346 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE, 



on, we can hardly help regarding mechanical science as completely understood 

 in all of its^ branches ; and as there is no bright prospect of brilHant discoveries- 

 regarding long disputed questions opened out to the young student of Mechani- 

 cal Science, he does not pursue his investigations with the energy and persevere 

 ance which ^characterized his predecessors. This is not as it shotild be. The 

 truth is, ^Mechanical Science is only now beginning to offer itself to men in a 

 state from which they can work with prospects of success, it having had torn 

 from it all of the mistaken theories which hid it from them, and prevented them 

 from putting it to much use. The epoch in which we live has shown marvelous 

 and unexpected results, but there is still open a very wide and promising field of 

 research for the student of Mechanical Science, in the wide range of the arts and 

 engineering. In these days of engineering achievements safety and cost both 

 depend on the knowledge gained by experimental research. He thought it very 

 humiliating for American engineers that in their calculations they had to work on 

 data derived from abroad. Besides this being calculated to bring discredit on 

 America for the want of scientific energy, it was likely to be disastrous in its re- 

 sults in another way. The very condition of things on this continent are differ- 

 ent from those abroad, and the material connot be the same, so that th^ calcula- 

 tions are really made out on wrong hypotheses. This want of experimental re- 

 search in America should not be charged to the engineers, as they do not possess 

 the necessary and expensive appliances and cannot afford to buy them, besides 

 wanting the requisite time. At any rate he did not very highly estimate re- 

 searches by private institutions, and he thought it was a reproof to the Govern- 

 ments that they had not taken the matter in hand. All of the data at the disposal 

 of the engineers is half a century old, and they had no accurate data for deter- 

 mining the strength of the new irons and steels, a matter of the utmost impor- 

 tance, when iron is being so largely introduced into the construction of buildings. 

 He considered that the Governments were acting unfairly to the engineers. 

 These gentlemen cannot design without relying on the data they are in possession 

 of as to experimental researches, and although they use their own experience, he 

 expressed the fear that some day some of them would be led astray in their cal- 

 culations by incorrect data, and bring on themselves ruin. Now steam and hot 

 air were being used so much for heating purposes, he thought it absolutely nec- 

 essary that there should be some data regarding the capacity of iron piping, but 

 no experiments have been made, and disastrous results may be expected. The 

 world in its march onward will soon demand, in fact, is demanding that some- 

 thing should be done in this direction. There is a movement in the world to^ 

 overcome all of the obstacles in the way of general progress, and public opinion 

 will have to be accommodated. Stronger ships with machinery that will make 

 them fairly fly through the water will have to be built, powerful engines will have 

 to be designed, which will rush trains along at a speed not now imagined possible, 

 and that over bridges constructed with the least possible expense. This will in 

 crease the risks and responsibilities of the engineers, and they will be compelled 

 to ask for public aid. A great work has lately been done by science in sanitary 



