894 



SCIENCE-. 



[Ni S. Vol. XXIII. No. 597. 



no condition would Great Britain adopt the 

 metric system.' " 



A MAP representing parts of California and 

 Mexico has recently been published by the 

 United States Geological Survey which is of 

 unusual interest at this time. The area cov- 

 ered is widely known as the Salton Sink, a 

 great depression in the Colorado Desert which 

 has been much discussed lately, owing to the 

 threatened formation of a large inland sea 

 where there is now a thriving community. 

 About 8,000 people have settled in that part 

 of the basin known as the Imperial VaUey 

 and are raising excellent crops of barley and 

 alfalfa. Stock farms are numerous and ex- 

 periments in raising the date palm are in 

 progress. The freight shipments from Im- 

 perial, a town only four years old, rival those 

 of Los Angeles in value, and are said to ex- 

 ceed those of any other town in southern Cali- 

 fornia. The existence of this peaceful com- 

 munity is however seriously endangered by 

 Colorado River which strangely enough is 

 also the source of all its prosperity as it is 

 this stream which furnishes water for the 

 irrigation system. The absence of any con- 

 trolling works at the head of the main canal 

 has resulted in diverting the river from its 

 old channel and permitting the entire flood 

 flow to enter the irrigation system. This is 

 causing great damage to the ditches and crops, 

 and is forming a large lake, which now covers 

 about 250 square miles, at the lowest part of 

 the sink. The Southern Pacific Railroad has 

 been obliged to rebuild many miles of tracks. 

 The map of this region, which is called the 

 Salton Sink special, shows on a scale of about 

 eight miles to an inch, all the principal towns, 

 roads, canals and drainage lines. Contour 

 lines also indicate what the future sea may 

 cover at different altitudes. The usual price 

 of five cents a copy will be charged for this 

 map, which was made by Mr. W. Carvel Hall, 

 under the direction of Mr. R. B. Marshall 



A REPORT from Consul-General George W. 

 Roosevelt describes a series of experiments 

 arranged by the meteorologic service of Bel- 

 gium to be made with balloons for the purpose 



of determining the pressure of the atmosphere 

 and the temperature and moisture of the air. 

 In the subjoined report Consul-General Roose- 

 velt furnishes the result of the first experi- 

 ment. The trial was made at 7 :21 a.m., April 

 5, with two balloons coupled together meas- 

 uring respectively 1.90 meters and 1.35 meters 

 in diameter. The balloons rapidly ascended, 

 quickly attained a very high altitude, and 

 disappeared in a south-southeast direction. 

 About 10 A.M. they descended at Waneennes, 

 a village some 113 kilometers from Brussels. 

 The altitude was about 15,000 meters, where 

 the atmospheric pressure as registered by an 

 aneroid barometer was only 86 millimeters. 

 During the trial the velocity of the wind on 

 land registered 2 meters per second and 10 

 meters in the upper air. The culminating 

 point of ascension was reached between 8:20 

 and 8 :26 a.m., but the lowest temperature 

 ( — 57.4°) was registered a little later, at 8:37 

 A.M., by 110 millimeters, barometric pressure. 

 The balloons passed through the same zone 

 of intense cold at 8:09 a.m. Temperature, 

 — 56° ; pressure, 104 millimeters. When the 

 balloons were sent up the relative degree of 

 atmospheric humidity was 80 per cent., but 

 rapidly diminished, and at 9 :13 a.m. descended 

 to 32 per cent. Small balloons sent up simul- 

 taneously with the two sounding balloons took 

 a direct easterly direction, one going as far 

 as Duren, Germany, a small town situated be- 

 tween Aix-la-Chapelle and Cologne, about 193 

 kilometers from Brussels. 



The London Times says : " Through the 

 courtesy of the president of the Iron and 

 Steel Institute (Mr. R. A. Hadfield) we are 

 enabled to refer to some of the arrangements 

 which have been made for the reception of 

 the American Society of Engineers on their 

 visit to this country in July. The executive 

 committee of the Iron and Steel Institute, 

 among whom are to be niunbered the presi- 

 dent. Sir James Kitson, Mr. Andrew Carnegie 

 and Sir Hugh Bell, may be trusted to show a 

 due appreciation of the very high altitudes 

 attained by American hospitality and a de- 

 termination that nothing shall be wanting in 

 a proper emulation of the exertions which 



