Yale University - Sheffield Scientific School Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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BIOGRAPI-11135. 109 mination of the latent heat of steam may be materially improved by taking account of this circumstance. This has an important bearing on the subject of the specific volume of steam, since by far the most accurate determinations of this quantity are those derived by thermodynamic principles from the latent heat and the pressure of saturated vapor. ln fact, Mr. Starkweather shows by a careful analysis of the experiments of various physicists for the direct deter- mination of this quantity that these experiments really add nothing to what we get by the indirect method combined with the theoretical value derived from the molecular formula of steam. In the second paper, 'The Thermodynamic Relations for Steamf the formulae are discussed which others have used. Mr. Starkweather then gives certain formulae of his own. In particular for the relation between pressure volume and temperature, he gives a modification of Clausius' form of the equation of Van der 'Waals and uses this as a foundation for the derivation of equations between other variables. From these formulae he calculates tables of the principal quantities relating to saturated steam which may doubtless claim a considerably higher degree of accuracy than the usually received values. Professor Starkweathers last paper, 'Non Quaternion Number-Systems Containing No Skew Unitsf A1716I'fCG7Z foimial of Matlirmm-tics, vol. xxi, is one of the most import- ant contributions to the theory of hyper-complex number- systems that has been made in recent years. These papers all give evidence of marked originality and breadth of treatment. It is indeed remarkable for one person to excel in branches so remote from one another. They tell too plainly to need further comment the breadth of Professor Starkweathens scientific interests. Another characteristic trait of his mind was remarkable quickness of perception joined with a love for the more philosophic and fundamental parts of a theory. He grasped not only the details, but was instinctively attracted toward the deep lying

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108 ctiiss or 1891 s., YALE cottecn. respect and good will of the students in his charge. His devotion and aiifection for the Scientific School knew no bounds. T Professor Starlcweather's published writings-we say jmlnlzklied because his premature death has left much unfinished which was being prepared for publication-fall under three widely separated heads: technical, physical, mathematical. In each he had reached a degree of attain- ment that would require the undivided attention of an ordin- ary person. The first three papers relate to- KA Method of Obtain- ing the Fly-W'heel Tnertiaf Two of them came out in the Yale SCl'67ZZf'iflC Mowztlily in 1895, 1896, the third, which was an elaboration of the two preceding ones, appeared in The fozmzal of the Frmzlelizz Institnztc. They propose a simple and practical method of studying the periodic variations of speed of the fly-wheel of engines. His next paper, 'A Solution of the Biquadratic by Bino- mial Resolventsf Bzillefin of the Ailwricavz Jlffatfieiizaztical 50c'1'e1'y 1898, lies in one of the more remote fields of pure mathematics. It is an application of the profound and abstract theory of Galois concerning the solution of alge- braic equations byradicals. VVe said that Mr. Starkweather received his doctor's degree in 1899. Some months before the substance of his dissertation was published in two articles in the A71Zf67'lCU7Z fomfizal of Science Uan., Feb., I8QQj. The first paper, 'Concerning Regnault's Calorie and Qur Knowledge of the Specific Volumes of Steamf is a masterly discussion of the experiments of various physicists. The classical experi- ments of Regnault, although they have remained for half a century in the main unassailable, have not proved absolutely free from certain minor errors. Une of the principal of these is the assumption that the specific heat of water is sensibly constant between Oo and 300 C. This would affect his calorimetrical experiments, as he was virtually using a variable calorie. Mr. Starkweather shows that the deter-

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IIO cLAss or 1891 s., YALE COLLEGE. principles of the particular science he was studying. In Professor Starkweather's death, Yale mourns the loss of one who died at the very thresholdof a brilliant career which promised to be full of honor and usefulness. He received the degree of Mechanical Engineer at Yale in 1894, and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the same university in 1898. He was a member of Calvary Baptist church, New Haven, Conn., and also a member of the Republican party. He was Instructor and Assistant Pro- fessor of Mechanical Engineering from graduation until his death. He was unmarried. GEORGE FETTER STICKNEY was born january 24, 1869, in St. Paul, Minn. He prepared at St. Iohn's Military Academy, Ossining, N. Y., and Hillhouse High School, New Haven, Conn., entering college in the begin- ning of Freshman year. He took the Civil Engineering course. Wliile in college he was a member of A. CD. society. His father, Amos Stickney CWest Point BS., 18633, an officer in the Engineers Corps, U. S. Army, was born in St. Louis, Mo. He has also been President of the Missouri River Commission, President of the Mississippi River Com- mission, President of the Board of Engineers, President of the New York Harbor Line Board, Division Engineer, Eastern Division, and Engineer officer of Atlantic Division. His mother, whose maiden name was Virginia Eetter, was born April 22, 1848, in Louisville, Ky. He married, October 3, 1894, in Frankfort, Ky., Kath- erine Halloran CNazareth Academy, Ky., 18895, daughter of Thomas Halloran, an engineer and contractor, and a graduate of Dublin University. They have one daughter, Josephine, born july 30, 1895. Stickney became a lock designer with the Barge Canal, New York, October 12, 1905. He was Captain of the Third U. S. V. Engineers in the Spanish-American War.