Mr. H.P.  Holt (of Messrs. Crossley Bros., Limited) said he could indorse everything Mr. Lane had said.  He had found the paper most interesting and instructive even to himself, though he had some little practical experience of gas-engines, and was supposed to know a little about them.  He did not pretend to be able to teach other people; but if he could say anything as to indicator cards, or answer any questions, he should be happy to do so. (He then described the indicator diagram of the atmospheric gas-engine.) In this engine the proportion of the charging stroke to the whole sweep of the piston was about 10 per cent.; and as the charge drawn in consisted of about 10 per cent. of gas, about 1-100 of the total sweep of the piston was composed of the gas.

Mr. Foulis asked what proportion the power indicated on the diagram bore to the power indicated on the brake in the atmospheric engine.

Mr. Holt said unfortunately he had not any figures with him which would give this information; and it was so long since he had anything practically to do with this form of engine, that he should not like to speak from memory.  He might add that the largest size of gas-engine made (of about 100 horse power indicated) was at work at Messrs. Edwin Butterworth and Co.’s, of Manchester.  It was now driven by ordinary coal gas; but Dowson plant was to be put up very shortly in order to reduce the cost of working, which, though not excessive, would be still more economical with the Dowson gas—­probably only about 30s. per week.  The present cost was about L4 per week, though it was not working always at full power.

Mr. T. Holgate (Batley) said he thought it was generally understood, by those who had studied the subject, that the adoption of compression of the gaseous mixture before ignition had, so far, more than anything else, contributed to the improved working of gas-engines.  This fact had not been sufficiently brought out in the paper, although Mr. Lane had clearly indicated some of the directions in which further improvements were likely to obtain.  Gas engineers were largely indebted to Mr. Dugald Clerk for the statement he had made of the theory of the gas-engine.[4] Mr. Lane had given some figures, arrived at by Messrs. Brooks and Steward, from experiments made in America; but, prior to these Mr. Clerk had given others which were in the main in accordance with them.  Professor Kennedy had also made experiments, the results of which agreed with them.[5] The extent of the loss by the cooling water was thus well ascertained; and it was no doubt by a reduction of this loss that further improvement in the working of gas-engines would eventually be obtained.

   [Footnote 4:  See Journal, vol. xxxix., p. 648.]

   [Footnote 5:  Ibid., vol. xl., p. 955.]