210 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 841 



and the Minister of Public Works, Senor 

 Eamos Nexia, has adopted a plan for making 

 surveys for the determination of artesian 

 water conditions along the lines of national 

 railways. He contemplates topographical and 

 geological surveys of a character similar to 

 those executed by the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey, from which he derived the initial sug- 

 gestion. He last summer applied to the TT. S. 

 government for the services of a geologist and 

 such assistants as he' might need, and our 

 government has responded cordially to that 

 request. Mr. Bailey Willis has accordingly 

 entered into a contract for the term of two 

 years, to execute topographical and geological 

 surveys for the specific purpose of ascertain- 

 ing artesian water possibilities in those dis- 

 tricts which the minister may designate. 

 With him are associated Mr. Chester W. 

 Washburne, of the U. S. Survey, Mr. J. E. 

 Pemberton, of Stanford University, and Mr. 

 Wellington D. Jones, of Chicago University, 

 as geologists, and Mr. C. L. Nelson and Mr. 

 W. B. Lewis, as topographers, and the party 

 sails shortly for Argentina to enter upon the 

 work. While these surveys have a specific 

 purpose, their possibilities of usefulness in 

 developing the natural resources and encour- 

 aging settlement in the regions surveyed will 

 not be overlooked, and the work will be founded 

 on these scientific studies, upon which alone 

 practical conclusions can safely rest. Thus it 

 is hoped that a definite contribution to knowl- 

 edge in geography and geology may be made. 

 It is desirable to point out that the Argen- 

 tine government has a geological survey which 

 has been in existence since 1903 in its present 

 organization and which dates back half a cen- 

 tury as a bureau of mines. It is under the 

 direction of Senor E. M. Hermitte, who is as- 

 sisted by Messrs. Bodenbender, Keidel and 

 Schiller, three German geologists who have 

 done excellent stratigraphic and parleontologic 

 work, particularly in districts of the central 

 Argentine Andes. They have unfortunately 

 not been supplied with maps. The established 

 Bureau of Mines, Geology and Hydrology is 

 under the minister of agriculture. The sur- 

 veys which are about to be made are under- 

 taken by the minister of public works. The 



two operations are thus officially distinct, but 

 it is hoped and anticipated that they may be 

 mutually helpful. 



THE ENOINEERINO BUILDING OF THE 

 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI 



The new $300,000 engineering building, and 

 the new $150,000 power plant of the Univer- 

 sity of Cincinnati are rapidly nearing com- 

 pletion. The engineering building is of re- 

 enforced concrete and stone, four stories in 

 height, built to accommodate five hundred 

 students, and inasmuch as the greater num- 

 ber will be cooperative students, the building 

 will accommodate one thousand. 



Among the main features of the building 

 will be a large laboratory 200 X 40 feet in 

 size. This laboratory will be surrounded by 

 balconies, which will give a much larger floor 

 space than is indicated by the dimensions of 

 the room itself. In addition to this there will 

 be a large general club room for the students 

 taking the regular engineering courses. There 

 will also be a large consulting library, solely 

 for the use of the College of Engineering. 



The building will be fire-proof throughout 

 and of the best possible construction. One 

 marked feature of the building will be the ab- 

 sence of a great mass of heavy machinery 

 which is usually found in engineering col- 

 leges. The students will possess the unique 

 advantage of having at their disposal the use 

 of the latest and most improved machinery in 

 all of the different manufacturing industries 

 having plants in the city of Cincinnati. They 

 will gain their knowledge of the different 

 operative processes at first hand in the great 

 manufacturing establishments, for which Cin- 

 cinnati is famous. This condition has per- 

 mitted the use of space which would have 

 otherwise been occupied by machinery for ex- 

 tensive scientific and research laboratories. 



The power plant is one of the most exten- 

 sive and thoroughly equipped in the country, 

 and has been built to meet the needs of a grow- 

 ing university for many years to come. It 

 will supply heat, light and power for all of the 

 different buildings of the university. 



One marked departure from the customary 

 arrangement of university buildings will be 



