SECTION G.— ENGINEERING. 



THE INFLUENCE OF ENGINEERING 

 ON CIVILIZATION. 



ADDRESS BY 



SIR WILLIAM ELLIS, G.B.E., D.Eng., 



PRESIDENT OF THE SECTION, 



In choosing the subject for my address I had to decide whether to devote 

 my attention to some branch of engineering in which I have been 

 actively engaged during my working life, alluding specially to some of 

 the technical problems involved, or to treat of engineering in a less 

 technical manner so as to interest any hearers or readers of this address 

 who may not themselves be actively engaged in the engineering profession. 

 Knowing that the Engineering Section would be addressed on technical 

 subjects by very distinguished engineers, I have decided to devote my 

 address to speaking of the very extensive part which engineering in its 

 many branches has taken, and is still taking, in connexion with the 

 amenities which are associated so closely with our domestic life, and 

 indeed, our happiness. I shall hope in the course of my address to deal 

 in some detail with the fact that each branch of engineering has added its 

 quota to the comfort of our lives, and I think it may be claimed that no 

 other profession has so direct an association with our modern civilization. 

 The enormous increase in population during the nineteenth century, 

 coupled with the segregation of that population in industrial centres, 

 arising out of the extraordinarily rapid development of industry in this 

 and other countries during that period, h^s introduced new problems in 

 connexion with health and transport, and it has been the task of 

 engineering in its many branches to deal with these problems. It must be 

 admitted that the great advances made in the knowledge of both medicine 

 and surgery have played a very noble part in connexion with improve- 

 ments we all welcome- in the health of the population, and in speaking of 

 the part which engineering has taken in connexion with public health I 

 have no wish to lessen in any way what we all admire and respect, namely, 

 the wonderful work of the medical profession in applying for our benefit 

 the constantly advancing scientific and practical knowledge. 



In the early part of the nineteenth century main roads did not exist 

 in this country to any great extent, and these roads were in a very inferior 

 condition. Pack horse transport was still in vogue, and up to 1850 a well- 

 organised system of mail coaches was the principal means of passenger 

 transport. 



The introduction of railways and of steamers during the first half of 

 that century led the way to an enormously increased demand for coal, 



