PAPERS OF THE NEW YORK MEETING (XXXVIth) NOVEMBER 30th To DECEMBER 3d, 1897. BEING ALSO THE EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. DCCXLIX. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW YORK MEETING (XXXVIth) OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, November 30th to December 3d, 1897. THE eighteenth annual meeting of the Society (being also its thirty-sixth convention) was held in New York City during the period November 30 to December 3, 1897. The sessions for papers were convened in the auditorium of the Society's house, 12 West Thirty-first Street, and in the parlors and library adjoining the meeting hall a large number of guests and visitors was always to be found. The opening session was called to order about nine o'clock on Tuesday evening by the Secretary of the Society, who, after a few words of greeting in the name of the New York members, read a letter just received from Mrs. R. Anna Cary, widow of the late Alanson Cary, as follows: 14 WEST 77TH STREET. THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, 12 West 31st Street, New York. Gentlemen.-The portrait of Robert Fulton, painted by himself, which was loaned to you two years ago by Alanson Cary, I now wish to present to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, in his memory, feeling that it would be his desire to have me do so. Hoping that this gift may prove acceptable, I remain, November 30, 1897. Very truly yours, R. ANNA CARY. On motion, the Society directed that a resolution of thanks should be transmitted to Mrs. Cary by the Secretary, and that suitable memorial inscription be placed upon the portrait of Robert Fulton, which was hanging over the chair of the President, at the end of the auditorium. The meeting was then turned over to the President of the Society, Mr. Worcester R. Warner, of Cleveland, who, before proceeding to the delivery of his annual address as President, appointed the tellers, required under Article 34 of the Rules, to count the ballots cast for officers to be elected at this meeting. Messrs. George I. Rockwood and E. N. Trump were appointed to this duty, and the President then proceeded to his address. It was entitled "The Telescope Considered Historically and Practically," and was illustrated by well-chosen lantern slides from interesting sources, which were exhibited at the close of the formal reading of the paper. A contribution by Mr. John A. Brashear on the subject of "Optical Glass" was appended to the address, but was not read in full, owing to the lateness of the hour. At the close of the address and its illustrations the Society took a recess until the following morning, and the remainder of the evening was devoted to social reunion, with a large number of members in attendance. SECOND DAY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1ST. The regular sessions of the annual meeting of the Society began with the meeting of this morning, at ten o'clock, in the Society's auditorium. The large number already registered indicated that the numerical success of the meeting was assured. The plan was again adopted of numbering the lines on the official register and providing that a monogram button badge worn at the convention should bear a number corresponding to the number on the register. Transcripts from the official register were printed at short intervals and distributed to the members, so that it will be apparent that every one could immediately ascertain the name of any other member present, without the embarrassment of a direct question, and the result showed that, in spite of its great size. the meeting was one of the most successful on its social side. The register showed the following persons in attendance from the list of members. The total registered, including guests, was six hundred and ten. |