224 



SCIENCE. 



[X. S. Vol. XVUI. No. 450. 



gaged in Alaskan investigations for tlie last six 

 years, during which time he has made many 

 extensive journeys in the territory. He has 

 had administrative control of the geologic 

 work in Alaska for the last two years, and 

 will now combine with this the charge of the 

 topographic work. He leaves Washington 

 about July 20, for an extended tour in Alaska, 

 and will visit a number of the important rain- 

 ing districts in which investigations are being 

 carried on. 



The Deutsche Industrie Zeitung, as ab- 

 stracted in the Consular Eeports, says that 

 of all the countries producing steel in 1902 

 the United States led, with an output of 15,- 

 000,000 tons. These figures grow in impor- 

 ' tance when it is remembered that the world's 

 production in 1894 was only 12,851,000 tons. 

 Germany's production in 1902 was 7,780,000 

 tons, one-half that of the United States; 

 while England's was only 5,000,000 tons, or 

 one-third the production of the United States. 

 The world's total steel output for 1902 was 

 estimated at 35,000,000 tons. This would in- 

 dicate a growth of 700 per cent, in twenty-two 

 years, or an increase from a little more than 

 4,000,000 tons in 1880 to 35,000,000 tons in 

 1902. The great increase is due to the intro- 

 duction and improvement of the processes, 

 notably the flame furnace. Pennsylvania 

 leads all parts of the world in the use of this 

 furnace, followed by Illinois, New England, 

 Ohio, etc. The steel produced by the Besse- 

 mer process during the last fifteen years was 

 used mostly for rails. In England more than 

 half of the steel produced by the Bessemer 

 process went into rails. In Germany and 

 the United States the proportion is not so 

 large. While the United States produced 

 9,306,471 tons of steel ingots in 1902, it tui-ned 

 out only 2,876,293 tons of steel rails, or about 

 30 per cent, of the steel-ingot production. In 

 Germany the amount of Bessemer steel put 

 into rails is proportionately smaller. Because 

 of the resisting power of the steel, the wear 

 and tear on the rails is far less ; but the mani- 

 fold uses to which the steel can be put has 

 taken away somewhat from the importance 

 of steel-rail manufacture. The last twenty 



years has resulted in an age of steel. Three 

 times as much steel is now produced as in 

 1894. The universal opinion seems to be that 

 the production of steel is to go on increasing. 

 If, during the next twenty years, the same 

 rate of increase is maintained as marked the 

 past, 1923 wiU see an advance of from 20,- 

 000,000 to 25,000,000 tons in the world's total 

 production. In this enormous increase the 

 United States, according to esijerts, is to play 

 the important part. At the very least, this 

 opinion seems reasonable. The United States 

 now uses in a year 30,000,000 tons of the very 

 best iron ore. In twenty years this would 

 mean a total of 600,000,000 tons — possibly the 

 exhaustion of the sources of supply. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 

 The grounds of Clark University, Wor- 

 cester, are to be surrounded by an ornamental 

 wrought iron fence, estimated to cost at least 

 $30,000, to be given by Mrs. Susan W. Clark, 

 widow of the founder of the university. 



The London County Council has resolved, 

 subject to certain conditions, to contribute 

 £20,000 a year for the maintenance of the new 

 Institute of Technology which it is proposed 

 to establish in connection with the University 

 of London. 



The University of St. Andrews has estab- 

 lished a lectureship in geology with a salary 

 of £300, the appointment to which will be 

 made in September. 



Dr. Charles S. Howe, professor of mathe- 

 matics and astronomy in Case School of Ap- 

 plied Science, has been elected president. 



Professor Kendrick C. Babcock, assistant 

 professor of history at the University of Cali- 

 fornia, has been offered the presidency of the 

 University of Arizona. 



Professor J. A. Ewing has resigned his 

 chair of applied mechanics at Cambridge Uni- 

 versity which he has held since 1890. 



Dr. Sievers has been promoted to a newly- 

 established chair of geography at the Univer- 

 sity of Giessen. 



