Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-27
prouressor the united states,

| from Paper Read by Chanuts at St. Louisl
In the matter of supplying towns with
water, the application of steam as power,
and the improvements made in pumping ma
| chimes, engineers have made gain of so per
cent. over what accomplished twenty
years ago. There are now $50 towns and
cities in the United States and Canada sup
piled with water works, involving $4,000
miles of pipe, 10000 of which is of cast-iron.
Important progress has also been made In
canal engineering and we now have 3,257
| miles of canal. Experiments are in progress
in the way of steam propulsion, which it is
confidently expected will effect saving of
fully 81 per cent. over present methods. In
railways Americans were among the first to
appreciate Stephenson's invention of 1928,
and are foremost among nations in utilizing
it. The United States leads the world in the
extent of her lines, reaching sc, 600 miles all
Europe has but 10000, and the balance of
the world only 25, 900. Our railroad engi-
neers and locomotive builders lead all others.
Our roads reach farther and cost less than
any others, and our engines pull heavier
trains and run more miles in year, or dur
ing their time, than those of any other
nation. The Pennsylvania railroad was pro-
nounced one of the best if not the best, man.
aged railroads in the world In regard to
bridges, there are now in the United States
800 miles of these structures-one-third of
them stone or iron, and two-thirds wood.
instanced as the boldest conception of bridge
construction ever attempted The matter
of river improvements is just now attracting
much attention and the fact is being realized
that until quite recently but little has really
been done in this dir ection. It has been
demonstrated that the currents of the largest
rivers may be controlled by simple brush
dikes The movable dam on the Ohio-a
French idea-has already proved success,
and the best engineering talent in the coun-
try is now engaged in effecting certain need
ed notifications required to meet the pecu-
liar nature and needs of our rivers, The re-
cent improvements to navi vigation at He'll Gate
and Flood Rock were referred to as great and
novel feats of engineering. In telegraphic
and gas engineering we have made won
derfuI st rides In the former we lead the
world in the latter, since 1850, the number
of companies has increased from so to 900,
with capital of $500, 900, OO0 In metalIur-
gy, the increase of our blast furnaces is es-
pecialIy notable. In the amount of iron pro-
duced we are next to England, Germany
standing third. Our steel industry, which is
now second only to that of Great Britain
will exceed that eountryi in another year. Our
increase has been so per cent. in two years.
to the precious metals, is simply enor-
nous. The petroleum industry was
briefly alluded to. Our exports of that
product are now the fifth on the list in
point of value. In agricultural engineering
our progress has been truly wonderful, and
before this all other branches become as
dust in the balance. In the plow alone the
annual saving of labor in producing our crops
amounts to fully $36, ,O00,o0O less than the
same work would have cost 30 years ago.
1t is in shipbuildlng and maritime trade
alone that we have lost ground during the last
two decades. This decadence is attributed to
the war of rebellion, and to unequal compe-
tition with England in ship building, and the
superiority of iron over wood-an industry
to which our engineers and capitalists have
not given proper attention; but it was con-
fdently predicted that in the early future we
shall once more assume our proper place on
the ocean