New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-11
SCIENTIFIC LECTURE.

SCIENIJFC LECIUHE.
THE HON WIN J. M'ALPINE ON MODERN EN-
CHEERING"
A large audience assembled in Steinway Hall
last evening to hear the last lecture OF the course before
the American Institute The lecturer, after few intro
ductory remarks sald Engineering is peculiarly the ex-
ponent OF modern development It's definition is the
acquisition OF that species OF knowledge whereby tho
great sources Of power in nature converted adapted
and applied for the and convenience OF man. which
covers tbe civil and military engineer the architect and
mechanican the closet heorst and the practical work
man. The subject the locomotive ana us railway;
the glue and its application; the metals ana
their manipulation the wOrkshopsand their great TOOLS
modern ordnance and amor; naval CONSTRUCTION,
telegaphy bridges, canals water supplies nafo0rs ec
steam the product and manipulation OF metals ana
tclegraphy. Among the most Important OF tue as
coyeries and appliances modern engineering IS
tho LOCOMOTIVES 10 invented at the beginning OF
this century. but not successfully used until ls2g
slnce which time 10 has increased from to 40 tuns weight,
from II to co miles per hour IN speed The grades
Of so feet per mile were The maI now 'p nS o. a
have been used. Forty years ago Horatio Alien had 70
mount the fOOtbOard of the first locomotive himself now
5000 are daily whrlng 10000 miles OF railways In
this country alone. To-day locomotives are passing over
and before the year closes will from ocean to ocean
From tho days of Noah until those or the locomotive
civilized population was confined 10 tne WateI HITS
our fertile interior, who now form moro IMAM one
half Of our population ana sorsea oil Pro 81 nns
has inst been enlarged for those o; tuns in
crcasn1 traffic already demands an enlargement
o5 or the traiic of the great West IL now
carries than all OF the great trunk lines OF railway
between tho ST. Lawrence and the Potomac One canal
boat carries more tunnage than freight train, and the
Erie Canal brings daily to tide water more IMAM hve
times ms much tunnugc rs the New York Central. It's
unnage exceeds that Of all the foreign commerce OF thus
city Tho materials used IN lts CONSTRUCTION exceed III
onntitr those reguired for the 1900 of the Pacific
Railway The Croton Aqntduct exceeds IN engineering
merit any work Of Its kind IN the world me American
examples OF bridges embrace those of every material ann
form. and many OF huge dimensions Tue Niagara ana
Cincinnati wire Suspension. by Roebig; the hayIe de
Grace of wood, by Parker the 5chuykll bridge OF cast
iron nrches by Kneass ANA the Victoria iron grder
by Stephenson among the most noted. In submarine
works are the piers OF the Potomac and Croton Aque
duets of the Havre de and Harlem Bridges, and
the founding OF the United states Craving Dock at
Brooklyn. The Aqueducts aud CRAVING Dock were
founded by means OF Golfer dams the Havre de Grace
Bridge by means OF iron cassOns and the piers OF the
Harlem Bridge composed VI large east-lTon colnmns
or hollow piles. driven by the newdscOyered pneumatic
process. Of metal Of tun weight was unknown
before the Christian era NOW those IN castrOh up 10
$50 tuns wroughTon to 40 tuna aud Ia steel or bronze
TINS. cast In any desired FORM ana turned or
bored with the most perfect accuracy Two years ago
the largest lathe IN England which swings "a feet.
aud will take IA SHAFT % iert long SIX months ago
take In shaft Of 90 feet There paners which will
plane feet IN length; Others O Is feet In width
others IA feet IN night taxing on metal sla,lhSs
and half inches In width and quarter thick.
IRON shield OF rs inches Thickness by an elongated cannon
shot OF IA inches diameter The largest European gun
is OF steel by Krupp inches bore and will throw
ball Of 1000 pounds but has never been fred The next
largest European gun Is an Armstrong ride which throws
throws elongated shot Of $50 pounds, aud the giueh
snoothborc,a spherical shot OF pounds The swamp
Angel" arrott rife inches bore, aud threw shot of
$50 pounds distance OF q mic. mo SnalestS S as
stone balls Of Isl inches diameter but Notwithstanding It's
quaint legend. did not exceed mile and half
II Is said that tecgahy may DC re9 % eaeh Oh lie Se
senses namely sight, sound, feeling taste, ana even
smelling. The method " signaling through the Atlantic
Gable Il exactly the reverse oil that upon me anu hnes
and done by alternate currents OF positive or neRdfYe
electricity. but ten per cent OF when Is allowed tn cross
the ocean and, therefore, an almost microscopic receY-
In, ftatp Ia
~ miles across Lake superior ny means OF tho
hrotrupe (Or mirror without the aid OF either wire or
cable The works OF the ancens often referred 10 rs
eNcCng IN magnitude, accuracy of Workmanship, ana
0epy u f n erroHeos Their works We're general
is useless purposes although there are many excep
tons, such their canals, water WORKS military lOaIs
and bridges which show that they were occasionally
called upon for works Of utility The stones In the temple
Baabec tho largest save ore Oi any buung Ia the
world They from 1900 10 li5 uus. The one ut St.
Petersburg Is onefth larger The monolts OF Egypta
from 200 TO 800 tuna aud few OF 200 thS Inc oDesk on
LuNOr. IN Paris, weighs ~ tunS. Ihe " SOody
stones" Of the temple al Jerusalem weighed 800 tnis
each The speaker then described FROM tue HosG Uust
worthy sources. the probable method OIL H W o
erpnt PYRAMID OF GiZrh including the method or quar-
rying transportiigand lay ing the eooe' anu
Instead of scaOdng, mound OF edrt ana an lhcHbed
canseway used and Wien the structure was com,
pleed the earth was removed rus pyramid contained
6JOOOOO Of stone, aud the emOalkInents required
Canal amounts bat one-thrl OF this and all of the
earth moved for the Pacific Railway amounts TO but that
used instead Of scafOlng for this pyramid IL required
the labor of 500 COO men Or 80 years and cost S.
A modern engineer would construct such work for
Il
of Rome was hut one-thrd OF the size OF the London
Exhibition building. and but one-si1th Of the Paris
the show slips built by Ptolemy somewhat less,
aud Great Eastern, 22O tuns Some Of the modern
men-owar have nearly 5000 ts displacement and our
passenger ships 5000 5000 The largest steam en-
gnes in tho world were those used In draining the Har
iaem Mere with steam cylinders of u feet diameter aud
is feet stroke driving eight pumps OF 6J and IS Inches
diane ter 10 feet stroke. These three engines were
capabo Of delivering volume OF wtcr six times rs great
as that the Croton The heXt largest pumps are those
OF the Craving Dock at BrOokiyn oil 0he-thTa OF inc
capacity OF those at Haraem Mere The steam engines
next IN size those OF the Bristol and Providence
with cylinders OF feet inches diameter ana
~ feet stroke. The speaker then described tho BeSsemer
steel process aud spoke Of tho changes which Is des
tined produce engineering structures seven OF the
most noted modern engineering works, TO contrast with
tunnel tho Great Eastern steamship the Atlantic Cable,
the Brittania and Niagara Bridges, the Erie
Among great projects Of the those for build
lug canals. railways tunnels bridges, and steamers In
canals have the project OF one around the Fails OF
Niagara reenlargcment ~ the Erie Tor vessels OF 900
the Suez, nearly completed; one across the Ale
ghanes In Virginia. one through the Nicaragua Lake or
Panama aud from Huron TO Ontario In railways,
mis- In rapid progress one across the continent from Ro
JanoirU begun. and many others or magnitude. VI
BRIDGES NO nave those IN progress across our great west
rivers; proposed the East River at Now
York " 1000 feet clear span; two over tho Hud.
son, above aud below West Point; another across
the Straits Of MeSsna, covering the Scia aud Charyb ~
dis with clear spans or loco motors two thirds OF mel
ench and with piers Of go feet high half In and hall cut
OF the sea- and finally tho modern Pons Asshorum, "a
bridge prCect the Straits OF Dover 10 miles long
Ia clear spans or TWO miles each with piers OF lo Feet
depth IN the water The project is said TO favored by
Napoleon IN tunnels We nave that OF hoht Oonis, elgl
miles and Of the oosc I'VE miles length both lii rapid
progress one Of wrought iron tubes NJ London and
another at Cheaso almost eompleed tunnets pr9poseu
Gangos AZ Calcutta and under the Straits OF Dover.
10 - -
.. FIRE MARSHALS REPORT.