1891.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 9 



The Chairman regretted the fact that the Academy Library is so 

 little used by the members. 



Prof. N. L. Britton then read a paper entitled: — 



The American Species of the Genus Anemone, Illustrated by 



Specimens. 



[This paper will appear in the Annals, Yol. VI.] 



Mr. Arthur Hollick then read the following : — 



'to 



A Memorial of the late Dr. John I. Northrop. 



BY ARTHUR HOLLICK. 



It is my privilege to-night to say a few words in regard to the 

 late Dr. John I. Northrop, whom most of us know by reputation, 

 many knew personally, a few, perhaps, intimately. Similarity in 

 the work and occupations of our lives threw us much together 

 during the past two years, and I thus learned to understand and to 

 appreciate him more and more. For this reason, when called upon 

 to do so, I accepted the responsibility of preparing the tribute to 

 his memory, which I propose to present to-night. 



John Isaiah Northrop, E.M., Ph.D., was born in New York 

 City, October 12, 18G1. He would, therefore, have been, had he 

 lived, just thirty years of age to-day. With the fact of his death 

 we are all acquainted, but in regard to the tragedy in which he lost 

 his life some are perhaps not informed. 



On the afternoon of the 25th of last June Dr. Northrop had 

 occasion to obtain some alcohol for use in the preservation of 

 zoological specimens. As a measure of safety the main supply at 

 Columbia College is stored in a fire-proof vault under the School of 

 Mines building, from which is drawn, from time to time, such 

 quantities as may be needed. Two janitors accompanied him and 

 together they proceeded to draw off some of the alcohol from the 

 large cask into a smaller vessel. A gas jet and electric light were 

 burning in the hallway, but the vault was dark and Dr. Northrop 

 struck a match in order the better to see how the vessel was filling. 

 Just what happened we shall never know, but the alcohol ignited — - 

 there was a momentary playing of flame around the faucet, a flash, 

 an explosion and a sea of fire in the vault. All three of the men 

 were thrown down and badly burned, but Dr. Northrop evidently 

 had his clothing saturated with the alcohol and his injuries were 

 such that he died during the following night. 



Dr. Northrop was graduated from the Columbia College School 

 of Mines, in the class of 1884, with the degree of Engineer of 

 Mines. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was received in 1888, 

 and was earned by his two dissertations: "Histology of Hoya 

 carnosa" and "Fossil Leaves from Bridgeton, N. J." 



