The President gave a brief outline of the plans being made by the Board for the appropriate celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Institute. These comprise a series of special anniversary meetings by the several Sections, to follow each other on successive evenings ; the celebration to be concluded by a special meeting of the Institute, at which addresses will be delivered by distinguished invited guests and members of the Institute. It is proposed that the ceremonies above-outlined should occupy one entire week during the month of October, and that they should take place in one of the buildings of the Exposition to be held in the autumn.
The Secretary, at the suggestion of the President, gave a brief account of the joint meeting of the Chemical and Mining and Metallurgical Sections and the Lehigh Valley Branch of the American Chemical Society at Bethlehem, Pa., which took place on Tuesday, May i6th. (Forau account of this meet. ing see the proceedings of the Sections.) Mr. N. Monroe Hopkins, Washington, D. C., described and illustrated "The Pneumatic System for Preventing the Bursting of Water Pipes by Freezing." This method, invented by the speaker, consists, in brief, in introducing along the line of pipe to be protected, at intervals of say every io feet, where the pipe is exposed to the danger of freezing, a series of small globular air-chambers, to.provide sufficient space for the increased volume of the water in solidifying. To insure the continuous maintenance of the air in these chambers, an automatically operating inspirator is'introduced in the main service pipe, which, whenever a faucet is opened, causes the introduction of a small quantity of air, which finds its way to the chambers, thus insuring that they shall always be kept supplied.
The subject was discussed by Messrs. J. C. Trautwine and Spencer Fullerton and Mr. Hopkins.
The invention was referred to the Committee on Science and the Arts for investigation and report.
Mr. Win. McDevitt, Inspector of the Philadelphia Board of Fire Underwriters, gave an account of his investigation of the reeent explosion, which occurred at the chemical works of Frank H. Fleer & Co., No. 2343-45 Callowhill Street, this city