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bCtENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 495. 



versity) and Mr. P. W. Grover (Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology and Wes- 

 ley an). 



4. Electrical Measuring Instruments, 

 also under the personal charge of the 

 physicist, assisted by Dr. M. G. Lloyd (Uni- 

 vei-sity of Pennsylvania), H. B. Brooks 

 (Ohio State University), C. E. Reid 

 (Purdue) and P. S. Durston (Wesleyan). 



5. Photometry, under the charge of Mr. 

 E. P. Hyde (Johns Hopkins University). 



6. Engineering Plant, under the charge 

 of the engineer, Mr. C. P. Sponsler (Penn- 

 sylvania State College). 



DIVISION III. 



Division III. comprises the chemical 

 work of the bureau. At present the per- 

 sonnel of this division includes, besides the 

 chemist, only the assistant chemist. Dr. 

 H. N. Stokes (Johns Hopkins University). 

 This work is relatively late in its organiza- 

 tion, for the reason that the bureau has no 

 place in which to develop a chemical labo- 

 ratory. Plans are being matured the pres- 

 ent fiscal year, and as soon as the new 

 buildings are ready a complete chemical 

 laboratory will be installed in one of them. 



Through the courtesy of President Rem- 

 sen, Professor Noyes is doing some work 

 this year in the chemical laboratory of 

 Johns Hopkins University; and through 

 the courtesy of Dr. Wiley, of the agricul- 

 tural department, Dr. Stokes is doing some 

 work in the chemical laboratory of the 

 bureau of chemistry. We expect to see 

 some additions to the chemical force at the 

 beginning of the next fiscal year. 



THE VISITING COMMITTEE. 



In naming the personnel of the bureau, 

 I must not omit to include the visiting 

 committee, constituted as follows: Presi- 

 dent Ira Remsen, Johns Hopkins Univei-- 

 sity ; President Henry S. Pritchett, Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology ; Professor 



Edward L. Nichols, Cornell University; 

 Professor Elihu Thomson, Lynn, Massa- 

 chusetts; Mr. Albert Ladd Colby, Metal- 

 lurgical Engineer, Bethlehem, Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



These gentlemen meet in Washington at 

 least once each year, and after receiving a 

 report from the director, make a thorough 

 examination of the work of the bureau. 

 On the basis of this examination they pre- 

 sent a report to the secretary of commerce 

 and labor, making such recommendations 

 as they think proper. This committee has 

 already been of much service to the bureau, 

 and it is believed that it will also serve a 

 valuable purpose as a medium of communi- 

 cation between the scientific public and the 

 bureau. 



The director of the Bureau of Standards 

 renders an annual report and submits his 

 estimates of the needs of the bureau to the 

 secretary of commerce and labor. Through 

 him congress receives these estimates and 

 grants specific sums for buildings, for 

 equipment, for current expenses and for 

 salaries, after the director has appeared 

 before the appropriations committees of 

 both houses and explained in detail the 

 needs of the bureau and the work to be 

 carried on with the money appropriated. 



THE SCIENTIFIC WORK. 



The scientific work and testing which the 

 bureau is doing at present or for which 

 preparations are in progress may now be 

 briefly stated. 



DIVISION I. 



Section 1. Weights and Measures, in- 

 cluding the determination of lengths, 

 masses and volumes. 



The bureau possesses at the present time 

 tAvo iridio-platinum copies of the inter- 

 national meter, to which all lengths are 

 referred, and apparatus for comparing 

 other bars with them. One of these stand- 

 ards was taken to Paris last year by Mr. 



