, given by the town 

 of Dusseldorf, a leading feature of which was an admir- 

 able speech bv Mr. Marx, the Mayor of Dusseldorf. On 

 Tuesday evening an official dinner was given in the large 

 hall of' the Tonhalle, after which a little allegorical play 

 was performed. The conception of this was due to Dr. 

 Schrodter, one of the general secretaries of the congress, 

 and both the idea and its execution were in every respect 

 beyond praise. On Wednesday evening a trip on the Rhirie 

 was made in one of the large steamers that ply on this 

 river. This was rendered especially interesting by the 

 presence of Count Zeppelin, who had come over in the 

 forenoon from Friedrichshafen in his latest airship, the 

 Dentschland. 



The closing meeting of the congress took place at Essen 

 under the presidency of Mr. Kleine. The secretaries of the 

 various sections presented short reports on the work of 

 each section. The only resolution submitted to the General 



