370 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIV. No. 356 



SCIENCE; 



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Vol. XIV. 



NEW YORK, November 29, i8 



No. 356 



CONTENTS 



The Tripp Anti-Friction Roller- 

 Bearing 361 



Fungous Diseases of Plants 361 



A New Recording Pressure-Gaugb 363 



Notes of Tomatoes 364 



Health Matters. 



Is Man Left-Legged 365 



The Stomach-Brush ... 365 



Vaccination on the Leg 365 



African Jumpers 365 



Small-Pox 365 



Heredity of Acquired Characteris- 

 tics 365 



Notes and News 366 



Editorial 370 



Stanley and Emin. - The World's 

 Fair. 



In this number we print the extracts from recent letters of 

 Stanley that have reached this country. They show, that after 

 getting back to the shores of the Victoria Nyanza, after his long 

 journey back to the Kongo, after his first meeting with Emin Pa- 

 cha in the early part of 1888, he found that the Pacha's authority 

 had been considerably impaired ; in fact, that at one time he had 

 actually been a prisoner in the hands of his own troops. But, in 

 spite of this, Emin showed some signs of hesitation about leaving 

 the Sudan, which resulted in considerable of a strain on Stanley's 

 patience. The rebellion was checked by a southern movement of 

 the Mahdist forces, and Emin was once more free. The country, 

 however, was in so disorganized a state, that Stanley finally set a 

 date on which he must start for the coast, and is now on his way, 

 with Emin as a doubting and reluctant companion. Whether 

 Emin's vast stores of ivory and valuable collections are being 

 brought out to civilization seems doubtful ; but it seems likely that 

 this long-lost army of southern Egypt will soon be a thing of the 

 past, and that the region will be given over to barbarism till 

 stronger forces are brought to bear. 



The opinion expressed by the eminent engineer Mr. Towne, 

 quoted in another column, as to our ability to properly prepare for 

 an international exposition in 1892, because of the limited time at 

 our disposal, will not be shared by many who have given attention 

 to the subject. Ample time is, of course, necessary ; but one or 

 two years' time, in the present highly developed state of the archi- 

 tectural and engineering arts, and in what may be termed " the art 

 of promoting expositions," is ample for doing what could not be 

 done in double that time when the exposition of 1876 was planned. 

 The opinion of Mr. Towne is worthy of consideration, but we 

 think it is also worthy of reconsideration. 



AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. 

 The tenth annual meeting of the American Society of Mechani- 

 cal Engineers was held in this city on Nov. 18, 19, 20, and 21. 

 The meeting was opened by an enjoyable evening reception at the 

 society's rooms, at 64 Madison Avenue, on Monday, the i8th ; and 

 the business sessions began on Tuesday at the rooms of the Acad- 

 emy of Medicine, 12 West 31st Street, about a hundred and thirty 

 members being present. Mr. Henry R. Towne, the retiring presi- 

 dent, delivered the opening address, which consisted mainly of an 

 account of the recent engineers' excursion to Europe, with some 

 remarks on the Paris Exposition and the projected world's fair in 

 this city, followed by an account of the present condition of the 

 society. He briefly compared the time which had been found ne- 

 cessary to prepare for the Paris Exposition with that now left in 

 which to prepare for an exposition in this city in 1S92, and ex- 

 pressed the opinion that at least a year's postponement would be 

 found necessary, and perhaps two years, if the fair was to be at all 

 adequate to the occasion. Four years and a half were given to 

 preparations for the Paris Exposition, while we have but little 

 more than half that time in which to get ready. He congratulated 

 the society on its vigorous growth, from a membership of 189 at 

 the end of the first year (i88q), to 1,049 ^t present. Mr. Towne 

 concluded his address by hoping that the many local societies of 

 mechanical and civil engineers would in time be converted into 

 chapters or sections of a national society, and that there would be 

 some one organization soon formed to include the best portions of 

 all the societies. 



The address, which was well received and heartily applauded, 

 was followed by the reading of reports of the various officers and 

 committees, and the discussion and adoption of resolutions on se- 

 curing legislation to provide a government bureau of record, 

 " wherein may be entered respectably recognized and approved 

 standards, for the promotion of uniformity in the products of the 

 arts, in technical customs, and in nomenclature." Other resolu- 

 tions concerning the management of the society were also adopted. 

 The reading and discussion of papers were then taken up. The 

 first paper was on " Properties of the Vapor of Water," by V. 

 Dwelshauvers-Dery, which was followed by a paper on the " The- 

 ory and Design of Chimneys," by Horace B. Gale ; one on the 

 " Philosophy of Multiple Cylinders or Compound Engines," by R. 

 H.Thurston; "Flow of Steam through Orifices," and "Experi- 

 mental Study of the Different Types of Calorimeter," by C. H. Pea- 

 body; "Cost of Lubricating Car Journals," by L. S. Randolph ; 

 " Steam-Pipes for Collieries," by E. F. C. Davis ; " Rolling Steel 

 Rails," by D. K. Nicholson ; and "Methods of reducing the Fire 

 Loss," by C. J. H. Woodbury^ In the evening many of the mem- 

 bers, accompanied by ladies, discussed a subscription dinner. 



Wednesday was devoted by the members to their annual excur- 

 sion, in the course of which they visited the government instruction 

 and proving ground at Willet's Point, as well as other places of in- 

 terest. At Willet's Point, sight-seeing commeneed by a visit to 

 the torpedo laboratory. Every thing was investigated, and obliging 

 officers were found ready to explain the workings of the intricate 

 apparatus used in the experiments. 



The instruments attracting the most attention from the visitors 

 were a Thomson galvanometer, a galvanometer with a reading tel- 

 escope, a Thomson electric-current balance, a Thomson multi- 

 cellular electrostatic voltmeter, a British post-office standard galva- 

 nometer, and an English " shutter " apparatus for operating and 

 exploding torpedoes from shore. The general use of electricity in 

 all these systems interested the observers at once. If our naval 

 officers wish to fire a mine, they employ the electric spark. If they 

 desire to driive a fish torpedo, they transmit to a motor within it a 

 current of electricity. In steering it so as to strike the object to 

 be destroyed, they employ the same means. If they wish to find 

 a torpedo of their own which was lost, or to discover one con- 

 cealed by an enemy, they make use of inductive effects as illus- 

 trated in the telephone, and actually use the telephone, which in- 

 forms them of their approach to any metallic mass ; also when they 

 set torpedoes in channels to be defended, or have arranged sub- 

 merged mines, electricity enables them to determine whether they 

 are in order for use, or when they have been injured by accident or 

 decay. 



