Apeil 17, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



5»b 



afforded. The temperature was then observed 

 with five thermometers: 



Thermometers 1 and 2 were " nitrogen 

 filled " thermometers graduated in Centigrade 

 degrees ranging from — 29° to +360° in 1° 

 intervals. These are the ordinary high-grade 

 laboratory thermometers. 



Thermometer 3 was a small " Anehutz nor- 

 mal " thermometer reading from • — 25° to 

 +. 50° in 1/5° intervals. This is one of the 

 most accurate types of chemical thermometers 

 obtainable. 



Thermometer 4 was a large thermometer of 

 the same type as No. 3, but reading from 



— 19° to +360° in 1/5° intervals. 

 Thermometer 5 was an ordinary Six's maxi- 

 mum and minimum thermometer graduated 

 in degrees Fahrenheit, each graduation repre- 

 senting 2°. 



Thermometer 6 was a standard Weather 

 Bureau type minimum thermometer reading 

 from — 35° to + 115° F. in 1° ranges. This 

 is probably one of the most accurate types of 

 Fahrenheit thermometers obtainable. 



Thermometer No. 6 was spirit filled. No. 5 

 contained a combination of spirit and mercury 

 and all of the others were mercury filled. 



Thermometers 1, 2 and 3 gave the same 

 temperature for the ice and salt mixture, i. e., 



— 21° C. which is the equivalent of 5.8° he- 

 low zero Fahrenheit. Thermometer 4 was 

 g:raduated only to — 19° C. and the mercury 

 was some distance below the bottom of the 

 scale. By interpolation a reading of — 20° 

 to — 21° C. was made. Thermometer 5 gave 



'a minimum of — 4° F. while the Weather 

 Bureau thermometer (No. 6) gave a reading 

 of — 5° F. 



Previous to this experiment I had filled a 

 wooden box holding perhaps 30 pounds of ice 

 with a freezing mixture in the evening and 

 placed it in an empty ice box to conserve ice. 

 In the morning I noted a temperature of 



— 19° C. (—2.2° F.). 



From these experiments I am convinced that 

 0° F. is not " the lowest temperature obtain- 

 able with ice and salt." Just what the " low- 

 est temperature" is I am unable to state, 

 having failed to secure a greater lowering 

 than — ^21° C. Theoretically the lowest tem- 



perature should be the cryohydric point 

 (—22° to — 23° C.) where the cryohydrate, 

 ice and salt containing 23.6 per cent, of NaCl, 

 separates. 



Boss Aiken Gortner 



TSE AMERICAN PETROLEUM SOCIETY 



The American Petroleum Society was or- 

 ganized September 10 at the U. S. Bureau of 

 Mines, Pittsburgh, Pa. This organization is 

 the result of an efi^ort of the bureau for the 

 past seven years to bring together the men 

 interested in the petroleum industry. 



Invitations were sent out in July to the 

 secretaries of twenty-four of the great na- 

 tional societies of the United States, inviting 

 them to be present and to cooperate in this 

 organization. Eighteen of these societies re- 

 sponded at a meeting on August 1 at the 

 Bureau of Mines. A similar invitation was 

 sent out in August to eight additional soci- 

 eties, making a total of thirty-two societies 

 that were invited to attend the September con- 

 ference. A large number of these were repre- 

 sented at the meeting on September 10, when 

 the final organization was completed. 



This society will concern itself with the 

 study of all phases of natural gases and petro- 

 leums, including the origin, statistics, conser- 

 vation, drilling methods, production, trans- 

 portation, storage, refining and specifications 

 for refined products. 



When it is considered that each year, within 

 the United States alone, there are produced 

 crude petroleums and natural gases having a 

 value in excess of $200,000,000, and that no 

 society has ever been organized in America 

 for their comprehensive study it is reasonable 

 to suppose that the future of this society is 

 assured. There is to-day a tremendous waste 

 of natural gases which, by proper methods of 

 drilling, could be prevented. Also, there is 

 waste of crude oil due to improper methods of 

 production and handling. The necessity for a 

 critical study of petroleums and gases by the 

 members of such a society is evident. 



At the meeting on September 10 at the 

 Bureau of Mines the constitution and by-laws 

 were adopted, and oflicers were elected as 

 follows : 



