The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-03-11

ENGINEERING.
Wonders Of Modern Scienco-An
ci0nt Compared with Mod
ern Works.
LECTURE NY HON. W.. M'ALrINI.
A large audience assembled in Stein
way Hall, New York, Feb. 10th, to hea
the last lecture Of the course before til
American Institute. The lecturer, afte
. INV brief introductory remarks, said
Engineering Is peculiarly the exponen
Of modern development. Its definition
II 1.-THE acquisition of that species q
knowledge whereby the great sources o
power In nature are converted, adapted
aad applied for the use and convenience
Of man." which covers the civil ant
military engineer, the architect ant
mechanician, the closest thcorest. am
the practical workman. The suffice
covers the locomotive and its railway
the steam engine and IT. application
the metals aud their manipulation ths
workshops and their great tools mod
oen ordnance and artnor; naval con.
slssetlon, telegrsplsy, bridge, canals.
Waesf supplies, harbora, etc., has bssa
ehasactsrised BY ne vnsioeas applies
e1sas u stsan ~ psoaluet - asnalp-
ulalIoa e npetals and tD1egsaphy
Amsag ~ nost important q the Oh.
I 1pvsrles and appliances u modern sn-
6tss1a9 = the loconhotlvs. II was In
svsatsd = the beginnlag q this century,
MT was not suocssslGlly used until lS8.
sjacs whlch time Il has Increased from
I b y tons weight, nd fsOaa a y %
nllss PER hour In speed. Then grades
81 50 feet per mile were the maximum,
nav those 1t 40 feet It Mount Gems
asd SIS on the Baltimore and Ohio, have
besn used. Forty years ago Horntio
Alien had to mount the foot board OF
the first locomotive himself, now l5,-
90 are daily whirling over 40, 900 miles
Of railways in this country alone. To-
day locomotives are passing over the
submits Of tho Rocky Mountains and
Sierra Nevada, aud before the year
closes will go from ocean to ocean,
From the days of Noah until those of
the locomotive, civilized population was
.confincd to the water lines. This one
engine has spread an avalanche Of peo-
pies upon our fertile interior, who now
form more than one half Of our popula-
ton and sources of prosperity. The
Erie Canal, originally built for vessels
Of 80 tons, has just been enlarged for
those Of 80 tons, and its increasing
traffic already demands an enlargement
for vessels of 1000 tons. OF the traffic
of the great West it now carries more
than all Of the great trunk lines Of rail
way between the st. Lawrence and the
Potomac. One canal boat carries more
tonnage than n freight train, aud the
Erie Canal brings daily 10 tide water
more than five times rs much tonnage
~ the New York Central. Its tonnage
exceeds that Of all the foreign commerce
Of this city. The materials used in its
construction exceed in quantity those
required for the 1000 miles Of the Pa
cific Railway. The Croton Aqueduct
exceeds in engineering merit any work
of its kind in the world. The American
examples of bridges embrace those Of
every material aud form, aud many Of
huge dimensions. The Niagara and
Cincinnati wire suspenion, by Rocbling;
the Havre de Grace, Of wood. by Parker;
the Schuylkill bridge of cast iron arches,
by kncass, and the Victoria iron girder,
by Stephenson, are among the most
noted. In submarine works are the
piers Of the Potomac and Croton Apue-
ducts, OF the Havre de Grace aud Har-
lem bridges, and the founding of tn,
United States Gravin. Dock =; Brook
lyn. The Aqueducts aud Craving Dock
were founded By means o. Golfer dams,
the Uavrc dc Grace bridge by means of
iron caissons, and the piers Of the Har-
lem bridge are composed of large cast
iron columns or hollow piles, driven by
the new discovered pneumatic process
A mass of metal Of ton weight Was un-
known before the Christian era. Now
those in east iron weigh up to 80 tons,
In wrought iron TO 40 tons: and in steel
Or bronze to - tons, arc east in any de-
sired form, and turned or bored with the
most perfect accuracy. Two years ago
I saw the largest lathe in England,
which swings >. feet, All! will take in
shaft Is feet long. Six months ago
saw one in this country which swings
20 feet, and will take ia \ shaft so feet.
There are plancrs which will plane iron
50 feet in length; Others of Is feet in
width; others II feet in height, taking
OF metal shavings Of two and half
iches In width aud quarter thick
Not long since witnessed the pencira-
ton Of . wrought iron shield Of Is inches
thickness by an elongated cannon shot
Of II inches diameter. The largest Eu-
ropean gun is of steel, by Krupp, IA
inches bore, and will throw q ball OF
1000 pounds. but has never been fired.
The next largest European gun is an
Armstrong rifle, which throws shell
Of 6l0 pounds. The Finch American
R0dman rifle throws an elongated shot
Of $50 pounds, ana the % inch smooth