54 



pointed out. The audience was particularly interested in Mr. Dales' 

 remarks on sunshine recorders and examined the instruments and 

 records shown with close attention. Dew and rain were considered 

 and an automatically recording rain-gauge was shown. The lecturer 

 concluded his discourse with some general remarks on the usefulness 

 of Meteorology. 



Several members took a share in the discussion which followed 

 the lecture. 



On March 14th, Chas. W. Hill, Esq., General 

 Electric Manager of the Bournemouth Tramways, gave a 



Traction. lecture on " The Principles of Electric Traction, 



with special reference to the Bournemouth System." The lecturer 

 traced the history of tramways from the earliest period and showed 

 some interesting lantern slides of early forms of tram-cars and of 

 tramways in out-of-the-way parts of the world. Other slides showed 

 recent developments in electric traction, or special features in the 

 Bournemouth system. Mr. Hill described how the electric energy 

 required for the Bournemouth system is generated, distributed and 

 controlled, and gave an account of the special local difficulties and 

 how they have been surmounted. His description of the diseases to 

 which tram-rails are subject, and of the remedies appropriate to 

 such diseases, was very interesting. 



Many statistics were given and it may in years to come be of 

 interest to find it recorded that at the date of the lecture there were 

 29 miles of tracks, that 14,000,000 passengers were carried annually 

 and that the car-mileage amounted to 1,800,000 per annum. 



The last lecture of the session was given on April 



did' 3 ° th ' by Vice - Admiral Castle, j. p. The lecturer 



described his visit to the city of Iquique and to the 

 vast deposits of Nitrates in its neighbourhood. Every stage in the 

 collection and preparation of Sodium Nitrate and of Iodine was 

 fully described, and a general account given of the scenery and 

 climate of the remarkable region in which the deposits occur. 

 Actual specimens of the crude materials and the manufactured 

 products were handed round and a number of diagrams, maps, etc., 

 shown on the screen. Experiments were also performed, illustrating 

 the way in which Sodium Carbonate is made from the Nitrate for 

 use in certain of the processes, also the method in which Iodine 

 is liberated from the Sodium Iodate which occurs in small and 

 varying proportion in the " Caliche." 



Visit to the 



By the invitation of C. W. Hill, Esq., General 

 Manager, the Physical Section visited the Generat- 

 enera ing station of the Municipal Tramways on June 



a on ' 9th. About 50 members were conducted over the 



Bournemouth WQrks by the General Manager and the Electrical 

 Tramways. Engineer, I. Bulfin, Esq., b.a. The operations 



carried on in the various departments were fully explained and at 

 the conclusion of the inspection Mr. Hill kindly entertained the 

 visitors to tea in the Employees' Recreation Room. 



