May 3, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



343 



We cannot enter into a detailed description of the worl< in the vari- 

 ous divisions of the geological branch of the survey which cover 

 extensive portions of the United States. Professor R. Pumpelly 

 continued his researches on the archasan geology of the New Eng- 

 land States ; IVIr. G. K. Gilbert, those on the Appalachian region. Of 

 considerable practical as well as scientific interest, are Professor 

 N. S. Shaler's researches on the swamps of the Atlantic coast. It is 

 estimated that there are loo.ooo square miles of coastal lands in the 

 country, which, subject to inundation by tidal and fluviatile waters, 

 are valueless in their present condition. It would appear, from the 

 experience of other countries, that, by the employment of proper 

 methods, these lands might be reclaimed, and rendered among the 

 most valuable of the agricultural lands of the United States. But 

 the relative altitude of land and sea is not constant : in some places 

 the ocean is encroaching upon the land, and elsewhere the land 

 is emerging from beneath the oceanic waters ; and even where the 

 level of the coastal land is stationary, the shores are undermined and 

 eaten away by the waves, and thus the sea gains upon the land in 

 another way. The examination of the causes of the changes of 

 coast-line must, in some cases, precede engineering operations for 

 reclaiming land. Connected with these questions of oscillation of 

 the land and the formation of coastal marshes, is that relating to 

 the origin and distribution of the bog ores, phosphatic beds, etc., 

 now in process of formation in the marshes of the Atlantic coast, 

 and embedded in the cenozoic formations thereof, constituting one 

 of the most important of the mineral resources of the Atlantic 

 States. 



Other important branches of the geologic division are the sur- 

 veys of the copper-bearing rocks of the Lake Superior region. Pro- 

 fessor T. C. Chamberlin's investigations on glacial geology, and the 

 various Western surveys. 



The present report is accompanied by a number of important 

 papers, each illustrative of another part of the work of the survey. 

 Professor T. C. Chamberlin treats the rock-scorings of the great ice 

 invasions; Mr. Joseph P. Iddings describes the structure and petro- 

 graphic character of Obsidian Cliff in the Yellowstone National 

 Park. The classification of the early Cambrian and the pre-Cam- 

 brian formations is the subject of a paper by Mr. R. D. Irving. Pro- 

 fessor William Morris Davis's paper on the structure of the triassic 

 formation of the Connecticut valley gives a preliminary sketch of 

 the work done by the archasan division, in charge of Professor R. 

 Pumpelly. The division of mining industries is represented by T. 

 M. Chatard's paper on salt-making processes in the United States. 



There are two geological monographs on limited areas : Mr. W. 

 J. M'Gee's description of the geology of the head of Chesapeake 

 Bay, and Professor N. S. Shaler's report on the geology of Martha's 

 Vineyard. After a survey of the Island of Nantucket, Professor 

 Shaler undertook an investigation of the Island of Martha's Vine- 

 yard, and the results of this work are embodied in the present 

 monograph. 



He found that the front of the ice during the last glacial period 

 remained for some time on the Island of Nantucket. After the 

 disappearance of the ice, the region was suddenly elevated above 

 the level of the sea, after having been depressed below its level 

 during the continuance of the glacial conditions. Since that time 

 it has undergone a depression of about twenty feet. From Pro- 

 fessor Shaler's investigation on Martha's Vineyard, it appears that 

 the tertiary beds of that island belong to a great delta deposit ac- 

 cumulated during the middle and later stages of the tertiary age; 

 they have been subjected to a considerable amount of dislocation 

 by the action of mountain-building forces ; they thus indicate the 

 action of these forces at a much later date than any for which they 

 have been observed elsewhere on the eastern shore of the continent. 

 Among the interesting studies incident to this inquiry is that of a 

 bowlder tram originating in a hill having a diameter transverse to 

 the motion of the ice of less than one thousand feet. Professor 

 Shaler found that it has a fan-like shape ; being, at a distance of 

 fifteen miles from the point of origin, not less than eighteen thousand 

 feet in width. 



The report is printed and illustrated as beautifully as all the pre- 

 ceding reports. In the brief space allotted to us we can do no 

 more than call attention to some of the important contributions 

 contained in it. The fortunate combination of work that is of sci- 



entific and economic value, which is characteristic of our Geologi- 

 cal Survey, cannot fail to bring home to the minds of the people the 

 necessity of work of this kind and its eminent usefulness to the 

 public good. 



TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NEW JERSEY 

 STATE BOARD OF HEALTH. 



In addition to thevaluable and suggestive report of the secretary. 

 Dr. E. M. Hunt, this volume contains the following articles : I. 

 " The Sanitary Necessity for the Control of the Construction of 

 Dwellings," by Henry Mitchell, M.D. In support of the ground 

 which he takes, that there is such a necessity, the writer refers to 

 the fact, that, of two hundred houses examined in Chicago in which 

 diphtheria existed, but four were perfect in their sanitary arrange- 

 ments. The same has been found true in other cities. He claims, 

 that, by the loss of life in New Jersey from diseases which are 

 preventable, the State loses annually §5,576,000 ; if consumption 

 is added to this list, the amount would reach $12,000,000. A satis- 

 factory organization for health-protection could be made at an 

 expense of fifty cents per capita of the population. II. " Our Chari- 

 table and Penal Institutions," by Ezra M. Hunt, M.D. In this paper 

 Dr. Hunt describes the condition of the almshouses, jails, etc., of 

 the State, and makes suggestions for their improvement. III. 

 " Water-Supply from Wells, in its Relation to Health," by Francis 

 A. Wilber, M.D. The writer of this paper discusses (i) the source 

 of supply of well-water; (2) its collection ; (3) the sources of its im- 

 purities ; (4) nature's means for removing such impurities, and the 

 failure of these means ; (5) the relation between these impurities 

 and public health. He says that absolutely pure water is one of 

 the greatest luxuries of modern life ; and nothing in our modern 

 civilization marks more strongly public enlightenment in matters 

 of health than does the interest now being taken in the subject of 

 water-supply for towns and cities. IV. " Ice as a Source o£ 

 Disease," by William K. Newton, M.D. Several instances are 

 given in which ice was the cause of sickness. Dr. Newton says 

 that it has been abundantly proved that the use of ice cut from 

 streams, ponds, or lakes polluted by sewage or organic refuse of 

 any kind, is dangerous to health. V. "The Water-Supplies of 

 New Jersey," by A. Clark Hunt, M.D. In this paper the writer 

 gives the population of the principal towns and cities of the State, 

 the number of houses contained therein, the source of the water- 

 supply, the size of the reservoirs and of the water-pipes, the daily 

 consumption and the character of the water. VI. " Diseases of 

 Workers in Textile goods," by Drs. J. W. Stickler and J. B. 

 Stubbart, and Mr. F. B. Lane. This is a continuation of the in- 

 quiry into State industries, which has been carried on by the State- 

 board for a number of years, to the value of which we have fre- 

 quently referred. 



The secretary, in an introduction, well says that it is the high 

 duty of the State to see to it that those upon whom it must depend 

 for productive labor are enabled to pursue that labor without undue 

 peril to health and life : hence all machinery should be properly 

 guarded, all factories should be examined by those expert in detect- 

 ing the causes of ill health or undue exposure, and those of younger 

 age should be protected from kinds and degrees of work unfavor- 

 able to full development and to proper schooling. As a result of 

 the inquiry into the health of those who work in woollen goods, 

 the reporters say, that while there is a slight tendency to bronchitis, 

 catarrh, and rheumatism, workers in wool are to be congratulated 

 on having an occupation which is not necessarily unsafe or un- 

 healthy. They say, however, that there is need of more care as to- 

 dust. Workers in cotton suffer from diseased conditions much 

 more than workers in wool, owing to the large amount of dust and 

 the overheated rooms. Of 72 employees engaged in this work, 11 

 had catarrh ; 7, headache ; 8, rheumatism ; 4, malaria ; 2, bron- 

 chitis ; 3, sore eyes; 3, sore throat; i, pneumonia. Rheumatism 

 and catarrh are the prevailing deseases. VII. " Means for Pre- 

 venting the Spread of Contagious Diseases in Cities," by J. C. 

 Bayles, JSI.E., president of the New York Health Department. This 

 paper describes the methods and appliances employed by the New 

 York department, including the three hospitals for the care of con- 

 tagious diseases, and the disinfecting plant. D. C. English, M.D., 



