Maech 5, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



377 



was included in the program for the initial 

 meeting of the society. 



At the opening session, Tebruary 24, fol- 

 lowing the address of welcome by President 

 Charles E. Van Hise, was a presentation of 

 the scope of the highway work of the State 

 Geological Survey, by W. O. Hotchkiss, high- 

 way engineer for the survey. A. E. Hirst, 

 also of the state highway department, spoke on 

 the use of tar, oils and emulsions on macadam 

 and earth roads. The discussion on pavements 

 was led by McClelland Dodge, city engineer 

 of Appleton, and participated in by P. H. Con- 

 nelly, city engineer of Eacine; W. G. Kireh- 

 oflfer, consulting engineer, Madison, and others. 

 City Engineer C. V. Kerch, of Janesville, 

 spoke on the construction of the Court Street 

 bridge in that city. 



Interest in the discussion of the conserva- 

 tion of forests and water resources of Wiscon- 

 sin, a subject presented by State Forester E. 

 M. Griffith, waxed so keen that t-he paper on 

 " The Water-power Eesouices of the State," by 

 Professor L. S. Smith, who is engineer for 

 both the state and national geological surveys, 

 was postponed to the following evening. The 

 conservation discussion was led by Senator T. 

 W. Brazeau, and Senator E. E. Brown, As- 

 semblyman J. E. Jones and Professor D. W. 

 Mead also spoke on the subject. 



Professor W. D. Pence, who is engineer for 

 the Wisconsin Eailroad Commission, opened 

 the second day's program with a description 

 of the organization of the commission's engi- 

 neering staff. The new problem of standards 

 of gas and electric service was discussed by 

 Professor C. P. Burgess, of the department of 

 applied electrochemistry at the university, who 

 has done important work in enabling the state 

 railroad commission to prescribe a standard 

 for fuel and illuminating gas. 



The electric interurban roads of Wisconsin 

 were made the subject of an address by F. G. 

 Simmons, superintendent of construction and 

 maintenance of way for the Milwaukee Elec- 

 tric Eailway and Light Company. The day 

 circuit for small towns was discussed by Pro- 

 fessor J. W. Shuster, and new forms of arc 

 lamps by W. E. Wickenden, also of the elec- 



trical engineering department. Dean Tur- 

 neaure took the members of the society through 

 the engineering esperimental laboratories, ex- 

 plaining the work that is being done there in. 

 many lines of research. 



The second night was given to a discussiom 

 of water powers, W. G. Kirchofier describing- 

 the water supply of the city of Marshfield,.. 

 and Professor D. W. Mead the subject of hy- 

 draulic and hydroelectric power development. 

 Papers on " The Waterproofing of Concrete,"" 

 by F. M. McCullogh, city engineer of Stough-- 

 ton; "Municipal Engineering in the Orient, 

 and in Porto Eico," by J. T. Hurd and Edwin i 

 Wray; " Gas Producers and Small Power Sta-- 

 tions," by V. E. McMullen, Beloit, and C. T. . 

 Atkinson; and "Madison's Concrete Storm 

 Sewer System," by City Engineer John F.. 

 Icke, concluded the convention program. 



THE DARWIN CENTENARY 

 To commemorate the centenary of the birtii 

 of Charles Darwin, Professor Vines, Professor 

 Poulton and Professor Bourne gave an "At 

 Home " to the university in the Examination 

 Schools, Oxford, on February 12. There was 

 a large and distinguished gathering, including 

 four of Charles Darwin's sons — Mr. William 

 Darwin, Sir George Darwin, Mr. Francis 

 Darwin and Major Leonard Darwin. Books,, 

 letters, etc., of Charles Darwin were shown by- 

 Mr. E. W. T. Giinther (Magdalen), and Pro- 

 fessor Poulton made an address' on "Fifty 

 Years of Darwinism." Sir George Darwin 

 and Mr. Francis Darwin briefly addressed the 

 gathering. 



The Darwin centenary was celebrated at 

 Shrewsbury, his birthplace, under the aus- 

 pices of the Shropshire Natural History So- 

 ciety. Dr. Cosmo Melvill presided, and Dr. 

 Hoyle, of Manchester University, gave am 

 address on Darwin. 



The special business of the meeting of the- 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadel- 

 phia, held February 16, was the commemora- 

 tion of the centenary of the birth of Charles 

 Darwin and of the fiftieth year of the publica- 

 tion of the "Origin of Species." The presi- 

 dent. Dr. Samuel G. Dixon, spoke' o£ the- in?- 



