The interchange of ideas among the engineers and naval architects of the Great Lakes and our western rivers with those from the countries bordering on the Atlantic and Pacific has been productive of mutual benefit. Each had something to learn from the other, and this Congress has furnished the opportunity."

The speaker then expressed the sense of obligation felt by the members of that division to J. Wiley & Sons, for assuming the cost of publishing their proceedings, and to the committee in charge of the Congress.

The chairman then introduced the Baron Guinette de Rochemont, who made an address in French and offered a resolution, which was translated by Mr. Chanute, the resolution being as follows: "Resolved: That a uniform system of testing material is desirable for purposes of exact comparison." The foregoing resolution was put to vote and unanimously adopted.

The chairman then stated that he would now call for remarks from representatives of foreign nations who had honored these deliberations with their presence, and that he would first ask Professor Unwin of Great Britain to respond in behalf of his country.

Professor Unwin said in substance:

That all were glad to recognize engineering as a scientific profession, constantly gaining in dignity and importance; that he could not help remarking that this was the first engineering meeting within his recollection at which there had been a recognition of engineering education as being an important subject;

that not only had it been recognized, but given a place equal in importance to the great branches of engineering; that the United States was in a favorable position in this respect, having, through the munificence and public spirit of its citizens, had magnificant endowments for engineering education, so that it was solving a most interesting problem by taking an entirely new step in the work laid out for the engineer in recognizing the necessity for a foundation of scientific education for engineers.

After referring to the kindness with which he had been received, the speaker concluded as follows: "Those of us who have been here will go back to Europe with the impression that we have an immense deal to learn from you American engineers. Gentlemen, American enginering is not unknown to us, we read the transactions of your societies, we hear of the immense works which in your country the engineer is called on to carry out, we acknowledge that you have earned from us the tribute of a most sincere respect."

The chairman next introduced Mr. A. Flamant, of France, who spoke in French, his remarks being translated by Mr. Chanute.

Mr. Flamant said that he felt it a great honor to be called upon to speak before so numerous an assembly of distinguished engineers and regretted profoundly that he must do so in his mother tongue; that the French delegation had been impressed with the vast deal which it might learn by studying the works and the ideas of the great nation which is astonishing other

countries, both by the rapidity of its development and by the originality and the boldness with which its engineers are solving the most varied problems and, unhampered by tradition, facing and conquering difficulties which formerly seemed insurmountable. He mentioned that among the numerous subjects which had been discussed in the Congress he had been more particularly interested in the progress which had been made in sanitary engineering in the United States, resulting in diminution of disease and in increase of the average term of life. He said he was also impressed with the discussions which had taken place concerning the testing of materials of construction. This was a question which had attracted the attention of the French Government, and he was glad that a resolution had been passed to promote a uniform system of testing materials, as this must result in international action upon this important subject, and he regarded it as one of the most important benefits which the industry of the world would receive from the Engineering Congress of Chicago.

The next speaker was Professor Hartmann, of Germany, who, as representative of the German Engineering Society (the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure) extended the most cordial greetings of the members of his society to the American engineers, and then spoke of the magnificence of the Columbian Exposition, and of the rapidity with which it was constructed, and said that it was only due to the labors of the engineers that all the works connected therewith

could have been accomplished in so short a space of time.

The chairman next called upon Professor Francis Reuleaux, who, after alluding to the great work accomplished at the Exposition, also spoke of the wonderful advance which had taken place in the United States in the designing and construction of machinery. He said that the point that struck him most forcibly was the method of precise measuring which had been developed to such an astonishing degree, ordinary workmen measuring to thusandths of an inch. This accuracy gave them a great advantage over the workingmen of other countries who did not work in that way. Germany and France were beginning to follow the example, but American engineers were the leaders.

Col. Nabor Soliani, engineer of the Italian Navy, was next introduced, and said that the Italian delegation had come prepared to learn and to see great things, but that its expectations had already been surpassed, and that it would go home with a larger stock of knowledge and of useful information than it had expected to bring back; that he considered the work done by the Engineering Congress to be of unusual importance, and that it had been a most agreeable feature that he had had the opportunity of making the acquaintance of so many distinguished engineers of the United States and he begged them all to accept the expression of his gratitude and best thanks.

The Chairman next called upon Chev. Celso Capacci of Italy, who said that the importance of the different questions treated in this Congress, the number

and the high value of the papers presented as well as the discussion which followed, have made of this one of the most important and remarkable engineering congresses which had yet been held and that in connection with the wonders of the Columbian Exposition the occasion had been a most memorable one.

The next speaker was Nicolas Vosnessensky of Russia, who said that no country in the world presented so much interest for Russian engineers as the United States of America, because in no other countries, except the United States and Russia, were there such immense distances for transportation by rail, or such great rivers and lakes for inland navigation, and he was much impressed by the great development of such natural conditions by the skill of the American engineers. He esteemed it a privilege to have been present at the discussions concerning new great engineering problems, such as the construction of a new deep water communication between Lake Ontario and the Atlantic, and the construction of a new canal from Chicago to the Mississippi river, and the construction of the Nicaragua Canal. Before returning to Russia, he desired, as the representative of the civil engineers of Russia, to express his most hearty thanks for the kindness with which he had been received, and to wish the American engineers the most complete success in all their further engineering enterprises.

Mr. Feliks Rycerski of Russia said that he had been much impressed with the simplicity and practicability of all American engineering works which he had

seen.