342 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1027 



attend both congresses and at the same time 

 to visit the two California Expositions. 



The British Iron and Steel Institute has 

 been obliged to abandon the holding of its 

 proposed autumn meeting in Paris. 



In consequence of the war, the publication 

 of the British Pharmacopeia for 1914 has 

 been postponed. 



The State Geological Survey under the di- 

 rection of Professor Eussell D. George has 

 completed a series of contour and topographic 

 m^aps of Colorado which have been placed in 

 every library and school in the State. 



Messrs. William Wesley and Son, London, 

 have in view of the Napier tercentenary 

 issued a catalogue of astronomical, mathe- 

 matical and other tables. This catalogue in- 

 cludes upwards of 300 volumes, published from 

 the middle of the fifteenth century to the 

 present time. 



The European war has for the present, at 

 least, totally closed the European market to 

 American radium ores. As is well known, the 

 uranium ores of Colorado and Utah are sold 

 exclusively for their radium content, so little 

 use being known for the uranium that the ores 

 can not be sold for their content of that ele- 

 ment. The closure of the European market 

 leaves but one known buyer, so that while 

 the war lasts and probably for some time after- 

 wards the market will be restricted and with- 

 out the benefit of competition. Had the bills 

 introduced in Congress been passed, the 

 United States government would probably also 

 have been in the market as a buyer, and the 

 miner might have had at least the choice be- 

 tween two purchasers. 



The Bureau of Standards, Department of 

 Commerce, has published a circular contain- 

 ing suggestions as to location and equipment 

 of gas testing laboratories, a description of 

 some of the accepted forms of apparatus, 

 directions for the making of the various tests, 

 and recommendations as to the interpretation 

 of experimental results. It does not discuss 

 the testing work necessary for good works 

 control ; it deals rather with methods which are 

 intended for use in city or state official test- 

 ing or in works laboratories which are checked 



by city or state inspectors. No attempt is 

 made to fix on a single method to be used in 

 every case, for it is not believed that uniform- 

 ity of method is always necessary in order that 

 the results of tests be considered standard. In 

 each case as much freedom in choice of method 

 is allowed as seems permissible; but the 

 simplest procedure or apparatus with which 

 satisfactory results can be had is given pre- 

 ference. Great advantage will result to com- 

 panies and workmen alike by the general 

 ad9ption by the several states of a single stand- 

 ard set of safety rules, which can be revised 

 in accordance with the progress of the art 

 and the combined experience of aU the com- 

 panies and commissions of the country. Thus 

 will every state and every company secure the 

 advantage of the experience of all. What par- 

 ticular rules do not apply their omission wiU 

 of course cause no conflict in practise. If it is 

 necessary for any state commission to adopt 

 additional rules, that could be done at any 

 time by special orders. This would be easier 

 and less confusing than to have a different set 

 of rules for each separate state. Acknowledg- 

 ment is made of the cooperation by national 

 associations, state commissions, company offi- 

 cials, and individuals. The conclusions reached 

 by the Bureau of Standards from the com- 

 bined experience of many of the most experi- 

 enced companies and individual engineers and 

 a thorough study of a large amount of litera- 

 ture and statistics are now offered with the 

 hope that they will constitute a substantial 

 contribution to the widely evidenced public 

 need for a standard set of safety rules. It is 

 believed that a material reduction in present 

 life hazards to electrical workers may be real- 

 ized by the general adoption and use of these 

 rules. The study of life and property hazards 

 incident to the generation, distribution and use 

 of electrical energy includes the consideration 

 of both construction methods and operating 

 practise. Analysis of the available data on 

 electrical accidents demonstrates their pre- 

 ventability in very large proportion by use of 

 definite operating precautions. This is espe- 

 cially true with those accidents occurring to 

 workmen engaged in electrical work. Rules 



