Box 10, Folder 2: Correspondence June-December 1865

30

Milwaukee Dec 15/65

I. A. Lapham L.L.D.

I take great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. Roby, who comes as a committee from the Commercial College, to avail himself of your advice as to the best means of forming a cabinet for the College. He will explain the matter to you in detail.

I have taken this liberty knowing the interest you take in the popularization of scientific knowledge. I think a cabinet in the College would prove of very great practial value.

Very Respectfully, Jas Mac Alister [James Mac Alister]

Evanston Dec. 28, 1865

Dr. Lapham,

Dear Sir

You will remember that I sent you some small organisms which met you as you were leaving home. I think they were unfortunate in the circumstances of examination. I had been trying to grow mollusks from them without success & yesterday I carried them to Dr. Stimpson who pronounced them Algae. I have no doubt he is right from my own study of them. On this idea can you tell me where they grow, or if anybody has studied them. They come ashore here each year about the first of Nov. in considerable abundance. Do they grow in deep water or in shallow? Are they common to all these lakes?

Excuse me for these frequent notes. I wish to avail myself of what is known & in what is not known I suppose you have as much interest as myself.

Yours truly

Oliver Marcy

Prof. O. Marcy

De. 28 1865

Ans'd Jan 5

[Dec. 27, 1865?]

1. Diameter of wheel 2. Velocity of periphery - spread of stones - Head of Water 3. Lower Rim of wheel below surface of canal. 4. Length of weirs now - & at first - each succeeding wier - Date of each change - Length of buckets in each wheel. 5. How, when, & by whom the surface of the canal was fixed. 6 What increase of speed of Millstones has happened. 7. What new and different machinery is now used - when change made and how much more water that requires. 8 How much more flour do they make now than then 9. How much more water does it take now than it did in 1842 & 1843 to run a mill stone. 10 What Bars in the canal 11 How much of back water is from the lake? & how much from high floods in river. 12 Get complete history of water level for whole period. 13. How much is the lower limb of each wheel above high water & low water - how at all times. 14 What difference at each period between the elevation of the surface of river & of canal 15 Facts about the wiers of Sawyer & Bertschy cutting down. 16 How wheel can be raised temporarily to get out of high water - enquire about Sawyer's case. 17 Make table of high water &c - [etc]

18. How many cubic feet, per minute it took in 1842 &c [etc] to drive one run of stones, with machinery & 19. How many to drive a saw mill saw 20 How many a gang of saws 21 What width of gauge at 6 in depth &c would it take to propel all with accumulated machinery &c in cases specified 22 how many bushels an hour did run of stone grind in 1842 7 how many now? - (Poertner says with 8 ft gauge he can grind 18 bushels) 23. How many bushels per hour does Sawyer Bertschy Sanderson grind with one run of stones 24. What did they grind per hour at Rochester, Lockport, & Oswego in 1842-3-4 per run. What was then the general custom & what now, as to rapidity of grinding. 25 What wier did they draw water over for one saw - same for gang of saws - did they put in a gang of saws.