New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-04-30
SCIENCE AND Act.
American Institute Polytechnic Assoc
eiafon.

A regular meeting was heiu on thursday
evening. April 81. S. d. TH1RAy, ESQ.,, presided.
During the time devoted 30 the examination OF in.
yentions and discoveries, Mr. BLANCHARD illustrated
upon tho blackboard his plan for pontoon bridge,
which consists essentially in arrangement OF cyn-
drical floats made Of pine wood in compartments, and
TO extend whom joined from twenty 10 twenty-five feet
they are furnished with rope handles so that they eau be
carried by soldiers The floats connected b. panAs
crossing each other at their centers, each two moving
on the same iron PIN each end Of the plank has SINH
lar connection with the floats BIZ means OF pins Iho
panks are counter braced by ropes passing SnrOpsh
floats by pulling on these ropes the floats are thrown
forward in right line until they reach the opposite
lank Of the river The principle applied that OF the
la7fcugs. bY which the combined motion or set Oh
levers made 10 increase the motion OF the last oil the
series. Thus bridge may be thrown across @ river
with great rapidly. Often il is necessary 70 place
these bridges under the eDemys fire when celebrity only
insure success. The speaker invited criticism, ior
he had only made small model which works wen Dat
there may be serious objection TO its operation on
large scale
Capt MAYEARD expressed doubt as to the ability to
throw this bridge stream having strong cur
rent. All the PORTIONS he had seen required TO be an
chored
Mr.. BAgrrE1T thought II would not be necessary to
anchor more than one in Eve OF the floats. Ii they
were made in cylindrical form, as proposed. there
would he danger Of rolling The continuance appeared
to be worthy trial
THE WEATHER.
The Chairman introduced 10 the audience br. ID.
DICK the inventor Of the weu-knOwn ant-fglcton
press who entertained them for d hafhOur with his
views regarding tire periods Of return Of similar
weather. lie had b,en a careful observer sMce the
year 1913; that season the crops failed, and the Wild
grass roted. from the great dr0uth. lie was then
young Ind The disaster made streng Impression apOn
him and he determined b. make accurate observations
10 ascertain whether there regular return of the
extremes ~ heat and cold OF dryness end moisture.
Amer long investigation. he bad proposed theory,
founded on tho cyoluiions OF the moon, eo1hPFlsea
within the cycle az the nodes or percd " eighteen
wears and ~ DAYS. In illustration Of this theory. he
compared the dry weather Of the latter bali OF August
and the fret half Of September le25 with the month
Of April ls4i commencing on the second day. a
period OF cycles equal b. - years and 10Y months
was tLen presented the very cold weather Of ll7g.sO
WA compared with the cold weather OF ls51-e-tLe
Winter o. the great fire IN the city 81 New ork .
lie next compared the very mid v inter Of 1878
with the Summer Of ls16-one cyec--the heat ana
moisture Of which Summer cansed many appe-uees u
blossom three times the same tree having on u ift %
three different ages. The next illustration embraced
Tn cycles from the Summer Of l7e % that o.
le4 lie closed with the predetjo, that tie Winter Of
leG45 will be severe bot the months OF March, Apil
and May will be warm and moist consequently there
Will be An "enrly Spring" The Winter Of le6Js Will
he severe, with much snow. AID especially very deep
snow about the st o. March lsOt being the return OF
the snow of 18th Dist OF February. I9l1 oIu
STYLE II should be understood that when protracted
warm weather dTOuth occurs IT, returning c!Sle
may be in the Winter. which Will be intensely cold
and moist the corresponding weather Of the sUoceeaiL
cycle will be warm and moist, even II securing IL the
Winter Gr. - SIITH directed attention 70 the iaot
that our seasons were becoming later. Mr.. W. SEWAL
said he well remembered the Winter OF 1855; the tenn
persture was 800 below zero. Mr.. S1ETsoH inquired
whether the observations detailed by Mr.. Dick apphea
to any large portion Of the gobei Nat Is WheIher the
same kind Of weather would prevail at Inc extreme
north and south. Dr. DICR replied that the weather
might be excessively wet at tie south and dry at the
north. but whatever weather occurred IN given local
ity d cycle would bring there corresponding weather.
The Secretary, Mr.. GARygY replied at length 10 Mr..
Dick We should be careful how We attempt TO estab-
lish laws upon few condolences He denied that the
moon had influence. except 1pon the tides, there
we're. however. many causes modifying the weather.
which it seemed would alGcs. render nugatoTy the
effects imagined by Mr.. Dick.
Ire CHAIRMAN remarked that this sub eet OF period
city IL weather exciting the attention OF prominent
meteoroOgiss. Sir John Aerschel has requested that
taiy observations in ell parts 81 Great brtln during
sCi BE- cent TO him fom which he will donosss draw
deductions that may influence tho common faith IN
weather signs We will puon record the prognoetiea'
tons Of Mr. Dick. without indorsing bis views spon
subject which always bears with It charm Tor al
elasset OF people,
The following notes Of scientific progress were then
read by the Chairman
M W GROVE l. X. =, in q lecture before the Royal
Institution presented some facts upon subject lately
bruusL 10 the notice Of this Association. lie first 81
luded the statements Of Deuny before the Brussels
Roys cademy in lsi3 that in proportion M water Is
iepfy ed Of It's air the character Of ts eoutisn ease
becoming more and more abrupt and boiling like suI
phurio acid with sovbrIsOu and between each burst Of
yapor the wafer reaches temperature above ls pOilhg
point To effect this IL In Necessary that the WAGER %
boiled In tube with narrow orihcs through when
the yapOr issues. II It be boiled In an open vesse II
aay reabsorbs the air and eolls In The ordinary
way. Mr.. Grove found that with the ory.hydrogen
gas given of from gnited Platinum pluns ed In water
there always greater or less quantity OF .ioSh
mixed which led him ~ examine more carefuiiy the
phenomenon Of boiling. he arranged two copper wires
parallel to each other in Florence fss.. 30 rs Itary
10 touch the bottom; the lower ends wore ul'ed ~
PLATINUM wire, about &C inch and hail isns hIies
wss curved horizontally. Distilled water. vhica had
boru boiled and cooled In aT.pullp vacuum "as
poured into this flask, 30 ,s b. III sOou' ohs.iOu.t
OF It's capacity The whole was pileed snueI '1e
air.punp receiver, end coshschoa was u-Sc
v th the wires Of yoltaic battery In tbs manner the
platinum wire heated and the boiling eohIlhu.d IN
definitely. The effect was curlousi me nsteL Iu 10.
La In tls ordinary way but az regular iteTFaiS bursts
OF YspOr took place. after Which as Waer W. ciieeY
Another experiment NTH 9 gnss tsbe h'e feet long
and hur.tons Of gn inch intorH'l niao'i' ueu' .so
scaled n ith great care Into ths tube water Purfed
Of air va poured to the depth o. elsLt Ncaer u .Ie
reet OF the tube filed with olive ell Inc experiment.
boiling presented nearly the same pecuhfiiee ar.nuJ
m,ptioued II vas continued tor many hours, ana even
DAYS IL was found that ~ each burst VI rapoi llAu!"
bubble OF gas pasoed up through the Oil nsich |as no,
cosdrnsr his was proved 10 be nitrogen. 10 avoid
,usrcon about boiling by electrical rleans, similar
,I1orineu,s we're made With similar results. /, when
the boiling VIZ. produced By spirit AMP. ne vas led
10 try the effect of boiling M eIemthtn! nl1iu, al
Iror1ina occurred as tie mOst promising sne 70 WORK
Tbe Temperature Of the Bronne was first raised
until its vapor mud driven all She air from the glass
tube when Il was sealed by tho hiow-pipe. Inc Bro
mine yapor. on condensinS len Eaeuun asOye ",
ASsr balIg a notable quantity Of permanent gas
fonnd 10 have collected in tho tube which proved
20 be uure oxygen The experiment sas repeated with
ckInTida of odine with tho ssme result only the guam
a.. =. ycnn was creator Mr.. Grove also described
ss fTntes attempts to obtain in this way the vapo Of
phosphorus and sulphur. He barely alluded 10 results
On tie compound liquids. such as els ana the hydf9
arons as the fact that permanent gas s given of in
hsling snch liquids would not be unexpected ont the
H. ,neIimsnts seem 20 show thai boiling is by no