REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT, 1906. 29 



Office computations of the department have proceeded simultaneously 

 with the progress of field work, and many results will be ready soon for 

 publication. Amongst the latter attention may be called to a magnetic chart 

 of the United States which Director Bauer is now able to found on trust- 

 worthy data from about three thousand well-distributed stations. Most of 

 these data, it should be stated, have been collected by Dr. Bauer and his 

 colleagues of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, but they have been 

 supplemented recently to a noteworthy degree by work in Canada especially 

 under the auspices of the Institution . 



One of the interesting incidental contributions from the work of the 

 department during the year, illustrating the close interrelations of the 

 geophysical sciences, is a complete set of records of the earth tremors 

 generated by the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, obtained 

 from magnetographs and seismographs at the widely separated magnetic 

 stations of Cheltenham, Maryland ; Baldwin, Kansas ; Sitka, Alaska, and 

 Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. 



On the ist of July, 1906, Director Bauer severed his connection with the 

 U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, of whose magnetic work he has had 

 charge for some years, in order that he might devote his entire time to the 

 larger field of magnetic work undertaken by his department. 



The great practical and theoretical importance of the work carried on by 

 this department not only commends its maintenance at the present rate of 

 annual appropriations, but calls also for some additional support when funds 

 are available. Altho the yacht Galilee has proved quite satisfactory, she 

 could be replaced very advantageously by a ship having less iron in the 

 make-up and an auxiliary screw propulsion, which latter would be of great 

 aid in "swinging ship " for the elimination of the effects of the vessel's own 

 magnetism. It may become essential also to establish for a series of years, 

 in some hitherto unoccupied parts of the world, a few stations where 

 continuous records may be observed. The need is already felt likewise 

 for a specially equipped laboratory, located in a position isolated from the 

 disturbing influence of electric circuits, where instruments may be tested 

 and standardized. 



Altho a smaller number of new grants in aid of projects carried on by 

 individuals has been made during the past year than during preceding 

 years in the history of the Institution, many such projects 

 Minor Projects. ^^^^ under way. By reference to lists on pages 19 and 20 



it will be seen that 45 such grants were subject to payments during the 

 year. A considerable number of researches under former grants were also 

 under way, and some of these have resulted in publications under the auspices 

 of the Institution or in current journals, A bibliography of the latter, 

 obtained by aid of the authors themselves, is given on pages 45-52. It 



