ANNUAL ADDRESS. XXXV. 



consideration. These tools, unlike the ordinary power hammer, 

 are intended to be held in the workman's hands, while connected 

 by flexible tubes to a supply of compressed air at from 60 to 100 lbs. 

 pressure. In the case of hammers they are able to make from 

 8,000 to 10,000 strokes a minute, for such purposes as chipping, 

 caulking, dressing, planishing, beading, and scaling; and they 

 will enable one man to do the work that six or eight men could 

 do by hand. The pneumatic piston drills — also held by the work- 

 man's hands — for small sizes, will weigh from 28 to 40 lbs., and 

 will do such work as drilling, tapping, expanding tubes, beading> 

 and reaming, at least four times as quickly as the work can be 

 done by hand. For rivetting, instead of the ponderous machines 

 required for hydraulic pressure, very light and portable pneumatic 

 rivetters may be substituted. The popularity of these machines 

 in the iron trades may be judged by the fact that one firm alone 

 had recently been making them at the rate of 800 per month. By 

 the courtesy of Mr. Franki, Manager of Mort's Dock Company, 

 and Mr. Thow, Chief Locomotive Engineer of New South Wales 

 Railways, a number of these appliances are exhibited. 



Artificial Light. — The first reference that has been found to 

 this subject in connection with the early history of New South 

 Wales, is in George Barrington's work. Candles are there men- 

 tioned as being a great luxury with the first settlers, and shark's 

 oil is said to have been sold at one shilling a quart for illuminating 

 purposes. A few years later when the flocks and herds of the 

 colony had so increased, that fresh meat took the place of imported 

 salt junk, there was, with the inauguration of the butcher, surplus 

 animal fat to hand, which could be rendered into tallow, and 

 candles were popularised. Many persons are still living among 

 us who remember the days when the tin candle mould was an 

 important part of the equipment of every colonial household. 

 With tallow on the market, the business of the soap and candle 

 maker naturally followed, and oil and tallow chandler's shops were 

 common in Sydney. Candles were then produced in a very 

 primitive way, but with the assistance of chemistry and engineer- 



