﻿18 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  a 
  fossil 
  bird 
  Geochen 
  rhuax 
  Wetmore 
  ; 
  and 
  297 
  teeth 
  of 
  the 
  pavement- 
  

   toothed 
  shark 
  PtycJiodus 
  mortoni. 
  

  

  Engineering 
  and 
  industries. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  viewpoint 
  of 
  engineering 
  

   history, 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  and 
  valuable 
  accession 
  was 
  an 
  original 
  

   truss 
  of 
  an 
  iron 
  railroad 
  bridge 
  designed, 
  constructed, 
  and 
  erected 
  

   by 
  the 
  Reading 
  Railroad 
  Co. 
  in 
  1845. 
  The 
  specimen, 
  approximately 
  

   34 
  feet 
  long, 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  remaining 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  iron-truss, 
  double- 
  

   track 
  railroad 
  bridge 
  built 
  in 
  America, 
  also 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  

   iron-truss 
  bridge 
  erected 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  war 
  there 
  was 
  instituted 
  as 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  train- 
  

   ing 
  program 
  of 
  our 
  armed 
  forces 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  accurately 
  made 
  scale 
  

   models 
  of 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  airplanes 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  Nations 
  and 
  

   the 
  Axis, 
  to 
  teach 
  recognition 
  at 
  sight 
  of 
  both 
  friend 
  and 
  enemy. 
  Lt. 
  

   Paul 
  E. 
  Garber, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Navy, 
  on 
  military 
  furlough 
  from 
  the 
  Museum, 
  

   was 
  actively 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  this 
  program, 
  and 
  through 
  

   him 
  the 
  Museum 
  received 
  two 
  groups 
  of 
  these 
  models. 
  Bequeathed 
  

   to 
  the 
  extensive 
  propeller 
  collection 
  by 
  the 
  inventor, 
  Dr. 
  S. 
  Albert 
  

   Reed, 
  was 
  a 
  full-sized 
  model, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  D-l, 
  of 
  an 
  aluminum- 
  

   alloy 
  propeller 
  that 
  is 
  now 
  recognized 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  successful 
  

   types. 
  Another 
  accession 
  of 
  historical 
  interest, 
  likewise 
  presented 
  

   by 
  the 
  inventor, 
  H. 
  H. 
  Franklin, 
  was 
  comprised 
  of 
  four 
  die 
  castings, 
  

   which 
  are 
  excellent 
  examples 
  of 
  early 
  attempts 
  to 
  produce 
  finished 
  

   castings 
  in 
  metal 
  dies. 
  Of 
  current 
  interest 
  is 
  the 
  accession 
  of 
  a 
  scale 
  

   model 
  of 
  a 
  plant 
  used 
  for 
  producing 
  high-grade 
  motor 
  fuel 
  for 
  aviation 
  

   gasoline 
  blending 
  stock. 
  An 
  exhibit 
  of 
  timely 
  educational 
  value 
  in 
  

   the 
  section 
  of 
  mineral 
  technology 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  abrasives 
  and 
  grinding- 
  

   machine 
  operations. 
  This 
  exhibit, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  studied 
  frequently 
  

   by 
  the 
  personnel 
  of 
  Government 
  war 
  agencies, 
  has 
  been 
  modernized 
  

   during 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  178 
  specimens 
  were 
  added. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  crafts 
  and 
  industries 
  there 
  were 
  received 
  several 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  special 
  interest 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  war: 
  

   A 
  new 
  surgical 
  stitching 
  instrument 
  operated 
  as 
  a 
  sewing-machine 
  at- 
  

   tachment, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  felt 
  sampler 
  showing 
  numerous 
  types 
  t)f 
  

   surgical 
  suturing 
  ; 
  a 
  sample 
  of 
  cap 
  ribbon 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  type 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Navy, 
  in 
  which 
  letters 
  in 
  gold 
  leaf 
  are 
  fused 
  into 
  a 
  cut 
  

   ribbon 
  of 
  acetate 
  rayon, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  silk 
  ribbon 
  embroidered 
  with 
  

   gold 
  thread 
  formerly 
  used; 
  specimens 
  of 
  nylon 
  and 
  cotton 
  woven 
  

   webbing 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  harness 
  connecting 
  the 
  aviator 
  to 
  his 
  parachute 
  ; 
  

   and 
  new 
  specimens 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  an 
  exhibit 
  of 
  alternates 
  and 
  sub- 
  

   stitutes 
  developed 
  recently 
  to 
  cope 
  with 
  shortages 
  of 
  war 
  materials. 
  

   Of 
  special 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  public-health 
  collections 
  was 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  

   a 
  collection 
  of 
  food 
  models 
  arranged 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  daily 
  food 
  require- 
  

   ment. 
  Important 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  wood 
  collection 
  were 
  13 
  samples 
  

   of 
  tropical 
  American 
  woods 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

  

  