want it distinctly understood that you are always invited to come to Grand Rapids.

Mr. Rumsey: In support of what Mr. Williams has said we here in Grand Rapids have not had a meeting for a long while and there is quite a little interest taken among the local people, but we had to learn the game. If you give us the convention again now that we are on the ropes a little bit, we could promise you a little humdigger.

Prof. Riggs: In behalf of the members at Ann Arbor I want to extend the usual invitation which we have been making for the last few years for you to come to Ann Arbor. I think that probably next year we will have the same facilities that we have had in the past few years but after next year I want to serve notice on the Society that Ann Arbor is going to ask for the meeting with the assurance that we will be able to take care of the annual meetings of the Michigan Engineering Society better than any other city in the State or in the United States. Two years from now we hope to have the new Michigan Union building completed, which will enable us to take care of the convention with 150 rooms, or we can entertain you all in one room. It will be two years before the Union building is finished so next year we are coming to the convention to demand that it come to Ann Arbor and try out our new facilities.

Mr. Rich: It has been suggested that further discussion be deferred until this evening.

Mr. W. W. Cox: I think it is very fitting right now that we have so many members present that we express our appreciation of the entertainment given us by Grand Rapids. Mr. Rumsey spoke of getting on the ropes. It looks as though they have been on the ropes for some time. Everything from the time you get off the car runs smoothly. Some one directs you to the meeting and when you get here you find everything convenient and nice. I move that the Society give a rising vote of thanks to the Local Committee.

Mr. Rich: The motion is made by Mr. Cox and supported by the Society that a rising vote of thanks be given to Mr. Moore, Mr. Rumsey, and Mr. Williams.

(Unanimous vote).

The next is the report of the nominating committee.

Prof. Riggs: The nominating committee report the following recommendations:

For

President: T. O. Williams of Grand Rapids.
Vice-Pres. E. D. Rich of Lansing.

Treasurer: A. J. Decker of Ann Arbor.

Secretary: W. W. Cox of Kalamazoo.

For directors the committee is suggesting the names of six members, three to be elected, and we are including in the list the name of the man who will retire as president, owing to the fact that these nominations are from men who are not concerned in this coming year but the year following and that is G. W. Bissell of Lansing, who will be president of the Society. In Lansing we are suggesting G. W. Bissell, Mr. Jas. R. Rumsey of Grand Rapids, Mr. C. W. Hubbell of Detroit, Mr. L. H. Nielsen of Cadillac, Mr. Claude E. Chappell of Charlotte, and Mr. Andrew Lenderink of Kalamazoo.

Mr. Skeels: I don't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate that we have two Mr. Rumsey's one is James R. and one is James L.

Mr. Riggs: We mean James R.

Mr. Rich: The Secretary has an announcement.

Mr. Hoexter: I am requested to announce that all the members are most cordially invited if not requested to be present at the luncheon today in conjunction with the Builders and Traders. Now the Builders and Traders are to sit down promptly at twelve o'clock. We go up at 11:45 so we can start on our dinner and they will not have to wait when they come.

Mr. Rich: Our business session here coming to a close, we will proceed with our regular program, the first topic being "Drains," of which Mr. Harrod is chairman.

Mr. J. W. Harrod: On account of the lateness of the hour I will not offer any report, and so will give way for the papers contributed by the section on "Drains."

President Teed: Mr. T. H. Harrod will present a paper entitled "Capacities of Drains."

T. H. HARROD

Member M. E. S.

The intention of this paper is to present in tabular form the discharge capacities of both tiled and open drains of different sizes laid to various grades.

For some time past the writer has realized the difficulty which besets the average drainage surveyor in determining the proper sizes of drains to meet conditions.

Government records of rainfall in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan dating from 1886 to 1911 indicate a maximum recorded rainfall of 5.89 inches in 24 hours. These same records show that the heaviest storms occur between the months of April and October, the months in which crops are raised.

In a report on Drainage in Southern Michigan published in 1915 by the Dept. of Agriculture, Mr. A. D. Morehouse suggests a basis for computations of runoff as somewhere between 14" and 1" in 24 hours. The following tables have been computed on the basis of 1" for open drains, and 4" for tile drains as the runoff. This basis of runoff which is about 25% of the rainfall, appears to satisfy the drainage demands of Gratiot County, Michigan. The land in this county is generally flat, and is crossed by small moraines which run in a southwesterly direction. The soil varies from a stiff heavy clay to light pine sand, with every intermediate grade between.

For other runoffs the area drained varies in a direct ratio of the assumed ratio to the ratio under consideration.

For velocities in open drains, the exponential formula derived by Prof. Johnson of the University of Michigan in its form

V 42.8 r.83.5

seems best suited to the case. A comparison of velocities determined from this formula with the actual velocities of flow in irrigation channels through earth of such a type as the average drainage ditch becomes after a few years use, shows a very