November 29, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



371 



The museum and batteries at the Point were then visited in turn, 

 and thoroughly examined and even criticised ; but the general im- 

 pression was that the apparatus and museum were a fair exposition 

 of the progress of the art of modern warfare in this country, and 

 well adaptffd to the teaching of practical work in torpedo defences. 

 The station at Willet's Point is almost an advanced engineers' 

 school, where young engineers graduating from West Point are 

 sent for a course of engineering instruction, particularly in relation 

 to torpedo-work. 



Before leaving the Point, three torpedoes were exploded about 

 three hundred feet distant from the shore for the benefit of the ex- 

 cursionists. The first one, containing about fifty pounds of mor- 

 tar-powder, shot a column of water about one hundred feet into 

 the air; but the second, containing fifty pounds of dynamite, not 

 only doubled the distance, but seemed to reach bottom, judging 

 from the discoloration of the surrounding water. The third and 

 last, containing one hundred and fifty pounds of mortar-powder, 

 caused a terrific report, and the flame which showed above the 

 surface seemed to indicate that the torpedo had not been sub- 

 merged deep enough. 



In the evening, after the return of the excursionists, a reception 

 and collation were tendered the visiting members by the Engineers' 

 Club. 



At the Thursday session the following papers were read and 

 discussed : " Indicator Rigging for Compound Engines," by Fred. 

 W. Parsons ; " A New Recording Pressure-Gauge," by W. H. 

 Bristol ; " General Solution of the Transmission of Force in a 

 Steam-Engine," by D. S. Jacobus ; " Street-Railway Car Gear for 

 Modern Speeds," by S. J. MacFarren ; " The Comparison of Indi- 

 cators," by J. Burkitt Webb ; " The Cards from the Pawtucket 

 Pumping-Engine with and without Jacket," by James E. Denton ; 

 " How to use Steam Expansively in Direct- Acting Pumps," by J. 

 F. Holloway ; " Cost of Steam and Water Power," by C. T. Main ; 

 and " Graphical Analysis of Reciprocating Motions," by Oberlin 

 Smith. After the reading of these papers, the following resolution 

 was unanimously adopted : " Resolved, That the American Society 

 of Mechanical Engineers cordially indorses and heartily urges the 

 holding of the proposed great international exhibition in this coun- 

 try in the near future to celebrate the four hundredth anni-'ersary 

 of the discovery of America." 



In the evening the society's guests and members visited the 

 American Institute Fair by invitation. 



On Friday the engineers visited Elizabethport, N.J., where they 

 examined the works of the Singer Manufacturing Company and the 

 Babcock and Wilcox boiler-works. 



President Towne, in closing the session, made a proposition con- 

 cerning the world's fair, to the effect that the society had approved 

 of his statement that additional time was needed to make the fair 

 a success, and that his proposition was to have a grand celebration 

 and the unveiling of a monument of Columbus on the da'te of the 

 four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America, and then 

 open the world's fair in May, 1893. 



The officers elected for the ensuing year are as follows : presi- 

 dent, Oberlin Smith of Bridgeton (N.J.) ; vice-presidents, Joel 

 Sharp of Salem (O.), George W. Weeks of Clinton (Mass.), De- 

 Volson Wood of Hoboken (N.J.) ; treasurer, William H. Wiley of 

 New York; managers, J. E. Denton of Hoboken (N.J.), C. W. 

 Nason of New York, H. H. Westinghouse of Pittsburgh (Penn.). 



STANLEY AND EMIN. 



Mr. Marston of Sampson Low & Co., London, has received a 

 letter from Henry M. Stanley, dated South End Victoria Nyanza, 

 Sept. 3, from which the following extracts are taken : — 



" The rebels of the Emin government relied upon their craft and 

 on the wiles of the ' heathen Chinee,' and it is amusing now to 

 look back and note how punishment has fallen on them. Was it 

 Providence, or was it luck 1 Let those who love to analyze such 

 matters reflect on it. Traitors without camp, and traitors within, 

 were watched, and the most active conspirator was discovered, 

 tried, and hanged. 



" The traitors without fell foul of one another and ruined them- 

 selves. If it is not luck, then it is surely Providence in answer to 

 good men's prayers. 



" Far away, our own people, tempted by their extreme wretched- 

 ness and misery, sold our rifles and ammunition to our natural 

 enemies, the Manyema, the slave-traders' true friends, without the 

 least grace either of bodies or souls. What happy influence was 

 it that restrained me from destroying all concerned in it ? Each 

 time I read the story of Nelson's and Parkes's sufferings I feel 

 vexed at my forbearance, and yet again I feel thankful for a higher 

 power than man's which severely afflicted them with cold-blooded 

 murders by causing them to fall upon one another a few weeks 

 after the rescue and relief of Nelson and Parkes. 



" The memory of those days alternately hardens and unmans 

 me. With the rescue of Emin Pacha, poor old Casati, and those 

 who preferred Egypt's flesh-pots to the coarse plenty of the prov- 

 ince near Nyanzi, we returned ; and while we were patiently wait- 

 ing, the doom of the rebels was consummated. Since that time of 

 anxiety and unhappy outlook I have been at the point of death 

 from a dreadful illness. The strain had been too much ; apd for 

 twenty-eight days I lay helpless, tended by the kind and skilful 

 hands of Surgeon Parkes. Then little by little I gathered strength, 

 and finally gave orders for the march for home. 



" Discovery after discovery in this wonderful region was made, 

 — the snowy ranges of Ruevenzeni, the Cloud King or Rain Crea- 

 tor, the Semliki River, the Albert Edward Nyanza, the plains of 

 Noovgora, the salt lakes of Kative, the new peoples of the Wakonju 

 or Great Mountains, the dwellers of the rich forest region, the 

 Awamba, the fine-featured Wasonyora, the Wanyoro bandits, and 

 then Lake Albert Edward, the tribes and shepherd races of the 

 eastern uplands, then Wanyakori, besides the Wanyaruwamba and 

 Wazinja, until at last we came to a church whose cross dominated 

 a Christian settlement, and we knew we had reached the outskirts 

 of blessed civilization." 



Mr. Mackinnon, the chairman of the Emin relief committee, has 

 also received a letter from Stanley. It is dated Aug. 5, and was 

 written at Kafurro, an Arab settlement on the Karagwe. It be- 

 gins, " My last report was sent off by Salim Ben Mohammed in 

 the early part of September, 1 888. Over a year full of stirring events 

 has passed since then. I will endeavor to inform you what has 

 occurred." Stanley goes on to recount the arrangements made by 

 him to meet Emin, and, after describing how fie hunted up the 

 missing rear column, continues, — 



" I have already told you that the rear column was in a deplorable 

 state ; that out of the one hundred and two members remaining I 

 doubted whether fifty would live to reach the lake ; but, having 

 collected a large number of canoes, the goods and sick men were 

 transported in these vessels in such a smooth and expeditious man- 

 ner that there were remarkably few casualties in the remnant of 

 the rear column. But wild natives, having repeatedly defeated the 

 Ugarrowwas raiders, and by this means discovered the extent of 

 their own strength, gave considerable trouble and inflicted con- 

 siderable loss among our best men, who had always to bear the 

 brunt of the fighting and the fatigue of paddling. However, we 

 had no reason to be dissatisfied with the time we had made. 



" When progress by river became too tedious and difficult, an 

 order to cast off canoes was given. This was four days' journey 

 above the Ugarrowwas station, or about three hundred miles above 

 Banalaya. We decided, that, as the south bank of the Ituri River 

 was pretty well known to us, it would be best to try the north 

 bank, although we should have to traverse for some days the de- 

 spoiled lands which had been a common centre for the Ugarrowwas 

 and Kilongalangas baYids of raiders. We were about one hundred 

 miles from Grassland, which opened up a prospect of future feasts 

 of beef, veal, and mutton, and a pleasing variety of vegetables, as 

 well as oil and butter for cooking." 



" On Oct. 30, having cast off the canoes, the land-march began 

 in earnest, and we two days later discovered a large plantain plan- 

 tation in charge of Dwaris. The people flung themselves on the 

 plantains to make as large provision as possible for the dreaded 

 wilderness ahead. The most enterprising always secured a fair 

 share, and twelve hours later would be furnished with a week's 

 provision of plantain flour. The feeble and indolent revelled for 

 the time being on an abundance of roasted fruit, but always neg- 

 lected providing for the future, and thus became victims to famine 

 after moving from this place. 



