New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-21
New Orleans Scientists in St. Louis,

| At a meeting of the St Louis Academy
| Of Sciences, held on Monday night, DR.. j
| ). COpes, president Of the Academy OF
| Science of New Orleans and Captain Roy,
| OF the same place, were among the gentle
| men present.
Dr. COpes was requested to give some ac-
| count Of the status of science at New Or
| leans. and he spoke Of the indomitable per-
severance which had characterized the
Academy of Science of that city. The in
stltutlon was founded in 1883, a little before
the origin of the ST. Louis Academy. at
the outbreak of the war the members were
scattered and operations suspended, but
the Academy was subsequently reorgau.
lied 1t lost a valuable member in its
president, j. Henry Bell The Academy
has promoted discovery to some extent.
Captain Joseph Fry, of the Virginus, Was
a membr and made several discoveries
One OF the most recent of the discoveries
of q member of the Academy, Dr. Lamm.
was the charging of water with steam SO
as to Obviate the necessity of using fur
naces. How far the principle might be
carried has not yet been determined :;
whether or not the invention would be
found applica bic to the propulsion of canal
boats by placing local boilers at every ten
or fifteen or twenty miles. its use on the
streets has been verT satisfactory in New
York, Philadelphia, Chicago and New Or
leans.
Captain Roy gave more detailed informs
tiOn about DR.. Lamm's invention, which
was the charging of a boiler with liquid
ammonia under = pressure OF from l2O to
100 pounds, which ammonia passes into
cylinder and becomes gas, and this prOpels
the piston. the ammonia is utilized over
and over again, but its high c.st is an OBJ
stacle 60 its use. He had known a car
stand charged with that ammonia three
months, and when ehe track was cleared,
move with all the celerity desirable. Cars
run from six to nine miles without being re-
charged.
The distractions at Che mouth of the
Mississippi and the remedy for them were
referred to. Captain Roy spoke of various
plans of dredging, and said the proposed
Fort st. Philip canal would be through a
swamp; there was no mechanical difficulty
in the way, except the immensity of She
work 1t would cost great deal.
an reference to jetties it was urged by
some that they would cause the water to
back up and overflow and wash away the
banks.
Judge Holmes said ie had been stated az
an objection to the canal that, if il were fed
by water from the river, mud would be de-
posted in it, and the difficulty be as great
as it was at the mouth of the liver He
had read of a plan of an engineer to over
come this by feeding the canal from the
gnlf, and having lock near the river; this
lock to be emptied by sluces at the side
Captain Roy said the water of the river
was not to be allowed III the canal
The president made some interesting re.
marks upon jettles the velocity of the cur
rent and the fluctuations in the bed of the
river. He said it would be utterly impos-
sible TO build iettles So fast that they would
cause the water mile above them to back
up half an incho By means of parallel
jettles ae the mouth of the Danube the |
depth of the water had been changed from
nine 40 twenty teeso Jettles would be more
favorabls at the mouth OF the Mississippi
than at the Danubeo
After so,ae further discussion tie meeting