New-York tribune., 1884-01-17
CIVIL. ENGINEERS IN COUNCIL.

CIVIL ENGINEERS IN COUNCIL.
EIECTING OFFICERS AND AWARDING PRIZES
TWENTY FOUR HOUR TINE RECOMMENDED.
The American Society of Civil Engineers held its
thirty -hrst annual meeting at the society house
No 127 East TN enty-thlrd-st. yesterday, wee
President William ii. Paine in the char. The fOl-
lowing officers were elected Daniel ). Wmttemore,
chief engineer of the Chicago, Milwaukee, ana ~;
Paul Railroad president; William H. PANE ana
Joseph r. Davis, ice-presidents; JOhn bogart'
secretary and librarian; James X. Croes treasurer,
and George s. Greene it, William Metcalf, Theo
dOre Casper, Frederick Graft and William H. hutton,
directors The reports OF the various committees
showed that the membership was 797 that the III
come for last year $30.2 OF. and that the So
clety was proSpering in every direction. lhe city
of Buffalo was selected as the place tor the next
The Board of Censors reported that they had
awarded the Norman medal-Otered for the best ar
tices on The increased efficiency Of railways Ior
the transportation of freight, and " How can lal-
ways be made more efficient IN the transportation OF
freight f'-to William +. Sbinn. member OF the
American society of Civil Engineers. The =" Row
land Prize" for 1SS3 was won by q. Llndenthai, 10r
Tho hest article con rebuilding the Mouongahela
Bridge" The Board of Direction was instructed to
furnish to each member badge oil the sOclety, 10
be worn Oh all proper occasions.
At 1870 p. n an adjournment was taken for lunch,
and at the afternoon session the COmlnlttee on
Standard Time reported that of the many thousands
whose opinions had been asked as TO adopting
standard time more than ninety per cent were
in favor of it, and that the course taken by the So
cety during three years had bad no little influence
in bringing about what had been done. The COM
mittee recommend the Abandonment OF the dlVldlng
of the day into halves of twelve hours each and the
adoption of a single series OF hours numbered from
to "a. The answers 10 questions sent out withre-
gard To the matter showed that large majority
NINETY two per cent-Of the people favored sucha
change. The changes in clocks and watches which
would be made necessary by such coarse would be
tr1ing, and the chauge would be fully acqulesced
in as soon as Its Dement'S were understood ana ap-
Among the visitors present were T. D. Lovett of
Cincinnati; Charles Macdonald president OF the
Delaware Bridge Company; Daniel j. Whlttemore,
nf lyga +
the Wisconsin Central Railroad; Frederick Gran,
hydraulic engineer, Philadeiphla; Captaln q; +.
Aiichaelis, United States Army; and A. NJ Yelling
ton. assistant general manager OF the Mexican Cen
tral Railroad.
UNDERGROUND FIRE TELEGRAPH WIRES.
SupeTintendent Smit . of the Fire Department
Telegraph Bureau. was sent TO PlttsbuTg and Wash
ingtou about three months ago to examine under
ground telegraph cables, which have been IN use in
those cities ior about a year. lie brought back
section of cable which he had tested and which
he considered the best for use III tins city. The
cable is made of lead, with six insulated copper
wires cast in ridges about cen raj core. One of
the ridges has peculiar shape and by counting
from that ridge 1T is easy to distinguish one wire
from another in any section of the cable. In Pitts
burg such cables about nine miles IN length, have
been used without repairs for more than year
Another cable was placed underground IN Wash
iugon, between the Capitol and the White House,
several months ago, and the wires have worked
well in ali kinds of weather. In his report to tho
Fire Commissioners Mr. Snlth stated that the
cables could be laid under the pavements IN the
than would be needed in other systems of under
ground wires. lie recommended the laying OF
cables along Broadway from South Ferry TO Fiity-
ninth-st with connections for all the fre-alarln
The Fire commissioners asked their coun-
sci for an opinion regarding their powers
TO Law wires underground. he replied that
the Commissioners we're empowered BY law 10
make the desired experiment provided that ina the
missioner OF Public WoTke was obtained. The
Commissioners yesterday decided TO lay cables of
fire telegraph wires from south Ferry along broad
way 10 Ffty-nInth-st., from Broadway along
Forty-second-st. to Twelfth-ave., and III Thirty
fourth-st. from Broadway to the East River, with
the approval of the Department of Public Works.
Ii has not been decided yet now many cables of six
wires each will be laid along those lines, and the
work of placing the cables underground probably
will not be begun until next SUMMER
DOINGs OF THE DOCK COMMISSIONERS.
The Dock Commissioners yesterday were requested
TO repair Pier No. 81, East River, part OF which
was carried away by ice on Sunday. They replies
that the pier is claimed as private property, and
that if 1t is not repaired by the supposed owner
The city may reclaim IT.
MIR. Eaimbeer protested against the continuance
of a coal-crane on the pier on the south side of
that IL be removed at once. Mr.. Stark moved TO
amend the resolution by allowing ten days grace
TO the owner. Mr. VoOrhls wanted Sir. Lalmbeerto
vote for the amendment
What vote to lay my resolution on the tableI !
That would be absurd-even worse than Dan Sick
les exclaimed Mr. Laimbeer. "What is the use |
of putting il off ten daysi If that man comes here
and pleads with you 10 put 1T OIL another month, !
youth encourage him, and in the meantime half
dozen more similar cases will occur. Now enter |
NV solemn protest against IT,"
President Stark-Now you have reason 10 make |
any asseron am as opposed TO this thing as you
President Starg-Weu, my goOd-natuTe viii not lead me
20 do anything improper.
EnCneer-in Chief Greene reported upon what !
had seemed q discrepancy in his estimates for |
dredging at Thirty y-siXth-st., North River. Ihe |
estimated quantity Ofmud TO lie removed was25,OOO |
cubic wards but the actual quantity taken out was
only 1 7i5 cubic yards. The difference was caused
by dredging after the estimates by the New-lOTk, |
Ontario and Western Railroad. Mr. VoOrhls sand /
that the Dock Department had often excavated the |
mud of others in a similar way aud II was getting
O partial return by the action of Providence or an
KILLED BY FALLING DOWNSTAIRS.
Aurei de Scent Ivanje, a hungarian Of good fam
ily, who once officer IN the Austrian army,
was killed late Oh Teusday night by falling down.
stairs at No. 406 Thrd-ave., where he was employed
as a barKeeper III the liquor store Of William II.
GOetting. lie was bachelor, forty-two years old,
and was destitute account of habits of dissipa-
ton Little was known of his habits at the liquor
store, where he mad been employed only short
time Ii was believed that he came 10 this country
recently in the hopes of making a fortune, but he
was not able TO secure better situation than the
Dne offered by Mr.. GOettlng, and he soon began to
drink 10 excess. He was drunk when he tell down |