184 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION 



seismology and in coordinating all of the work on seismology, a 

 laboratory of geophysics at Washington would find one of its greatest 

 opportunities. 



Cost. 



As to the cost of a geophysical laboratory, the committee of last 

 year submitted an estimate which it thought sufficient to provide 

 adequately for the great plans laid out by it. If the scope of the 

 proposed laboratory be confined to the more pressing lines of work 

 indicated in this supplementary report and to other problems of an 

 equally pressing character, and the more remote problems are ignored 

 for the present, the cost of a laboratory can be very considerably 

 reduced. Indeed, to get very important results, it is not necessary 

 that all of the problems discussed in this report shall be taken up at 

 once. If a laboratory were established, the governing body could 

 best decide which problems should be undertaken after it was known 

 how much money was available. After deliberate consideration of 

 the matter from the minimum point of view, rather than from the 

 point of view of what is desirable, I have come to the conclusion 

 that work of very great importance can be done in geophysics for 

 $50,000 per annum ; but in order not to greatly delay work, it is 

 strongly urged that $100,000 be appropriated toward a building. 

 This would make it possible to begin work on a productive scale 

 much sooner than if only $50,000 per annum were appropriated, 

 and from this fund it were necessary to construct the building and 

 purchase apparatus. 



My recommendation is, therefore, that there be appropriated for 

 the construction and maintenance of a geophysical laboratory 

 $100,000 and $50,000, with the expectation that the latter appro- 

 priation will be an annual one. 



While with the amount suggested it will not be possible to press 

 the various lines of geophysical work with the speed which many 

 strongly hold to be exceedingly desirable, I feel confident that great, 

 indeed revolutionary, results to the science of geology will be 

 obtained. 



