in the United States and Canada. Al- names I have been able to record, but I ready replies have been received from fear that I neglect to include many of the representatives of some 60,000 miles eminence because they are not known to of railway, 98 per cent. of whom have me. It is this varied and widely diffused given expression to their sympathy with effort which has rendered possible the the movement, to abandon the old prac-realization of the practical results which tice of halving the day, designating the I have the gratification to record, and all two sets of twelve hours by the abbrevi- the members of this Society must equally ations A. M. and P. M., and are prepared join in the common satisfaction in the to adopt a simple notation of 1 to 24 in measure of success which has been a single series. The great telegraph in- achieved. terests of the country are likewise in full sympathy with it. The President of the Western Union Telegraph Company, Dr. Norvin Green, states that their telegraphic traffic is equal to the transmission of 44,000,000 messages a year, and the general adoption of the 24 o'clock system (as it has been designated), would be cor. dially welcomed by telegraphers. It would reduce materially the risk of errors, and to the company over which he presides, he says it would save the transmission by telegraph of at least 150,000,000 letters annually.

Six years back, when the subject was discussed in this hall, there were probably not a few who viewed the propositions then submitted as merely fanciful theories. Others, who did not refuse to recognize their bearing, entertained the feeling that many grave difficulties presented themselves to interfere with any successful attempt to reform or modify usages so ancient as the computation of time. But the Institute, as a body, was hopeful. The action taken by the Council to extend the field of discussion and awaken the attention of foreign commuThe branch literature bearing on the nities, evinced confidence, and we may two questions of Universal Time and the now ask, was this confidence justified? establishment of a Prime Meridian, has What are the facts to-day? Twelve been enriched by a series of papers which months have passed since an important have appeared during the past year in change in the notation of railway time the International Standard, a magazine was made with general approval throughpublished in Cleveland, Ohio. These out the length and breadth of North papers are by the following gentlemen, America; a revolution in the usages of connected with the International Insti- 60,000,000 of people has been silently tute: Rev. H. G. Wood, of Sharon, Penn- effected and with scarcely a trace that it sylvania; Professor C. Piazzi-Smith, has happened. That proceeding has been Astronomer Royal for Scotland; Professor John N. Stockwell, Astronomer, Cleveland; Mr. Jacob M. Clark, C. E., New York; Mr. William H. Searle, Pennsylvania; the late Abbe F. Moigno, Canon of St. Denis, Paris; Commodore Wm. B. Whiting, United States Navy; Mr. Charles Latimer, C. E., Cleveland, and others. It will be seen from what I have sub-ing the whole month of October, and, as mitted, that the proceedings have neither a body, they came to conclusions affecting been few nor without success, and that all peoples living under our theories of since this Institute published the first civilization.

followed by events of equal importance. On October 1st last, a body of accredited delegates from the different nations, on the invitation of the President of the United States, met in conference to consider the problem first submitted to the world by this Institute. The delegates were the representatives of 25 civilized nations. The Conference continued dur

issue of papers on Time and Time-reckon- It was early understood that a detering, the subject has received much atten- mination with respect to Universal Time tion on both sides of the Atlantic. Soci- was not possible without the general receties with kindred pursuits, men of recognition of a Prime Meridian. Hence ognized merit in the scientific world, the importance attached to its choice, have turned to its examination and aided that it should be universally accepted. in its development. Some few men have acted in concert. The labors of others

IT is stated that trials made of Natal coal on

have been independent. Some of these the local railway have ended satisfactorily.

THE ANTWERP TRAMWAY LOCOMOTIVE TRIALS.
From "The Engineer."

which there was a triangle for turning of 500 meters, or 0.31 mile. Out of the whole length of the line, viz., 2,797 meters, 2,295 meters were in a straight line, 189 meters in curves of 13 chain radius, and 313 meters in curves of 1 chain radius. There were on the line four passing places, beside a passing place at the terminus; these were joined to the main line by curves of 13 chain radius. The line was practically level, the steepest incline being 1 in 1,000, so that the experiments cannot be said to have tested the capabilities of the motors for dealing with lines on which horse traction becomes most expensive.

AFTER a trial of four months with va- cable tramway. They might, however, rious kinds of mechanical motors, carried have taken into consideration the fact out with the appearance of conclusive that only half of the best systems of exactness, the Antwerp jury have arrived working tramways by mechanical power at a decision concerning their award. were represented at Antwerp. The exThis was mentioned by us last week periments were made upon a line of tramwithout comment. An interesting paper way laid down for the purpose from near on the results of the experiments was the main entrance of the Exhibition to read before the Society of Arts, on the the principal railway station, a distance 20th inst., by Captain Douglas Galton, of 2,292 meters, or 1.4 mile, beside and this, while serving to demonstrate the satisfactory nature of the trial, in some respects, showed, on the other hand, what we may venture to call very insufficient evidence for arriving at a conclusion and making an award. The various systems of tramway haulage were insufficiently represented, and the ar rangements for ascertaining the cost of working by electricity were very incomplete. The experiments lasted about four months. Five competitive systems offered themselves, which may be classed as follows: Three were propelled by the direct action of steam, and two were propelled by stored-up work supplied from fixed engines. The former were: (1) The Krauss locomotive engine, separate from the carriage. (2) The Wilkinson locomotive engine, i. e., Black and Hawthorn -also separate from the carriage. (3) The Rowan engine and carriage combined. The second class, or those pro pelled by stored-up force, were: (4) The Beaumont compressed air car. (5) The electric car worked by a secondary battery of 2,464 lbs. weight. Captain Galton very mildly comments on the inade quacy of the range of the experiments when he says it is to be regretted in the The motors were republic interest that other forms of me- quire to work four days out of six, and chanical motors, such as the Mekarski on one of the four days to draw a supcompressed-air engine, or the engine plementary carriage. The conditions and worked with superheated water, or cable circumstances were thus of the easiest tramways, or electrical tramways, were not also present for competition.

The engines named above include three out of the five known systems of tramcar haulage, only three being represented at Antwerp. The jury could not, of course, alter this or compel makers to attend or go to the expense of building a

A regular service was established according to a fixed time table. Each journey was reckoned as starting from the end near the Exhibition, proceeding to the beginning of the triangle, and returning to the starting point. An hour was allowed between the commencement of each journey, fourteen minutes were allowed for a stoppage at the end near the Exhibition, and eighteen minutes at the other end-thus allowing twentyeight minutes for traveling 2 miles 1,500 yards, or a traveling speed of about six miles an hour.

and in every respect of the most favorable kind. As an explanation of the fact that the cars ran only four days per week, it was explained that there was not room in the service for the cars to work more than this proportion of the whole time. It will thus be seen practically unlimited time was available for

nursing any car or motor that needed it, and it is quite certain that the wealthiest tramway company could not afford to have as much plant standing idle as this represents.

A large number of conditions were laid down as requirements, but we need not refer to them here. We need only refer to those which tramway companies would have most to consider, and these will be gathered from the figures we will give from Captain Galton's paper, premising that all the cars satisfied the regulations concerning the emission of steam and smoke, brake power and appearance. The dead weights per paying load were: Electric car, 1.78; Rowan, 2.3; compressed-air, 2.55. In this comparison it is necessary to remember that both the Rowan and the Beaumont car possessed much greater power and range of power than the electric, both being made to deal with considerable gradients and heavy traffic.

tric car cannot be taken as at all accurate, "because the engine which furnished the electricity to the motor also supplied electricity for electric lights, as well as for an experimental electric motor which was running on the lines of tramway, but was not brought into competi tion." Anyone who has had any experience of electricians' estimates of power used by them, will know that the above facts pretty considerably complicate the estimate, and go far to vitiate its value. The conclusion arrived at by Captain Douglas Galton, who was the English juror, is that the electric is undoubtedly the preferable tramway motor if it can be relied upon, and if the accumulators and machinery can be made durable in the service; and assuming this durability and trustworthiness, then the Rowan engine is the best under every consideration. In spite, however, of the unproved practicability in long and severe service, the jury have determined, we believe, to The electric car stands first in respect award the electric car the first prize and of rapidity with which it can be brought to give the Rowan a gold medal, a deciinto action from the shed, as it can re- sion which does not seem to be supported ceive its battery more rapidly than even by the results either of the trials or exthe boiler for heating the compressed air perience. There is no doubt that the could be got ready for use. The Rowan electric car is very highly deserving of engine stands next, obtaining steam of 8 commendation; but why it has been atmospheres in forty minutes, the Wil-placed first in the list of awards, except kinson requiring forty-seven minutes. In that it promises to suit Antwerp traffic consumption of fuel per train mile, the very well, does not appear. The award Rowan stands first, using 5.42 lbs. ; elec- has no value whatever in England, for it tric (estimated) 6.16; Wilkinson, 8.82; Krauss, 9.1; and the Beaumont, 39.48. The Rowan is, however, far ahead of the others in consumption of fuel per place indicated, per mile, using but 0.09 lb. per mile, the electric and the Wilkinson used 0.18, the Krauss 0.20, and the Beaumont 0.69; and the Rowan is still further ahead of the others in fuel per seat per mile run, allowing 16 in. per seat, using but 0.10, while the electric and the Wilkinson used 0.23, the Krauss 0.25, and the Beaumont 0.66. The Rowan and the electric were the same in consumption of oil and tallow, namely, 0.038 lb. per mile, the others being all much higher. The Rowan, having a condenser, was not only the most economical in fuel, but used only 0.75 gallon of water per mile, as compared with 1.06 by the Beamont compressed air, 5.89 by the Wilkinson, and 6.52 by the Krauss.

The consumption of fuel for the elec

was arrived at without sufficient tests; and by comparison of only three out of six of the systems now in use; and if we consider the cable system and the electric system as now in operation at Blackpool, we must think that two of the most promising of all methods of tramway working were not included in the trials.

A NEWSPAPER Correspondent describing the American watch manufactory at Waltham, minuteness of some very essential parts of the Mass., and in speaking of the astonishing watch, says: "A small heap of grain was shown to us, looking like iron filings or grains of pepper from a pepper castor-apparently them out-and these, when examined with a microscope, were found to be perfect screws, each to be driven to its place with a screwdriver. It is one of the statistics at Waltham worth remembering that a single pound of steel, costing but 50 cents, is thus manufactured into 100,000 screws, which are worth 11 dollars."-The Engineer.

the mere dust of the machine which turned

THE RELATIVE MERITS OF ELECTRICITY, GAS, AND OIL AS LIGHTHOUSE ILLUMINANTS.

From "Nature."

THE Committee appointed by the Trinity House to report on the merits of electricity, gas and mineral oil as lighthouse illuminants have recently issued a valuable report giving an account of the investigations carried out under their directions, and the conclusions they have arrived at. The committee consisted of Elder Brethren of the Trinity House. They were assisted by Mr. A. Vernon Harcourt, who was appointed by the Board of Trade to co-operate with the Committee, and by Professor W. Grylls Adams and Mr. Harold Dixon, in the more purely scientific part of their investigation.

Three temporary lighthouses were erected on South Foreland, and fitted up for electricity, gas and mineral oil; the optical arrangements were "multiform" in all three-that is, consisted of several similar sources of light, each with its own condensing lenses, superposed; in the case of the electrical tower there were three superposed lamps, as was also the case with the oil tower; but in the gas tower there were four lamps; the two former were therefore "triform," whereas the latter was a "quadriform" light. Any one lamp in either tower could be lighted independently of the others, so as, for instance, to perform biform electricity to be compared with triform oil and quadriform gas.

The actual observations that were made may be divided into two classeseye estimations, and photometric measurements. The former were made by the Elder Brethren, by officers on board the light vessels in the neighborhood, by merchant officers in passing ships, and by the coastguard officers at those stations from which the lights were visible. These eye observations were of two kinds-(1) Estimations of the comparative brilliancy of the lights; (2) definite statements as to the various distances at which the lights were visible in hazy or foggy weather.

With reference to observations of the first kind, they were conducted in accordance with regulations issued by the Trinity House Committee; the observers were instructed in filling in the books of forms which were issued to them, to put down in one column the light from the electrical tower as 100 and in the other column the estimated brilliancy of the lights exhibited by the other two towers as compared with it. It seems probable that the recorded numerical values of the relative brilliancy of the lights can only be a very rough approximation, and that the figures can hardly be taken as indicating with any degree of precision how much brighter one or other of the lights was on any particular occasion. This would probably be admitted by all who The lamps for the electric light, and have any acquaintance with actual photothe magneto-electric machines for work- metric measurements, and who therefore ing them, were supplied by M. de Mer- know how difficult it is to form any reliitens; the gas apparatus was that of Mr. able judgment of the relative illumination Wigham, each burner consisting of 108 of two surfaces, even when these surjets in concentric rings, of which a part faces are actually in contact, excepting only might be employed; the oil lamps the relation of equality. In the case of in the third tower during the greater the experimental lights the comparison part of the trials were six-wicked Doug- must have been rendered still more diffilass pattern, but burners of this descrip- cult by the fact that what was to be comtion with seven and eight concentric wicks were also tried at various times during the progress of the experiments.

In addition to the temporary lighthouses, three observing huts and a photometric gallery 380 ft. long were erected.

pared was not the comparative illumination of two moderately bright surfaces in close proximity, but the comparative brilliancy of two lights at some distance from each other, their very brightness adding to the difficulty.

Still, these estimations are manifestly

valuable as setting forth in a clear and holder by causing a volume of pentane unmistakable form that, to the average to diffuse into a known volume of air, observer, a particular light appeared the and then burning the mixture under cermost brilliant; and such seems to have been the way in which they were regarded by the Committee, for on page 21 they state "it will be evident that by mere eye-measurement proportions can only be approximately determined, although the order of superiority may be accepted as proved."

tain definite conditions which could be accurately produced at all times. The conditions were such that the flame emitted the same amount of light as an average sperm candle burning under the conditions laid down in the Acts of Parliament which control the quality of the metropolitan gas supply, an amount of light which may differ considerably from that emitted by any single candle.

Mr. Harcourt's pentane lamp was also used; in this arrangement the air-gas is produced as it is required. The lamp is very simple in construction, and the flame is just as constant as in the older form, and as easily regulated, whilst, unlike the older form, the lamp is extremely portable, the whole apparatus not occupying much more space than a packet. of candles.

The results of these determinations are set forth in four tables, from which it appears that in clear weather, and in weather that, although not absolutely clear, was not very foggy, there was no question as to the absolute superiority of the electric light over both its competitors, the electric light in the single form having a superiority of more than 30 per cent. assigned to it, as over gas, or oil, in their highest powers (i. e., quadriform for gas, and, triform for oil); the largesized gas-burner, with 108 jets, appears Two kinds of photometer were usedto have been slightly superior to the six- a bar photometer with a Leeson star wick oil-burner, and, consequently, the quadriform gas to the triform oil.

The eye observations of the second kind, those in which the distances at which the lights were visible in foggy weather were recorded, gave much the same result; that the electric light penetrated through the fog to the greatest distance, and that the oil and the gas were about equal in their penetrating power.

These observations also showed that in the case of the electricity the best result was obtained when the currents produced by two or even three machines were sent through a single lamp, and not when each of the lamps was worked by its own special current.

disk, and Mr. Harcourt's table photometer. The latter is a variety of shadow photometer, and possesses two special advantages-(1) In common with all shadow photometers the two sources of light are on the same side of the illuminated surface, and therefore there is less risk of the results being rendered untrustworthy by diffused or accidentally reflected light than when, as in the more commonly employed arrangements, the sources of light are on opposite sides. (2) The comparison being made by altering the size of the flames, and not their distance, the two portions of the illuminated surface do not alter their relative position, and are always in that which is most favorable for comparison, The photometric measurements were accurate juxtaposition. The difference carried out by Mr. Dixon, Mr. Harcourt's in color between the arc light and the pentane flame being used as the stand-pentane rendered it impossible to employ ard. As is well known, Mr. Harcourt's the shadow photometer for the estimastandard is an air-gas flame which, un- tion of the electric light. For these like the so-called standard candles still measurements a Leeson star disk was commonly used for photometric purposes, employed, and it was found that reliable is not subject to irregular variations in its light-producing powers. Part II. of the Report contains a full account of the standard flame, and the two arrange ments for producing it, both of which were in use at the South Foreland. In Mr. Harcourt's original arrangement the air-gas was made and stored in a gas

measurements could be obtained by placing the disk between the two lights and moving it to and fro until a pattern of the star was equally distinct on either side, although on the two sides the colors of the pattern and the background were reversed.

There was so little difference between