200 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1049 



proved highly productive, as shown by the 

 publications issued and in press. Similarly, 

 attention may be called to the fruitful studies 

 of Dr. Osborne and Professor Mendel, which 

 promise to throw important light on the intri- 

 cate physico-chemical processes of animal nu- 

 trition and growth. The older sciences of 

 chemistry and physics have made not less im- 

 portant progress through the contributions of 

 a dozen associates and many more collabo- 

 rators. A very noteworthy advance has been 

 secured in meteorology by Professor Bjerknes 

 through the international adoption of his 

 methods and units for expressing meteorolog- 

 ical data. Beginning with this calendar year 

 and continuing up to the onset of the Euro- 

 pean war, the United States Weather Bureau 

 issued daily weather maps of the whole 

 northern hemisphere in conformity with these 

 new methods and units, greatly to the advan- 

 tage of theoretical and applied meteorology. 

 The comprehensive and always highly sug- 

 gestive expositions in geology and in cosmog- 

 ony for which Professor Chamberlin has long 

 been distinguished have stimulated his col- 

 leagues, Professors Michelson, Gale and 

 Moulton, to the production of a capital con- 

 tribution to geophysics in an ingenious and 

 conclusive proof that the rigidity of the earth 

 is about the same as that of steel. And 

 finally, in illustration of the ease of passage 

 from one field to another in this complex 

 miscellany of independent researches, there 

 may be cited the concordances of the earlier 

 poet Horace and the later poet Spenser, now 

 in press as numbers 202 and 189, respectively, 

 of the institution's series of publications. 



FINANCIAL RECORDS 



The following list shows the departments of 

 investigation to which the larger grants were 

 made by the trustees at their last annual 

 meeting and the amounts allotted from these 

 grants by the executive committee during the 

 year : 



Department of Botanical Research $42,140 



Department of Economics and Sociology. 5,000 

 Department of Experimental Evolution . . . 63,479 

 Geophysical Laboratory 85,500 



Department of Historical Research 31,100 



Department of Marine Biology 19,150 



Department of Meridian Astrometry .... 25,180 



Nutrition Laboratory 45,798 



Division of Publications (office expenses). 10,000 



Solar Observatory 220,892 



Department of Terrestrial Magnetism .... 157,406 



Researches in Embryology 26,900 



Total $732,545 



THJE BVBEAU OF MINES 



In his annual report to the secretary of the 

 interior Director Joseph A. Holmes, of the 

 United States Bureau of Mines, states that 

 excellent progi-ess has been made during the 

 past fiscal year in the investigations of the 

 explosibility of coal dust at the experimental 

 mine near Bruceton, Pa. These investiga- 

 tions included a careful examination into the 

 inflammability of coal dust collected from 

 hundreds of mines in different coal fields and 

 a systematic study of the possibility of coal- 

 mine explosions starting from the improi>er 

 use of explosives or the use of improper ex- 

 plosives, or from electric sparks, miners' 

 .lamps, mine fires, or other agencies. 



Probably the most important feature of the 

 year's work was the development of four types 

 of explosion-stopping devices in which rock 

 dust is used, as follows : Box barriers, con- 

 centrated barriers, ventilating-door barriers 

 and ventilation-stopping barriers. The bar- 

 riers were tested in strong and weak explo- 

 sions and were effective in preventing propa- 

 gation of flame beyond them. After being 

 placed in a mine they are easily inspected and 

 require little attention. Demonstrations before 

 mining men led to inquiries from a number 

 of companies, with a view to the erection of 

 the devices in mines. The results of the tests 

 at the experimental mines have shown the 

 value of watering. 



Four great explosions occurred during the 

 year, as follows: One in the Stag Canyon 

 mine, at Dawson, N. Mex., October 22, 1913, 

 resulting in the death of 263 men; one at 

 Acton, Ala., November 18, 1913, in which 24 

 men were killed ; one at the Vulcan mine. New 



