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100 an example of strain gauge observa- tions on a large, modern, riveted structure. The street pavements of Cleveland and Kansas City afford ad- ditional observations, and on earlier occasions there were measurements made--these were very much earlier --on rails under different engines, and noting the effect of different wheels on the Burlington, Pennsyl- vania and the Boston & Albany rail- roads. Persons interested are very eager to acquire actual information upon the behavior of these structures, if we have the means of determining 'what is going on at the time of load- ing. A strain gauge for measuring dead loads was devised and then these small scissors gauges were the last production. The scissors gauge was gotten up, perhaps, primarily to ob- serve the strains on steel rails under the weights of engines--locomotives-- and a train of cars. I expect to make some modification of it, and to get it down to a little smaller dimen- sions. It is now about three inches long, and is of, such size that it may ; Trials NE of the most interesting pa- QO pers read before the December meeting of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers in New York was E. H. Riggs' paper on "Notes on the Performance of the S. S. Tyler", abstracted as follows: This paper has been prepared with a three-fold object; first, to plead the cause of adequate trial trips; secondly, to give the members, at first-hand, definite knowledge concerning the trials of an interesting vessel; and thirdly, to follow up a paper read here last year; it gives an account of the design of the vessel, as far as her lines are concerned, and then goes on to record the trial performances, which it is hoped will be found of in- terest. In view of the endeavors being made today to improve the propulsion of vessels, it is refreshing to meet and do business with owners who are suf- ficiently keen to have models towed and proper trials run. The average merchant ship trial trip is a farce; which simply registers the fact that the engines and screws will actually go round. When the small cost and THE MARINE REVIEW be put on a piece of rail and analyses made, running through observations made at slowly moving loads. The question of the accuracy and reliability of the instrument is, of course, one of the very first things to be considered. As far as I have been able to judge, it performs the same functions on each occasion. The in- strument, as at first used, is not the easiest to be read of any, but I ex- pect to improve on that by a few de- vices so that we can feel a little more certain about the finer subdivisions. I think if we get 1/5000 of an inch, we are doing pretty well, but I think we can, under some circumstances, do a little better. The gauge was used for the first time on the deck plates of the Arcon. It is arranged, as you will see, with flexible joints. The fulcrum plates are thin flexible steel plates so that the instrument can be used where there is considerable dust, as there is no opportunity for dust to get into any of the working parts. They just of Steamer The Performances of a Very Suc- cessful Steamer Outlined in Detail time involved in model basin experi- ments for type ships are considered, also the cost and time for adequate trials, and then the resultant ultimate saving in coal bills, it is marvelous to see the way proper trials are avoid- ed on the plea of time and cost. Ex- haustive trials are. only necessary on type ships, which is a different thing from every ship. It is really not necessary to plead the cause of adequate trials before this body, because all responsible arch- itects and engineers know perfectly well how necessary they are; if more owners could be interested and made to see the advantages of securing full data, this paper will not have been written in vain. The loading of the ship is often a bugaboo. This vessel was loaded in the regular way and the trial results obtained at. the cost of a few hours' deviation from her regular course, the observers joining her before she sailed and leaving after the trials. Much attention has been lately drawn to the value of model basin experimentation, and perhaps I owe the society an apology for again bringing it up; the economy of opera- March, 1914 consider of a flexible steel fulcrum plate. The behavior, I think, is the same on different occasions. Then it comes down to a question of calibra- tion or rating of the scale, and that admits of being done in the labora- tory with precision. On the whole, I think the instrument, or some slight modification of it, is a practicable af- fair. In regard to changes of temperature affecting the draft of a boat, no ob- servations of that kind have been made by myself. I do not know of any that have been made. The effect however, as shown on the deck of the Ancton, while receiving cargo, in which there was a change of some 5,000 pounds per sq. in., which I at- tribute to temperature causes, would lead one to suppose that the draft might be changed relatively, and made more or less amidships, according to the temperature of the deck. I think that theory would certainly be tena- ble. The society tendered Mr. Howard a vote of thanks for his paper. Tyler tion that will result must be my _ ex- cuse, and this without detracting from the great shipbuilders and engineers of the past, as we live in a progressive age. After reading the paper Mr. Rigg said: I should like to ask a word as to the backing and maneuvering of the Tyler; these were both tried out during the loaded trials as well as-- when light, and found to be perfectly satisfactory. Reference should _ be made here to a paper by Naval Con- structor D. W. Taylor, read before this society in 1911, on the influence of form of ships upon their resist- ance; this paper indicated generally the result to be expected, but as the experiments were upon models some- what finer than the Tyler, no def- inite prediction as to power neces- sary could be obtained therefrom. The time which elapsed between . bottom painting and trials should be stated in this paper. The bottom was coated with McInnes _§anti-fouling composition, and the ship launched on the 3lst of May, 1913. Between that time and the trials run on the 3rd of August she was not dry-