PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

FIRST ANNUAL MEETING,

NOVEMBER 4th and 5th, 1880.

The meeting was called to order in the Union League Theatre, at 2 P. M., by the President.

The following members were in attendance:

F. A. Pratt, Hartford, Conn; C. E. Billings, Hartford, Conn.; J. F. Holloway, Cleveland, O.; C. C. Newton, Cleveland, O.; E. B. Coxe, Drifton, Pa.; Coleman Sellers, Philadelphia; C. T. Porter, Philadelphia; R. Grimshaw, Philadelphia; Horace See, Philadelphia; W. Barnet Le Van, Philadelphia; Washington Jones, Philadelphia; George S. Strong, Philadelphia; Samuel S. Webber, Oronville, Cal.; C. H. Brown, Fitchburgh, Mass.; J. C. Hoadley, Lawrence, Mass.; John Cotter, Norwalk, Conn.; W. T. Nicholson, Providence, R. I.; W. F. Durfee, Bridgeport, Conn.; J. L. Gill, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.; Jacob Reese, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Charles A. Hague, Chicago, Ill.; F. F. Hemenway, Troy, N. Y.; W. H. Hoffman, Passaic, N. J.; E. D. Leavitt, Jr., Cambridgeport, Mass.; L. F. Lyne, Jersey City, N. J.; A. A. Goubert, Jersey City, N. J.; D. N. Melvin, Linoleumville, N. Y.; Samuel S. Powel, Boston; C. J. H. Woodbury, Boston; G. C. Hawkins, Boston; W. H. Odell, Yonkers, N. Y.; Henry Parsons, Newark, N. J,; Prof. S. W. Robinson, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Prof. Robert H. Thurston, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N. J.; R. H. Soule, Baltimore, Md.; Allen Stirling, Mill Point, Ont.; George R. Stetson, New Bedford, Mass. ; H. B. Stone, Aurora, Ill.; Prof. John E. Sweet, Syracuse, N. Y.; H. Tabor, Corning, N. Y.; E. W. Thomas, Willimantic, Conn.; E. H. Owen, Jr., Willimantic, Conn.; W. E. Ward, Port Chester, N. Y.; Jerome Wheelock, Worcester, Mass.; S. B. Whiting, Pottsville, Pa.; E. H. Robbins, Pittsfield, Mass.; T. R. Almond, Brooklyn, N. Y.; William Main, Brooklyn, N. Y.; R. G. Ewer, Brooklyn, N. Y.; A. Stearns, Brooklyn, N. Y.; M. G. Wilder, Brooklyn, N. Y.; J. F. Allen, New York City; G. H. Babcock, New York City; S. W. Baldwin, New York City; J. C. Bayles, New York City; W. L.

Church, New York City; A. W. Colwell, New York City; A. Faber du Faur, New York City; Thomas Egleston, New York City; A. H. Emery, New York City; L. H. Finch, New York City; John Fish, New York City; M. N. Forney, New York City; D. S. Hines, New York City; A. L. Holley, New York City: F. R. Hutton, New York City; G. B. Mallory, New York City; W. Münzer, New York City; C. W. Nason, New York City; W. 4. Perry, New York City; J. Rose, New York City; Prof. W. P. Trowbridge, New York City; W. H. Weightman, New York City; W. H. Wiley, New York City; R. R. Wolff, New York City; H. R. Worthington, New York City; J. Bailey, New York City; H. B. Miller, New York City; C. C. Worthington, New York City; L. B. Moore, New York City; J. J. White, Smithville, N. Y.; C. P. Deane, Holyoke, Mass.; Charles Sperry, Westbrook, Conn.; C. E. Emery, New York City.

The Chair suggested that a Secretary should be appointed for the present meeting to act until a permanent appointment should be made by the Council. It was thereupon agreed that the Treasurer Mr. Lycurgus B. Moore, should act.

The minutes of the previous meeting were then read by Mr. J. C. Bayles, who had acted as its Secretary.

The minutes were approved as read.

Mr. Charles T. Porter offered the following resolution:

"Resolved, That the Council be authorized to open the ballots for members proposed at the first general meeting, and to declare the election of such as are passed according to the rules of the Society." Mr. Porter added:

The object of the resolution is this: A number of candidates will be proposed at this meeting, and the ballots will be sent out to the members in the usual manner and returned. Our rules require at present that these ballots shall be opened at the next general meeting, but it is desirable, as I am advised, to have a new catalogue of our members printed before the next general meeting, and as this action is formal altogether, the election or rejection being determined by the ballots returned, this resolution proposes that the opening of these ballots and the declaring of the result be confided to the Council, and that this function be performed by them immediately on the return of the ballots.

The acting Secretary read the clause on the Constitution governing the election of members.

The President-As I understand this resolution it provides that the Council be authorized, on the receipt of the returned ballots, to canvass those ballots instead of waiting till the next meeting, the resolution to take effect only in respect to such ballots as are

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about to be issued and in order that a new catalogue may be prepared.

Mr. H. R. Worthington-Would it not be in contravention of our rules?

The President-It would be in contravention of the rules, but the Society is authorized to traverse its rules provided it so votes in full meeting. The resolution does not contemplate anything more than counting the ballots and announcing the result.

The resolution was agreed to.

Mr. Moore presented his Report as acting Secretary; also his Report as Treasurer.

ACTING SECRETARY'S REPORT.

TO THE SOCIETY:

NEW YORK, November 4, 1880.

In view of the fact that this is the first annual meeting of the Society for the transaction of regular business, it may not be amiss to recapitulate, in some degree, the history of the organization.

The preliminary organizing meeting was held at 96 Fulton Street, New York, on Monday, February 16th, 1880, upon the invitation of Prof. John E. Sweet, Prof. R. H. Thurston, and Mr. A. L. Holley.

The meeting was called to order by Prof. Sweet, upon whose nomination A. L. Holley was chosen as Chairman and Samuel S. Webber, Secretary.

About forty gentlemen attended that meeting, some coming from as far West as Ohio, for this special purpose, and letters were read from a number of well-known engineers in all parts of the country, whom circumstances prevented from attending in person, expressing earnest approval of the formation and objects of the proposed Society.

Great confidence and enthusiasm were manfested by all present. On taking the Chair, Mr. Holley delivered an earnest and pointed address. A name for the new Society was then chosen, and a set of Rules was submitted, subject to revision at the final organizing meeting.

Messrs. A. L. Holley, John E. Sweet, Chas. W. Copeland, E. D. Leavitt, Jr., and Chas. T. Porter, were elected to serve as Committee on Nominations. The meeting then adjourned, subject to call of the Chairman.

This meeting attracted wide and favorable notice by the daily, technical and weekly press throughout the country.

The Chairman of the foregoing meeting subsequently appointed Messrs. Henry R. Worthington, Prof. Wm. P. Trowbridge, Mr.

Eckley, B. Coxe, Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, and Messrs. Jackson Bailey, M. N. Forney, and A. L. Holley, to serve as a Committee on Rules, under instructions to report at the final organizing meeting.

The full organization of the Society was completed at the meeting held April 7th last, at the Stevens Institute, Hoboken, N. J. : a report of these proceedings has been furnished by its Secretary. This meeting also attracted very favorable notice from the press both of this country and of other countries.

The proceedings, subsequent to the April meeting, have been .varied. The names of persons represented at the organizing meetings either in person, by letter, or by proxy, were graded by the Council in pursuance of the authority vested in that body.

Messrs. Henry R. Worthington, Wm. P. Trowbridge and Lycurgus B. Moore were appointed by the Council to act as a Committee on Publication.

The Treasurer was instructed to proceed with the collection of initiation fees due from the various classes of membership, reporting from time to time.

The Treasurer was also instructed to act as temporary Secretary until a permanent Secretary could be appointed.

The first catalogue of the Society was prepared by the Committee on Publication, and 1,500 copies were distributed.

A number of new applications for admission to the Society have been received and submitted to the membership for ballot in accordance with the Rules.

Messrs. Henry R. Worthington, M. N. Forney and Charles E. Emery were appointed to act as a Committee on securing rooms for the purposes of this meeting, and the Union League Theatre was selected by them.

Many other minor arrangements, including the preparation and distribution of several circulars and printed forms, have been made, looking to the advancement of the Society's interests in connection with this meeting.

A large amount of correspondence and miscellaneous work has been attended to without pecuniary compensation to any one identified with the Society.

Mr. J. F. Holloway, of Cleveland, Ohio, has been elected by the Council to fill the single vacancy existing, through resignation, in that body.

By special resolution, also, Prof. John E. Sweet has been invited to read the first paper read before the Society, in view of the eminent services rendered by him in its organization.

The present membership consists of two life members, one hun