1891.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 9 
The Chairman regretted the fact that the Academy Library is so 
little used by the members. 
Pror. N. L. Brirron then read a paper entitled :— 
The American Species of the Genus Anemone, Illustrated by 
Specimens. 
[This paper will appear in the Annats, Vol. VI. ] 
Mr. Artuur Horzick then read the following :— 
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, 1861. 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. Asa 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.” 
