OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Evening Star, Issue 3270, 13 August 1873, Page 2

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

At the usual monthly meeting of this body, which was held in the University building last evening, Dr Webster was unanimously elected a member. A very interesting "On a smokeless and self-feeding furnace for lignites and other fuels, and the utilisation of the waste heat ” was read by Mr Skey, who showed that a ton and a-balf of Green Island coal had the same generating power as a ton of Newcastle coal, though the former took more tune in getting up a fire, which was a serious drawback. Mr Skey described an engine, which he said would make local coal equal to Newcastle for the purposes of machinery. It was proposed to do away with the firebars. The amount of force required to create a draught caused a great loss in the value of fuel as used in present furnaces ; the disappearance of heat up the chimney was a great waste ; and these it was proposed to obviate. Air should be heated before it was allowed to pass into the furnace and create a draught. If this idea were carried out there wmjld not only be a great saving of fuel, but lignites could be used in place of Newcastle coal. In raising steam, the saving of coal would be quite one-fourth, and the principle was capable of application to dwelling houses. In the discussion that ensued the principle was favorably spoken of, and the hope experienced that Mr Skey would pursue his inquiries on the subject further.—After a discussion on “ Salmon acclimatisation in New Zealand,” suggested by a paper on the subject by Dr Lindsay, the following resolution was carried “ That copies of Dr Lindsay’s paper be transmitted to the Colonial Government, the Provincial Government of Otago, and the acclimatisation societies of Canterbury, Otago, and Southland ; and that attention be at the same time called to the information supplied in this paper as to the suitability of the Pacific coast of British America as a source of supply ; to the suggestion of Dr Ransom for conveyance of ova by cold water iu swinging vessels, and to that of Dr Lindsay that the experiment of salmon acclimatisation ought to be persisted in for some years regularly under the superintendence of experts.—There were exhibited a specimen of a young ribbon fish, found on the Ocean Beach, and a frost fish, about two inches long, preserved in spirits.