AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHAN ICAL ENGINEERS, a professional organi zation composed of engineers practising prin cipally in the department of generation, dis tribution and utilization of mechanical power and the processes of manufacture by mechani cal processes. It is one of four organizations of engineers, national in its character and with a considerable foreign membership also, which exists for the purpose of the reading and dis cussion and publication of papers on engineer ing subjects and for the advancement of the profession of engineering in any direction within its scope.
The society was formed in 1880 by a group of persons in and near New York city, who recognized that the existing societies of mining and civil engineers did not naturally and in stinctively offer a scope for the developing strength of mechanical engineering in the United States. Its first meeting was held in New York city in the autumn of 1880. Since that two meetings have been held each year; the annual meeting in the city of New York and other meetings in various cities of the Union; meetings have fallen in Boston, Provi dence, Philadelphia, Altoona, Buffalo, Pitts burgh, Cleveland, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Nashville, Richmond, Saint Louis, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco. These meetings last three or four days and are al ways made the occasion of visits to important engineering enterprises in the city which is en tertaining the society. Usually from 15 to 20 papers are read and discussed at each of these meetings and the papers with their discussions are issued to all members in the form of an annual volume, averaging a thousand pages and copiously illustrated. These volumes which are designated are an accumulation of most valuable professional literature, results of tests and experiments, researches into new fields and are filled with recorded data of observation. The society was incorporated as a national organization under the laws of New York State in 1881 and has maintained its ex ecutive offices in New York city. For seven or eight years its headquarters were in office buildings in the business district, but in 1889 the movement was started of having its library of professional literature open in the evenings and for this purpose the society rented quarters in the Mott Memorial Library Building, Madi son Avenue near 27th Street. The success of the evening opening of its library warranted the step which was taken in 1890 of purchasing the property which had been altered by the New York Academy of Medicine for this purpose and which included not only a library space and equipment, but a convenient auditorium of small size for the holding of meetings. The society later became a participant in the pro vision of a wealthy engineer and donor whereby three of these national societies are accom modated in a special building designed specifi cally for the needs of organizations of this class at 29 West 39th Street.
In addition to the publication of an annual volume the society issues a monthly periodical called The Journal of the society, which con tains current professional literature of a high order and full abstracts of similar material from foreign societies and journals. It also con ducts a free public reference library of engi neering. This library is particularly rich in the current contributions to other scientific and en g.ineering societies both in English and in other languages and in periodical literature published through the journals of technical journalism, both at home and abroad. This class of litera ture is of special significance in lines in which progress is as rapid as in the industrial depart ments of engineering. The library contains (1917) over 60,000 books and 10,000 pamphlets. It has also a valuable collection by bequest of antiquities in engineering and scientific matters, and obtains by exchange the scientific publica tions of the United States government and corresponds with the important technical soci eties of Europe and the continent. The cozy auditorium and the library exhibit much ma terial in portraits, busts and memorials of en gineering achievement. It is specially rich in drawings and other documents belonging to the work and history of Robert Fulton and early steam navigation.
The society has also discharged a valuable function by the service of professional commit tees on special subjects. These professional committees have mainly been concerned with the work of formulating the best procedure in various lines, with a view of having such pro cedure a species of standard whereby uniform ity might be secured. Committees of the society have reported on uniform methods for conducting tests of boilers, on uniform meth ods of conducting tests of engines, on uniform standards in structural material, and have prose cuted research on the fire-resisting properties of material, advisable methods for conducting tests of strength, and similar problems. These reports are made by the best experts connected with the society, and while the society officially never adopts their recommendation by legis lative action, these recommendations carry great weight by reason of the sources from which they come. The society is governed by a coun cil, consisting of a president, six vice-presidents, nine managers, a secretary and a treasurer. A recent achievement in this field has been a code of accepted practice in design and opera tion of steam-boilers; and another has been a standardization of proportions of flanges for joints in pipe. It has been active in the move ment to conserve the natural industrial re sources of the country.