University Items

Prof. Edward Olney ia with his faraily at Charlevoix. E.W. Groves, lit'76, is located at Greenland, Michigan. Prof. Calrin Thomas is plorlng the wilds of Montana. Prof. Morris and ñunily have again gone out camping at North Lake near Chelsea. Wüliam S. Hill of '81 has a law office at Marquette. He was home on a visit this week. Prof. Dennison went to Royalton, Vermont, last week to pass the remaiuder of the summer vacation. W. B. Woods, '85, left Snturday for Terre Haute, Indiana, wlierehe will teach in the State Normal school. Jerry Jenks, '78, who lias been teaching this last year at Mt. Morris was in town Wednesday on his way to Europe. Prof. I. N. Demmon and family left on Monday for Northern Michigan, where he is to couduct several Teachers' Institutes. Hon. George L. Becker, class of '46, of St. Paul, is President of the Minnesota State Forestry Association and was vice president of the American Forestry Congress recently held. Dr. Walton of Cincinnati has concluded not to accept the invitation of the Itegents to the chair of Surgery in the Homoeopathic school. The place will be fllled by the executive committee of the Regenta. B01LEB HOUSE REPAIRS. The legislatura appropriated at the last session $8000. to increase the capacity of the steam-heating plant of the uniyerslty. This was made necessary because of the addition of the Library Building, and because difticulty has been expcrienced Iq heating the Museum building praperly. Two new tubular boilers, sixty luches ld diameter and fourteen feel long, are to be added to the present plant at the central boiler house, making six boilers in all. It is probable that the east end of the boiler house will be excavated and tho new boilers put down so as to con neet the library and museum buildings on the low pressure gravityreturn systein. And if these boilers are put down, the others will no doubt also be put down within a year or two. The present systein of heating is a very expensive one, as the steam which is condensed in the radiators and pipes is allowed to run into a cistern open to the atmosphere, and from this it Is pumped about twenty-two feet back into the boilers. The temperature of the water in the pipes is about 250; and after it is discharged into the open cistern, it is, of course, only 212. By putting the boilers low enough to allow the condensed water to follow directly back into them, a saying of about (250- 2I2)=38 heat units will be realized for every pound of steam used besides the saving in the cost of puinping the water back into the boilers. The furnaces of the present four boilers are to be inereased in si.e, and so arranged as to secure a great efficiency in the consumption of fuel. Their arrangement at present is entirely contrary to what is considered the best practice in steam engineering. A coal shed 42 by 60 is to be built on the north slcle of the central boiler house and tracks are to be laid from the boiler house into the coal shed, a car being provided to enable the fireman to get his own coal as wanted. For years the 1000 or 1500 tonsof coal burned on the university campus has been mostly stacked out of doors, and it has been no uncommon siglit to sce men prying the coal from the piles in large froze chunks. As all of the water contained in the coal had to be evaporated in the furnaces, a great loss of fuel has of course attendcd it, to say nothing of the loss fiom the exposure to the atmosphere, which is considerable. Prof. M. E. Cooley has been employee! by the committee of the regents on buildings and grounds in connection with the changes and improveinents. Prof. Cooley lias also rendered service in connection with the heating plant of the 6th. ward school house.