March 9, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



237 



tomed to a decimal coinage. It is suggested 

 that the simplest means of making the change 

 would be the adoption of the present florin, 

 which is the tenth part of a sovereign, as the 

 unit. The existing farthing would be replaced 

 by a " cent," equal to the hundredth part of a 

 florin, instead of a ninety-sixth part as now. 

 Sir Edward Holden, at the meeting on Jan- 

 uai-y 26 of the London City and Midland Bank, 

 of which he is chairman, expressed himself 

 strongly in favor of the adoption by Great 

 Britain of the metric system. 



A PRESS bulletin of the Geological Survey 

 calls attention to the fact that the press dis- 

 patches describing the latest eruptions of Las- 

 sen Peak show a continued tendency to refer 

 to the volcano as Mount Lassen. Perhaps it is 

 thought that the name should correspond with 

 those of some other famous peaks of the Cas- 

 cade Range, such as Mount Shasta or Mount 

 Rainier. But Lassen Peak, as the most active 

 and interesting volcano in the United States, 

 is especially entitled to be called by its own 

 name, and acts of Congress and Presidential 

 proclamations in creating and recognizing the 

 Lassen Peak IsTational Forest and Lassen Peak 

 ^National Monument have given the name Las- 

 sen Peak a status of high rank in the geologic 

 annals of the Cascade Range. The area has 

 recently been set apart as the Lassen "Volcanic 

 National Park. The name Lassen Peak, ac- 

 cording to the United States Geological Sur- 

 vey, Department of the Interior, is the only 

 authorized form on maps, reports and gazet- 

 teers from the Whitney Geological Survey of 

 California, in 1865, to the geomorphic map of 

 California and Nevada published by the Earth- 

 quake Investigation Commission, as well as on 

 the latest map issued by the Forest Service. 

 Peter Lassen, the sturdy pioneer who guided 

 many an early settler to the sunny lands of the 

 Sacramento, lies buried in a lonely grave in 

 Lassen County. A small, crumbling monu- 

 ment thirty miles from the peak marks his 

 final resting place, but his greater and more 

 enduring monuments are the county and peak 

 named in his honor by a grateful people. The 

 snow-capped Lassen Peak has piloted many 

 an immigrant to the mountain pass. In the 



early days of the Pacific Railroad surveys some 

 pious monk called the peak St. Joseph's Moun- 

 tain, but the names Lassen's Peak and Las- 

 sen's Butte soon came into general use. Whit- 

 ney has shown the inappropriateness of the 

 French term butte, which, translated exactly, 

 means knoll. As Lassen never owned the 

 mountain, in later years the possessive form 

 of the name was dropped, and to correct an 

 illicit tendency to wander from well-established 

 usage the United States Geographic Board, in 

 its decision of October 9, 1915, ofiicially recog- 

 nized the fact that the name of the mountain 

 was Lassen Peak, not Mount Lassen. 



The United States Civil Service Commission 

 announces an examination for expert electrical 

 and mechanical aid, to fill a vacancy in this 

 position at $12.48 per diem, in the Bureau of 

 Yards and Docks, Navy Department, Wash- 

 ington, D. C, and vacancies as they may occur 

 in positions requiring similar qualifications. 

 The duties of this jwsition cover the expert 

 maintenance and supervision of the operation 

 of all navy-yard power plants, embracing the 

 economical production, distribution and utili- 

 zation of electric power for manufacturing, 

 pumping dry docks, charging submarines, and 

 tral heating, and production and distribution of 

 for maniifacturing; steam for power and cen- 

 tral heating, and production and distribution of 

 hydraulic power; also investigations of power- 

 plant operating conditions, tests of plants and 

 equipment, and efiiciency engineering work in 

 connection with improvement of operating con- 

 ditions and instruction of plant operatives to 

 obtain economical operating results. Compet- 

 itors will not be assembled for examination, 

 but will be rated on technical education, 

 experience and fitness. Graduation with a de- 

 gree of mechanical engineer or electrical engi- 

 neer from a college or university of recognized 

 standing, and at least ten years' subsequent 

 experience in responsible charge of the design, 

 installation and operation of central power 

 plants and distribution systems for light, heat 

 and power, with executive experience in han- 

 dling successfully large numbers of power-plant 

 employees, are prerequisites for consideration 

 for this position. 



