376 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES: VOL. 13, No. 16 
Later, Mt. Pinchincha was ascended. Dr. Hitchock was planning to spend 
the greater part of September in the region about Loja, Cuenca, and Huigra. 
G. F. Louauirn has been made Acting Chief of the Section of Metallif- 
erous Deposits, Division of Geology in the U. 8. Geological Survey. 
On the afternoon of September 20, a violent explosion followed by fire 
occurred in the Dynamometer Laboratory of the Bureau of Standards. One 
man was killed instantly, three others injured so seriously that they died 
during the night, and four others seriously burned or cut. The heroism of 
the survivors of the staff in rescuing the injured from the furiously burning 
wreckage and in shutting off the electric circuits and the ammonia valves, 
minimized the loss of life and property. 
The explosion occurred in the altitude chamber which is used in testing the 
performance of aircraft engines under the conditions of low pressure and 
temperature obtaining at high altitudes. At the time of the accident the room 
was being used in investigating the performance of an automobile engine, 
at temperatures corresponding to winter operation, using various grades of 
gasoline. The work was intended to determine the possible increase in gaso- 
line production per barrel of crude oil, with the accompanying conservation of 
our national resources, by the use of gasoline of lower volatility. 
The explosion was due to the ignition of an explosive mixture in the 
chamber. 
The dead are: Logan L. Laver, Ursan J. Coox, StepHen N. Lee, 
JosepH Kernpic. The injured are: Henry K. Cummines, Frank E. 
RicHARDSON, Roger BrrpsELL, GrorGce W. Exurorr, C. N. Smita, R. F. 
KonR. 
Most of these men were college graduates with experience and skill in 
research work, and a grave blow to science and engineering must be added to 
the human loss to their families and colleagues. 
Thus grows the long list of those who have given their lives for the increase 
of human knowledge and welfare. 
