The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-08-23

PROF. ALDRICH, OF THE VULCAN,
GIVES HIS EXPERIENCES.
Valuable Services Rendered by thai
Vessel and Dangers OF Bringing
the Teresa North.

COLUMBUS. o., Aug. 22.-The session Of
the American Association for the Advance
ment of Science and of the American Chem
ical Society continues here to-day, and
those of the American Forestry Association
and the Geological Society OF America be-
gan. Many papers were read in the meetings,
among them being those of Prof. Howard on
the so-called kissing bugs and Prof. Aldrich
on the Spanish war ships sunken off Sam
tiago.
The morning session of the Geological So
ciety was occupied with papers by Prof. Ed
ward orion on the local geology of Column
bus. and Frank Leveritt on the glacial phe-
nomenon of Ohio, preparatory TO the excur-
sion next Thursday to Lancaster, where
some striking glacial phenomena are ex-
hibited in and about the terminal Moraines.
The extreme terminus of glaciation is a
little south and in the western part of the
State extends to the Ohio river.
The botanists are preparing an exhibition
illustrative Of the work of Prof. Sullivant,
formerl- Of this city, and will place it in
Botanical Hall tomorrow, where it will re-
main for a day or two. They propose thus TO
celebrate the day as the "Sullivant day. as
the t%wenty-ffth anniversary of his death.
The report Of the committee on the white
race in America was presented at the Sec
ton Of anthropology recommending that the
American association follow the example
of the British association in providing for
physical and mental tests of the members.
A resolution recommending the project and
requesting an appropriation of $50 from the
Council to carry it out was unanimously
adopted.
Prof. William s. Aldrich, an ex-naval en-
gineer of the repair ship Vulcan. addressed
Section d on Some Engineering Expert
ences with Spanish Wrecks" illustrating
the lecture by original photographs of the
Spanish warships wrecked off Santiago and
showing how valuable the Vulcan had been
In maintaining the efficiency of Admiral
Simpsons fleet off Santiago in fitting out
and preparing the fleet destined for Spain
and in rehabilitating the Spanish vessels
Sandoval and Maria Teresa. 1t was a nov
city in naval warfare to have such afrepair
ship affording instant facilities for almost
all sorts of repair work usually done at a
hayward. She also carried the finest as
sortment of engineers and ships stores
ever put upon a naval vessel. What she
had not on hand for immediate use was
manufactured from rough stock and raw
material. TIN larger equipment included
~ oAd ~ Tx 1-lll1 SldpGI, AO-ltl
planer, 6-foot bending rolls for plates half
an inch thick. and. the most unique feature
of all, a. complete foundry equipment com,
a hve-ton foundry cupola for melting iron.
Never before had such casting been made
midocean. The destructive effect of Amer
lean gun fire on the vessels of Cervera's
fleet was viyidly shown, and the faulty CON
personal examination Of the wrecks. Well
aimed and rapidly-fired shots proved ex-
tremely demoralizing and destructive.
throwing gun crews out of action, cutting
fire mains and steam pipes. exploding in coal
bunkers and magazines and kindling un-
comfortable fires. The thrilling experience
in trying TO bring north the Maria Teresa
was described. Having been raised and re-
paired by five weeks of unremitting work
under unprecedented conditions and almost
irsurmountable difficulties, lowed by the
Vulcan and the Merritt and assisted by her
own steam. she proceeded slowly northward
1lil o Abandoned by o sne f forty Barrels Th ef ,s sns
oil were poured upon the water by the
Vulcan In order to calm II sufficiently to
rescue the crew of the Maria Teresa.
The chemists. here o~utnumber any other
class of specialists. Prof. A. A. NOyes gave
a lecture on experimental Illustrations of
portant economical applications of chem
istry were presented by C.. G.. Hopkins In
his paper on Improvement in the chemical
Wiley and w. III. Kruse on new products
of maize stalks. The utilization of this vast
waste product Is mainly in the direction of
grinding and mixing with the waste mo-
lasses Of sugar refineries and the blood of
slaughter houses as food for cattle. Its abb
sorbent powers enable 1T to take up fifteen
or twenty times its own weight of water.
While itself a "a -Do-hydrate of little nutri-
tive value, the mixture with these other
waste products give a food of great value
for cattle. and by further addition of ground
bone or oyster shells, an ideal food for
poultry. Large quantities are to be shipped
TO Ooba to utilize the waste molasses there.
The astronomers, physicists and geolo-
gists had n solid days work of technical
papers. In zoology, besides Professor How
ARDS paper on insects. whose bite has often
been held responsible for spider-bite stories.
the paper of Carl H. Eigenmann, on cave
animals. was considered an important con-
tributlon. In botany, papers were by Will
liam saunders. on breeding apples I'm the
Northwest plains; by Byron d. Halstead.
on field experiments with nitrogen and 9TH
er good fertilizers, and others. Prof. n. A.
Weber entertained the gentlemen OF the as
ISOLATION with a "KOmmers,' by the Hum
boldt Verein. this evening.