PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS.

Mr. Hart said that the great need of the society is for closer co-operation and for progress in the field of standardization. He said we are facing abnormal conditions in the industrial world, and one important effect on the heating trade has been the rapid growth in the development of heating and ventilating designs applicable to manufacturing processes. The reticence on the part of engineers to discuss their methods has been a drawback and it is becoming more necessary than ever for a close and unrestrained co-operation.

We need standard practice for heating installations in apartments and residences and such standards have already been adopted by the Chicago Master Steam Fitters' Association. Not over 10% of such buildings, said Mr. Hart, can be heated to 70° when it is 10° below zero outside. He also stated that the pipe sizes proposed by a committee. of the society in 1908 had been adopted by the Chicago master steam fitters for use in their work.

President Hart made the interesting announcement that the Chicago Commission on Ventilation has recently secured an appropriation from the city for furthering its work and this will enable the commission to make some important investigations in addition to those already undertaken. Three members of the society, he said, are now members of this commission.

This was followed by the report of the Council. This report gave the principal credit for the growth of the society to the Chapters and placed special emphasis on the work in this direction of the Michigan and New York Chapters. The council reported that the Bureau of Mines had invited the society to hold its next midsummer meeting in Pittsburgh in September at which time the dedication of the Bureau's new testing plant will take place. The council had, however, practically decided on Chicago as the next meeting place, but has arranged to be represented at the dedication ceremonies in Pittsburgh.

The agitation for compulsory ventila

tion laws in a number of western States was reported by the council, although no additions had actually been made to the existing laws on this subject.

Reference was made to the matter of Chapter representation in the council. and this came up for further discussion later in the form of a proposed amendment to the constitution providing for such representation. No action, however, was taken in this matter.

Additional quarters, it was stated, had been secured in the Engineering Societies. Building for storage purposes of society records, giving more room in the headquarters office.

Finally the council reported a new design for the society emblem which would shortly be ready for adoption.

Secretary C. W. Obert presented his annual report. He said the present membership totaled nearly 750. Some idea of the increase in the duties of the secre

tary's office was given in his statement of the division of the work. He showed, for instance, that the names of prospective members were being regularly listed and efforts made to bring the advantages of membership to their attention.

He stated that an index of the twentyone volumes of the Transactions was being prepared for 10-year periods and would be issued early in the year.

The financial status of the society was reported to be the best in its history. The total receipts for the year, together with last year's balance, were $12,141 and the total expenses, $8,136, leaving a balance on hand of $4,004. The net assets were given as $13,526. The total membership at the beginning of the year was 626 and the accessions for the year, 125, making a total of 751. There was a loss of eight members during the year leaving a net membership of 739.

Under committee reports, a recommendation was made by the Committee on Local Secretaries that a local secretary be appointed in each locality where there is at present no society chapter. The functions of these officials will be to keep track of pending legislation on heating and ventilating matters, to secure news and other items for the society's Journal, to look up the qualifications of

ANNUAL DINNER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING AND VENTILATING ENGINEERS, HOTEL ASTOR, NEW YORK, JANUARY 17, 1917.

Under new business an amendment was proposed by J. D. Cassell, John R. Allen, W. F. Goodnow and Frank E. Phegley, giving each chapter the privilege of naming one of its members as a member of the society's council. As there are now six chapters, this would enlarge the council by that number.

Mr. Donnelly brought up the point that there would be legal difficulties in the way of carrying out this suggestion, as the society is an incorporated body.

It was then suggested that a chapter could nominate a member of the council and the membership could elect him.

Prof. William Kent said that the Institute of Mining Engineers had district representation on its council and that he thought the proposed amendment should be redrawn to meet the provisions of the law.

It was then suggested that if the chapter representatives had no vote it would solve the difficulty.

The matter was referred back to the proposers to be redrawn to meet the legal requirements. Pending any change in the constitution it was voted that a copy of the call and the minutes of each council meeting be sent to the various chapter presidents.

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER.

A petition was then presented from Kansas City members asking for the granting of permission to form a Kansas City Chapter. The petition was signed by Herbert H. Whitten, Prof. J. D. Hoffman, F. A. De Boos, Benjamin Natkin and a number of others. Although the council had approved the formation

The report of the tellers was received showing the election of the following officers:

President, J. Irvine Lyle, New York; first vice-president, Arthur K. Ohmes, New York; second vice-president, Fred R. Still, Detroit, Mich.; treasurer, Homer Addams, New York; members of the council, Davis S. Boyden, Boston, Mass.; Bert C. Davis, Elmira, N. Y.; M. W. Franklin, East Orange, N. J.; Charles A. Fuller, New York; Harry M. Hart, Chicago, Ill.; E. Vernon Hill, Chicago, Ill.; James M. Stannard, Chicago, Ill.; Walter S. Timmis, New York.

The election of officers brought the business session to a close and the first paper on the professional programme was then presented. This was entitled "Railway Passenger Car Heating," by E. W. Rietz.

Railway Passenger Car Heating.

Mr. Rietz's paper was devoted largely to a description and discussion of the vapor system of car heating which, he said, is used on a majority of the railroads of the country and by the Pullman Company. The first method of heating railway trains was by the use of ordinary wood-burning stoves. These gave way to the hot water heater, known as the Pullman or Baker heater. With this system the heater or stove was placed in the end of the car in a small compartment. The water circulation was usually taken care of by placing four 1/4-in. pipes on each side of the car. The objections were that it took an hour to get up a good fire and a good circulation in the car and an equally long time to cool off. Next came what the speaker called the "straight pressure" system, in which the steam was drawn direct from the locomotive. A large number of freeze-ups were experienced with this system, as well as the overheating of the forward cars. In the vapor

freezing. The vapor system is composed of three units: the vapor regulator, the cut-out steam heat valves and the heating coils or pipe. Mr. Rietz gave a detailed explanation, with illustrations, of these devices as developed by the Chicago Car Heating Company. The vapor regulator acts to receive steam from the train line at its pressure and corresponding temperature and convert it into steam or vapor under no pressure before it passes into the heating pipes inside of the car.

The vapor cut-out valve controls the admission of heat to the radiating pipes by directing the flow of atmospheric pressure steam and, when desired, short-circuiting the steam, thus cutting off the heat in any particular car. The paper was accompanied by diagrams of arrangements of this system in four types of Pullman coaches. There was also included a table showing the num

control for every seat, and said that, even with 20 or 26 valves it would be an insignificant item when the average cost of $20,000 per car is considered.

J. H. Davis said the system described was a great improvement over the old Baker system. Mr. Hart called attention to the unique features of the four-way valve used with this system whereby steam was by-passed to the steam traps when not on the system thus preventing the traps from freezing.

Mr. Ohmes thought the method outlined in the paper marked a distinct advance in the method of heating railroad coaches, and when it is considered that such cars are likely to be operated in varying climates from the extreme north to Florida, he thought the system as outlined to be as good as could be expected.

A vote of thanks was voted to Mr. Rietz for his paper.

Evening Session, January 16.

The opening paper at the evening session was entitled, "Some Notes on Warm Air Furnace Heating," by Jesse M. McHenry.

BOILER TESTING SESSION.

One of the principal items on the programme was then taken up, being the report of a committee appointed by the New York Chapter to consider a standard method for testing heating boilers.

The subject was introduced by Homer Addams who recounted the steps previously taken by the society. He felt that the efforts to rate boilers, as well as to test them, had been largely responsible for the shelving of the project in the past.

Mr. Addams urged the appointment of a permanent committee to devise a suitable testing code and to keep at work on it until it is perfected.

Percival H. Seward then presented the committee's report.

The report stated that the specific object of the test which the committee had in mind was the determination of the amount of steam which a boiler will furnish when burning a definite quantity of coal per hour in the manner for which it was designed. Therefore, the schedule (which accompanied the report) covering report of test, provided

only for those items which the committee considered essential to determine the proper capacity of the boiler for commercial or sales purposes.

The duration of a general test, went on the report, should be 12 hrs. of constant running. Anthracite coal, stove size, such as Lehigh Valley, was recommended as the proper fuel to be used.

The recommendations made by a similar committee to the society in 1913 were concurred in and reiterated. These included the items of apparatus and instruments, and rules for conducting evaporative tests. One of the recommendations of the new committee was that tests be made at atmospheric pressure. The committee did not advocate the "running start" in use at many boiler plants. Rules were also given for stop

This report brought on an animated. discussion between many of the members as to the desirability of certain features together with the practicability of making such a code a standard.

Prof. Allen heartily endorsed the pro

ject, but suggested a longer testing period, than 12 hours, or, better yet, a multiple of the firing period of 8 hours (which would be 16 or 24 hours) urging that the error in a 24-hour test would be much less than with 8 or even 12 hours. He farther suggested that anthracite coal is rapidly going out of use, especially in larger installations, and recommended that the testing standard should be made flexible enough to take into consideration firing with bituminous coal. He approved the running of the boiler at atmospheric pressure during the test. but recommended the "running start" rather than the method prescribed in the committees' report. He desired to have 4 or 5 hours' operation of the boiler under full steaming conditions before starting the test and believed that the use of recording instruments should be