New-York tribune., 1878-11-07
THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
EXERCISES OF THE SECOND DAY

divided impartially between business and djseus
sion. At the morning meeting the report >,
the Committee on Western Explorations Wa.
adOptcds In the afternoon, General II. s. An
bott gave an account of his experiments !,
phOtographIng torpedo explosions at WiIlstJ,
Point, and addresses were made by Professor Aley
ander Agassz, of Harvard. aud Professor STEPHEN
Alexander, of Princeton, n. J. In the evening DR.
Henry Draper gave reception to the Academy.
THE SPEAKERS AND THEIR ADDRESSES
The morning session of the Academy was de.
devoted entirely to business The report OF the Commit
tee on Methods of Western Exploration. which bad b
submitted 10 the Academy, adopted Formal ar nonc
ment was made of the deaths OF President Henry, DO
KItlaEd, OF Cleveland, Ohio, aud Professor Gabh a,
Philadelphia. committee was appointed to prepare a
biographical notice OF each.
The Academy met again IN public session st2pm
The speaker at the AFTERNOON session Professor
William p. TrOwbridge, Of the Char OF En-
cheering School of Mines, Columbia College
His subject The IDapplicability Of the Old The
ory OF the Turbine Waterwhee TO the Newer Construc
tons In stituted by BOyden and Francis Upon several
screens were arranged geometca figures equations
which were calculated to recall yvIdly TO the general
listener college struggles with spherical trg" and
Wcsbach He said that the development OF tie turbine
wheel in recent years was due largely TO the
inventions OF BOyden and Francis. While the newer
constructions of latter inventors had into use
the old methods were still described by weisbaeh Ran
KIN and others, and with these the student
was alone familiar He described the three
classes Or turbine wheels, and deduced formulas
applicable to three classes by which the
maximum OF efficiency and velocity could DO gained
He characterized the plan OF the wheel obtained By
Francs and in general use, a one OF those happy
intutIOns by which practical scientific men, in this
country especially have accomplished so remarkable
suits"
PHOTOGRAPHISG TORPEDO EXPLOSIONS.
General Henry g. Abbott, in charge OF the torpedo
plosons at Wett's Point. then spoke the Value Of
Photography in the study OfInstananeous Phenomena"
He said In substance:
One Of the important branches of my experimentsin
reaction in the discharge Of Ioruedoes. Tie method
adopted was az follows: on buoy was placed q eub
Of powder Upon the outside were attached several
small gauges which registered the Intensity OF action
By varying SIZES of charges fOrmnla Obtained tor
function OF distance and nature OF charge The actta
intensity and the OF its effect upon vessels were
vessels all that was To be done was 10 watch
experiments with submerged torped0s This al
first sgnt seems very satisfactory. An explosion
looks like this first. little shower Of water looking
like turned in Inc wrong direction, then I1se into
ascends to height according to the strength OF tue
charge. -, u 49,
tina summer / tried a new feature when
has produced valuable results key'6oanl,
cicuit Of one was cOnuee ell with the torpedo used
current strong % enough % ey a[ vas Ss eaI
with fuse, witch supported Dy small thread the slide
Of When tins tlsc Is cxpEOdcd th6 thedd IL
broken instantly, and the tc Of exposure t1e same
the tine OF exposion THIS tune j es mated roughly
at n twentieth Of a second, aud the whole operation dld
not consume than ten minutes. By tnat process
W. have suCco sdcd ia GcttinS excellent pictures
The Professor then showed picture or an explosion
of 800 ponnds OF dynamite equal TO 5000 pounds OF
powder The photographs indicated clearly tie tense
horizontal force reYesled by the breadth OF te e&pO
sion in the hi picture 10 determine the effect OF vary
ing degrees OF submerscnee OF ehargcs' Two tor
pedoes were placed AZ the bow ana stern OF
an Old scaoCrer, three and SIX feet distant
was that the additional et doubled tne height Of
one OF tEc lets.
OF explosions the hulls OF VcsselS-the manner IN
which the hus blew up. Two cHaiges OF PoMuet were
placed under an old schooner. In the e1p'G-
ccpt a burst of water but wnen | looked on
the camera round that the %iddS OF tno vessel @ %s.
raised about sixteen feet. The time when the DohSlll
the waller was shown BoforG the explosion ns
could be seen but the boiling Of the water.
Tne remarks OF General Abbott were illustrated by
beautifully clear photographs Of the jets OF water at
different stages of explosions. In discussing THIS
paper Fairmsn ROGERS. Of PHILADELPHIA, said that 10
had devised a small metal shutter, Ike Ntnetan 70
serve instead OF tho slide In the camera
PROFESSOR AGAssIz's ADDRESSES.
Tho next address delivered by Professor OF COM
parative ZoGlogy Alexander Agassz OF Harvard Uni
yersty lie spoke rapidly without notes, In very clear
voice. hut with a marked foreign accent. Hts address
was ION The EmbryOlogy OF the Gar Pike"
His experiments ia Matching the garpkC showed thas
this fish does not differ as much from the development
of the hony fishes aSnaturansts had been led think
Brief remarks made on tis address by Professor b
d. Cope, OF Philadelphia.
a Geological Marine Laboratory at NewpOr;." He saii;
"TEe great difficulty heretofore h9, heen that 10 Pe'
maneut place where biologists could proseouts
experiments without interruptions. The only ono
known TO me is that OF Dr. pahrs, at naLt1si
with auy school Professor Agassiz tried TO establish
sGcn n6Ssi9y at fenseSs 9Hs smaT abotoy
ON the same plan at Newport, where enhtyo0Scat gnu
Iuiding Is small bet Is situated the water.
FIFTY faucets may be depended upon for feed
When usHaly last two OF three hours have kept in
good condition for as many days"
PROFESSOR ALEXANDER on AN AXIOM or EUCLlD
Professor stephen Alexander OF Prince then mads
q long proposed demonstration on the eleventh
axiom OF Euclid" He the very picture Oh
an ancient mathematician. A little, thlH.
whc-headed old gentleman. in dress-sult, he ioOsed
precisely as II he had just stepped cut Of an old
time picture. He displayed wonderful skill with chalk
aud agility with the pointer. After 10 had finished MS
work Professor Pierce Of the Coast survey wanted hh'
on one Of the fundamental propositions OF the DEM
onstration The two repaired 70 the blackboard, sad
there was discussion OF angles and ianges to the point
III exhaustion. A 1t had nov grown very dSFA wv
meeting adjourned. -
ing were pteseRt Professor Marsh br T. A. p. Barnard
Professors Alexander, Copc, TrOWhrl0gt; GeIeres
Mciggs aud Abbott and other Academicinn-; PETER
Cooper, paTEe Goodwin and many others. Phot0gfsphss
of Dr. Diapers sun pictures weTe shoND anu ~ iuo nS
OF steTeoicun beautiful pictures OF the coron1
in eclipse were exhibited.
the programme foe todny-tho last Of the meeting
will bcqin with "a Biographical Memoir OF Professor MA
han by General II. ;. Abbott Papers WIZ og rSad "
Professor stephen Alexander, Ol tIHco'ou' W. 90
Newperry, OF Columbia, ana others .f.' -'
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4 DISAPPOINTED POLITICIANS SUICIDE.