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"Fish's nursery or night lamp," and "Fish's tea and coffee boiler and cooking apparatus," the section regard as very ingenious and useful for the purposes for which they are designed, and a successful and economical application of the burning of kerosene oil for the purposes of heating and cooking. They therefore recommend that the premium No. 25 be awarded to Mr. Fish for the two apparatus above named.

The section have carefully examined the instruments designed to test the volatility of coal oils and burning fluids. In their opinion the coal oil pyrometer of Mr. Giuseppe Tagliabue is the best that was presented to them. They found that this instrument could be easily operated by any person of ordinary intelligence; that it is durable and not likely to get of order, and can be used readily in exposed situations, and that it will accurately and plainly indicate the relative volatility of different oils and burning fluids. They therefore recommend that a silver medal be awarded to Mr. Giuseppe Tagliabue for his coal oil pyrometer. All which is respectfully

submitted.

The above report was adopted in the section unanimously.

JOHN B. RICH, Ch'n and Sec'y.

AUSTIN CHURCH,

ENOS STEVENS,

DUBOIS D. PARMELEE,

January 22, 1863.

FRANK DIBBEN.

REPORT

OF THE MECHANICAL SECTION.

The mechanical section of the Polytechnic Association beg to report: That but few inventions or improvements have been presented for the inspection and report of this committee, notwithstanding that the matter was extensively advertised in the public journals. This, in the opinion of the committee, may be attributed to the preoccupation of our inventors and mechanics in the present unhappy struggle; and they venture to hope that, under other circumstances, next year may be different.

Your committee report, that the following improvements were submitted, and that one or other of the committee personally inspected them:

1st. "Fontayne's photographic machine, for rapidly multiplying photographic pictures from negatives."

Several of your committee visited the inventor at his rooms, on Broadway, and had the operation of the machine explained to them. The operation is carried on by means of a mechanical contrivance, by which portions of the surface of an extremely sensitive sheet of photographically prepared paper, and made to pass in succession underneath an aperture, in which is fixed, in a movable socket, the negative to be printed from. Condensed light is thrown into this aperture, every opening and closing of which occupying from a second to a fraction of a second of time, according to the speed at which the machine is driven, constitutes an impression or positive, which is finished in the usual manner.

In the opinion of your committee it is an ingenious and beautifully adapted piece of mechanism, and perfectly answers the purpose intended; and is, they believe, the first machine ever applied to the multiplication of photographs, and seems to supply a want hitherto felt, namely, a cheap and rapid mode of illustration; a desideratum of great importance, not only to book publishers, but to the advertising public; a thousand copies of an engraving or wood cut made in this machine costing but little more than one copy made in the usual manner, as stated by the inventor.

The machine being in successful operation, and satisfactory results having been exhibited to your committee, they respectfully recommend that a gold medal be awarded to the inventor, as a mark

of appreciation by the Institute of the scientific and mechanical skill exhibited by him.

2d. "Cregan's improved calipers."

This instrument was neatly made and finished, and differs from those in common use, in having the points so arranged as to be exactly opposite to each other when closed. This was effected by having one of the limbs double, united at the points by a pin serving as an axle to a small roller, this small wheel or roller constituting one of the points.

Your committee came to the conclusion that the position of the points might be some advantage, and was a novel feature in calipers, but objected to the wheel, which, requiring to revolve with freedom on its axle, destroyed that nicety of measurement which mechanics' expect from such an instrument. Under these circumstances your committee do not feel called upon to recommend any award, but would compliment the neat workmanship displayed in the manufacture of the tool.

3d. "J. R. Fergusson's heating and ventilating system for buildings and refrigerators."

This system consisted in making the walls and roof of the apartment containing the stove or heater double, and introducing the cold air into the double skin of the roof at one side; from the roof and communicating with this jacket, a series of tubes descending to within a few inches of the floor; the cold air passes down through these tubes into the hot chamber, having previously taken up whatever heat was being radiated into the jacket from the inner skin of the chamber. The inventor claimed that a great saving of fuel was thus effected, and that the air became thoroughly heated without the disagreeable odor which usually arises from furnaces when highly heated.

The inventor not having exhibited a working model, and being unable to exhibit his system in successful operation, your committee, while acknowledging the apparent merit of some of its features, do not feel justified in making any recommendation for a medal.

4th. "Shaw's patent sash fastener."

This your committee considered ingenious, but a little complicated, effecting perfectly the intended purpose, however; but as no evidence as to durability was advanced by the inventor, they do not consider that at this time a medal should be awarded.

5th. "Wood's photographic engraving."

This invention being evidently (from the samples exhibited) still incomplete, your committee prefer at this stage not to pass an opinion upon it.

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Only a sectional drawing having been exhibited of this inven tion, your committee could form no opinion as to its merits, in the absence of the inventor, who is reported to have deceased.

7th. "Essay on the promotion of dormant inventions," by "Solon Archimedes."

Your committee would make honorable mention of this paper, but do not think it covers the ground, proposed by the Institute, sufficiently to merit a medal.

8th." Barrel elevator," at the Metropolitan mills, by "Henry Waterman.”

Several of your committee examined this apparatus, and found it in successful operation daily, effecting a great saving of time and labor.

The apparatus consists of an endless band of India rubber belting passing vertically over an upper and lower drum, driven by a belt from a pulley; to this band, which is nearly the width of a flour barrel, a series of projections, supported by springs, are attached; on these projections the barrels are placed, and ascend with the belt to any floor required, through a special series of hatchways. At each hatchway an arrangement is made for causing the shelf or projection carrying the barrel to tip or depress, and the barrel rolls off on the floor or wagon, as the case may be. It also serves for lowering barrels from one floor to another, and is altogether a successful mechanical adaptation, and reflects great credit upon its projectors.

Your committee recommend that a silver medal be awarded to the inventor.

In conclusion, your committee regret that so few inventors have thought it expedient to compete for the annual prizes offered by the Institute, in recognition of mechanical talent. The number and value of the inventions exhibited at the weekly sittings of the Polytechnic Association, are a sufficient proof that our brethren are not idle in this peculiar field; yet the task imposed upon your committee has been a light one, as the records exhibit. Such as it has been, however, your committee have endeavored, without prejudice or favor, to perform it to the best of their ability.

WARREN ROWELL, Chairman,

WM. H. BUTLER,

THOS. D. STETSON,

J. WYATT REID, Secretary.

NEW YORK, January 22, 1863.

REPORT

OF THE FARMERS' CLUB.

The following reports were made by special committees appointed by the Farmers' Club to examine the various articles submitted to them for premiums. They consist of the following:

An Essay on the cultivation of the Potato.

An Essay on the culture of the Pear.

An Essay on the culture of the Strawberry, Seedling Potatoes and Seedling Grapes.

The Club respectfully recommended that the premiums be awarded.

JOHN W. CHAMBERS, Sec'y.

NEW YORK, February 3, 1863.

EDWARD DOUGHTY, Ch'n.

REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE ESSAYS ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE PEAR, AND ON THE CULTURE OF THE STRAWBERRY. Two articles, one on the cultivation of the pear, signed "PRACTICE," the other on the culture of the strawberry, signed "KenTUCKY," have been submitted to a committee appointed by the Farmers' Club.

Both treatises are quite lengthy, and contain some useful suggestions. The article on the pear, as a literary composition, is destitute of merit, though presented to the committee with numerous corrections on its face. The committee have failed to discover in it anything new or valuable to entitle it to your consideration. The other, "Culture of the Strawberry," is divided in three parts:

1. On the Preparation of Soil.-The author's views coincide with the best practice, but the theory does not differ from that which is well known and already before the public.

2. On Garden and Field Culture. The author is profuse and prolix, but not in all cases clear in his statements. His mode for field culture, though novel, is believed in a measure to be impracticable and too expensive.

3. On Propagation, Hybridization, Forcing, etc.-This part of the Essay contains some excellent suggestions, the result of the expe

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