280 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 737 



were shown. In this area there are no rock out- 

 crops and nothing is known of bed rock type or 

 condition except what can be determined in this 

 way. It is now certain, however, that the south- 

 ern end of the island is not wholly underlain by 

 Manhattan schist as formerly mapped, but that 

 the east side is made up of the usual succession 

 of folded Fordham gneiss, Inwood limestone and 

 Manhattan schist. 



" Some of the Latest Results of Explorations in 

 the Hudson River at New York City," by Dr. E. 

 O. Hovey. Borings made by the Pennsylvania 

 Tunnel Company across the Hudson on the line of 

 Thirty-second Street were shown and interpreted. 

 Bed rock has been penetrated at three points in 

 the gorge proper. All are approximately 300 feet 

 deep to rock. But since these holes are nearly 

 1,200 feet apart, the interesting question of a 

 possible narrow inner gorge still remains. Seeing 

 that the proved depth in the Highlands is at least 

 350 feet deeper than is yet found at New York 

 City, the Hudson problem may still be considered 

 an open one. 



Chables p. Berkby, 

 Secretary of Section 



THE AMEBICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 



NOETHBASTEBN SECTION 



The eighty-eighth regular meeting of the section 

 was held on December 18, at the Chemical Labora- 

 tory of Harvard College, Cambridge. An address 

 upon " The Systematic Relations of the Compressi- 

 bilities of Elements and Simple Compounds " was 

 delivered by Professor Theodore W. Richards, of 

 Harvard University. The speaker called attention 

 to probable relationships between the compressi- 

 bilities of the elements, the changes of atomic 

 volumes upon the formation of compounds, and 

 the chemical affinities as measured by heats of 

 reaction. After pointing out the lack of reliable 

 data concerning the compressibility of substances, 

 he described the apparatus in use by himself for 

 the determination of this constant and stated that 

 values for the compressibility of thirty-five ele- 

 ments and a number of compounds had already 

 been obtained. It was shown that the compressi- 

 bility is a periodic function of the elements and 

 that the relationships with atomic volumes and 

 heats of reaction are in remarkable agreement 

 with the predictions. Some striking relationships 

 among organic compounds were cited and it was 

 stated that further work is being done u.pon the 

 study of isomers. 



Professor Bertram B. Boltwood, of Yale Univer- 



sity, briefly described the recent work of Professor 

 Rutherford upon the " a rays." 



The eighty-ninth regular meeting of the section 

 was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology on January 22. The following papers were 

 presented : " Fundamental Principles underlying 

 the Decay of Structural Materials," by Professor 

 W. H. Walker, of the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology, a concise statement of the electrolytic 

 theory of the corrosion of iron ; " Protective Coat- 

 ings for the Conservation of Structural Materials," 

 by Mr. Robert S. Perry, president of the scientific 

 section of the Paint Manufacture Association of 

 the United States, an account of work being done 

 in testing the porosity and elastic strength of 

 paint skins and the inhibitive or stimulative 

 effect of certain pigments on the rate of corrosion 

 of metals. 



Kenneth L. Mabk, 



THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION OF JOHNS HOPKINS 

 UNIVERSITY 



The association held its monthly meeting Jan- 

 uary 13, when it was addressed by Professors J. 

 M. Baldwin and J. B. Whitehead. 



Professor Baldwin spoke upon the subject of 

 " Genetic Science," classifying sciences as genetic 

 or agenetic. He showed the ground for the dis- 

 tinction between them to be that they are quali- 

 tative and quantitative, respectively. 



The limitations of quantitative science were 

 pointed out while recent advances in the scientific 

 and philosophical theory of genetic science were 

 discussed. Quantity and quality both represent 

 special points of view, each requiring a certain 

 abstraction and limitation with respect to the 

 actual events of nature. It is the task of philos- 

 ophy to affect the synthesis which will not dis- 

 qualify either. 



Professor Whitehead discussed the problem of 

 the " Electrification of Steam Railways." Steam 

 railways are being transformed and operated elec- 

 trically in tunnels in order to secure freedom 

 from gases due to combustion; in terminals to 

 increase traflic capacity, and on through service 

 in order to lessen cost of operation. Coal con- 

 sumption and cost of repairs are lessened. It was 

 shown that the electrification of all the steam 

 railways of the country would lessen the total 

 consumption of coal of the country about 7 per 

 cent. 



C. K. SWAETZ, 



Secretary 



