XXll 



President's Address 



journey by train from Adelaide, via Melbourne and Sydney, 

 to Brisbane will soon be possible. There is, however, a gap 

 between the southern and northern railways of New South 

 Wales at the Hawkesbury River. This is about to be 

 crossed by a bridge of gigantic size, constructed by an 

 American manufacturing company, and which will in depth 

 of foundations excel every other bridge in existence. This 

 bridge is of highly scientific design, and will constitute a great 

 advance upon the present structures on colonial railways. 



The application of accumulators, or storage batteries, to 

 electric lighting is just now under test on a considerable 

 scale in this city, and so far promises well. Much is hoped 

 from a system intended to render the supply of electricity 

 as steady and as convenient as that of gas. 



An inquiry has recently been held as to the possibility of 

 placing the ever-increasing mass of telephone wires under- 

 ground, but with a negative result. Were our streets pro- 

 vided with a complete system of underground subways, or 

 tunnels, large enough for the workmen to traverse, with 

 branches into all the more important banks, public buildings, 

 and suites of offices, the desired end might be accomplished. 

 In the absence of this costly provision, all that we can hope 

 for is some mitigation of the evil by the use of cables con- 

 taining many conductors, and possibly placed underground, 

 the final distribution being made by fine and almost invisible 

 wires radiating from ornamental iron pillars placed at 

 intervals along the streets. 



In steam machinery there is not much advance. Higher 

 pressures and more expansion are gradually coming in. 

 Most of the new steamboats have three cylinders of different 

 sizes, and the steam, which is at first produced at a pressure 

 of considerably above 100 lbs. per square inch, is utilised 

 successively in each of the three cylinders before it escapes 

 to the condenser. In this way a very large amount of power 

 is obtained from the coal consumed. 



The compound system — that is, the system of working 

 the steam i^successively through two or more cylinders of 



