16 



SCIENCE 



[N. iS. Vol. XLIII. No. 1097 



ganie compounds, especially by means of nickel, 

 has been thoroughly elucidated by Professor Saba- 

 tier and his coworker, the Abbe Senderens. The 

 industrial application of the process to the unsatu- 

 rated acids of the oleic series has already acquired 

 considerable industrial importance. It gives me 

 great pleasure to announce the award, so well 

 earned by Professor Sabatier. 



The Hughes medal is awarded to Professor Paul 

 Lanvegin, who has made valuable contributions to 

 electrical science, both on the theoretical and ex- 

 perimental sides. He has found by experiment the 

 rate of recombination and the mobility of ions pro- 

 duced by different processes in gases at various 

 pressm'es, and he has made an exhaustive study of 

 the theoretical aspects of the interdiffusion of 

 gases and the mobility of ions. 



MEMORIAL TO JOHN WESLEY POWELL 



The Department of the Interior has com- 

 pleted, on the rim of the Grand Canyon, in 

 Arizona, a memorial to Major John Wesley- 

 Powell, the pioneer and distinguished man of 

 science who first explored the Grand Canyon. 

 The memorial is an altar decorated in Indian 

 imagery and supporting a bronze tablet, rest- 

 ing upon a pyramidal base of rough-hewn 

 stone. Fifteen steps lead from the west up to 

 the altar floor, from which one may gaze into 

 the very heart of the glowing mile-deep can- 

 yon. It is a structure worthy alike of the 

 rugged, forceful personality of the man and of 

 the titanic chasm which it overlooks. 



The spot chosen for the memorial is Sentinel 

 Point, a promontory south of the railway sta- 

 tion, which commands a particularly fine view 

 of the Granite Gorge and of the river, whose 

 unknown terrors of whirlpool and cataract the 

 Powell party braved in small open boats. The 

 structure, which is built of weathered lime- 

 stone from the neighborhood, has a rectangular 

 base 21 by 28 feet. The altar carries on its 

 east side a medallion portrait of Major Powell 

 in bronze bas-relief by Leila Usher and the 

 following inscription: 



Erected by the congress of the United States to 

 Maj. John Wesley Powell, first explorer of the 

 Grand Canyon, who descended the river with his 

 party in roWboats, traversing the gorge beneath 

 this point August 17, 1869, and again September 

 1, 1872. 



The general effect is unobtrusive, natural 

 and appropriate. A few small, gnarled trees 

 grow close by, but do not obstruct the view. 

 The structure stands back from the edge suffi- 

 ciently to permit visitors in considerable num- 

 bers to group themselves in front. 



The memorial was planned at the Interna- 

 tional Geological Congress of 1904 in recogni- 

 tion of Major Powell's distinguished services 

 as director of the United States Geological 

 Survey. In March, 1909, Congress appropri- 

 ated $5,000 for the purpose, " in recognition of 

 his distinguished public service as a soldier, 

 explorer and administrator of government 

 scientific work." Dr. H. W. Holmes chose the 

 site. 



The original plan was to make the memorial 

 a Roman chair facing the canyon. Last spring 

 Secretary Lane substituted an altar for the 

 chair, and Mark Daniels, then general superin- 

 tendent and landscape engineer of National 

 Parks, designed the structure as it stands 

 to-day. 



It was then late in July, and Mr. Walter 

 Ward, engineer of the Eeclamation Service, 

 had a difiicult task before him to find and hew 

 the rock and build the structure within the 

 slender appropriation. 



This memorial, so expressive of the spirit 

 and character of the man whose life work it 

 celebrates, and so admirably located, will be 

 formally dedicated early next summer. If, as 

 is expected. Congress meantime makes the 

 Grand Canyon a national park (it is a national 

 montunent now), the two dedications will take 

 place together, making a celebration altogether 

 notable in the history of national parks. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



Dr. Charles E. Van Hise, president of the 

 University of Wisconsin and previously pro- 

 fessor of geology, has been elected president 

 of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, in succession to Dr. W. W. 

 Campbell. The other officers elected at the 

 Columbus meeting of the association and an 

 accotmt of the proceedings wiU be found else- 

 where in the present issue of Science. 



