September 7, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



381 



explorations at the Baum prehistoric village 

 site, near Bourneville, Ross County, Ohio. 

 The work was very successful ; more than 60 

 skeletons were found and photographed in 

 place. This village site is especially rich in 

 fine implements of bone, shell and stone, of 

 which several thousand were taken from the 

 ash pits together with the bones of the elk, 

 deer, bear, wolf, raccoon, wild turkey and 

 Indian dog. 



The French Minister of War, as we learn 

 from Nature, has invited the Paris Academy of 

 Sciences to advise as to the precautions to be 

 adopted in selecting and planting trees in the 

 neighborhood of powder magazines, in order 

 to secure the best protection from lightning. 



The United States Civil Service Commission 

 announces that it has been informed by the 

 Department of Agriculture that there is an op- 

 portunity at this time for appointment to two 

 or three positions in the ofiice of Public Koad 

 Inquiries of persons qualified as practical road 

 builders and who have a knowledge of rural 

 engineering, geology, mineralogy, and kindred 

 subjects. Persons who desire to become eli- 

 gible will not be required to appear at any 

 place for examination but should file with the 

 Commission a properly certified statement as 

 to the length of time spent in college, the 

 studies pursued, the standing in those studies, 

 and the special qualifications they have for 

 such work mentioned above together with a 

 thesis upon the subject mentioned, or in lieu of 

 this thesis literature upon this subject pub- 

 lished over their own signatures. At the re- 

 quest of the Department applications will not be 

 accepted from other than graduates of colleges 

 receiving the benefits of grants of land or 

 money from the United States. The length of 

 time any scientific aid may serve in the Depart- 

 ment is limited to two years. The salary shall 

 not exceed $40 per month. The subjects and 

 weights of this examination will be as follows : 



Subjects. Weights. 



1. College course with bachelor's degree 50 



2. Post-graduate course and special qualifica- 



tions , 25 



3. Thesis or other literature 25 



Total 100 



A REMARKABLE mcteor is reported by ob- 

 servers in New England. As seen from the 

 mouth of the Damariscotta River, Maine, its 

 altitude, when, at 8 P. M., it burst into view, 

 was about thirty degrees and its direction north 

 by west, color a rich copper green, and magni- 

 tude and brilliancy so great as to light up the 

 whole country with a flash of great intensity, 

 the light persisting about two seconds before 

 final extinction. The mass was pear-shaped, 

 larger end downward. The smaller end shaded 

 from green to yellow. A little later, a bright red 

 meteorite was seen north by west of smaller size. 

 We hope that our correspondents will supply 

 more precise data. 



Details have been published in regard to the 

 plague at Hong-Kong which show that the 

 epidemic has not been quite so severe this year 

 as last, and is now abating somewhat. The 

 deaths during the past six years have varied 

 in a curious way, being as follows : 1894, 2485, 

 1895, 36 ; 1896, 1078 ; 1897, 19 ; 1898, 1175 ; 

 1899, 1428. The deaths are chiefly among the 

 Chinese, the mortality being excessive — per- 

 haps in part due to the fact that cases which 

 did not result fatally were not reported. Last 

 year the total number of cases was 1455, and 

 the number of deaths 1407. 



The fastest regular trains in the world are, as 

 we have already noted, those running over the 

 Philadelphia and Reading and Pennsylvania 

 Railroad from Camden to Atlantic City. By 

 the former line the 55J miles is traversed at 

 the rate of 66.6 per hour. The Empire State 

 Express, of the New York Central Railroad, 

 however, no longer holds the record for long 

 distance trains. It runs from New York to 

 Buffalo — 440 miles — at the rate of 53.33 miles 

 per hour. The Sud Express on the Orleans 

 and Midi Railway now runs from Paris to Ba- 

 yonne, a distance of 486J miles, at the rate of 

 54. 13 miles per hour. 



The London Daily Graphic, as quoted in 

 Nature, states that the Norwegian government 

 has built and fitted out a steam vessel for the 

 express purpose of marine scientific research, 

 and has placed her, as well as a trained stafi" of 

 assistants, in charge of Dr. J. Hjort as leader 

 of the Norwegian Fishery and Marine Investi- 



