Febecaby 27, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



359 



ors are ill with the fever. The epidemic is, 

 however, now abating. 



A CIVIL service examination will be held on 

 March 10 for the position of aid in the Divi- 

 sion of Mollusks, IJ. S. National Museum, 

 with a salary of $1,000. On April 7 and 8 

 there will be an examination to fill positions 

 as hydrographic aid in the TJ. S. Geological 

 Survey, at salaries of $65 and $70 a month. 

 It is stated that these appointees will be 

 eligible for future promotion as assistant en- 

 gineer after one or two years' service in the 

 field. 



We learn from the Electrical World that at 

 a meeting of the Fritz Memorial Committee, 

 held in New York on January 23, the an- 

 nouncement was made that the four national 

 engineering societies have appointed the fol- 

 lowing as their representatives on the board of 

 trustees of the Fritz Medal: American So- 

 ciety of Civil Engineers, J. James E. Croes, 

 New York, one-year term; Eobert Moore, two- 

 year term; Alfred Noble, New York, three- 

 year term; Charles Warren Hunt, New York, 

 four-year term. American Institute of Min- 

 ing Engineers, E. E. Olcott, New York, one- 

 year term; E. G. Spilsbury, New York, two- 

 year term; James Douglas, New York, three- 

 year term; Charles Kjrchhoff, New York, 

 four-year term. American Society of Me- 

 chanical Engineers, Gaetano Lanza, Boston, 

 Mass., one-year term; John E. Sweet, Syra- 

 cuse, N. Y., two-year term; Eobert W. Hunt, 

 Chicago, DL, three-year term; S. T. Wellman, 

 Cleveland, Ohio, four-year term. American 

 Institute of Electrical Engineers, Arthur E. 

 Kennelly, Cambridge, Mass., one-year term; 

 Carl Hering, Philadelphia, Pa., two-year term ; 

 Charles P. Steinmetz, Schenectady, three-year 

 term; Charles F. Scott, Pittsburgh, Pa., four- 

 year term. 



Commander W. H. H. Southerland, head 

 of the Hydrographic Office of the Navy De- 

 partment, contributes to the National Geo- 

 graphic Magazine for February an article 

 defining the work of this great geographic 

 bureau. At the present time the Hydro- 

 graphic Office has in its possession nearly 

 1,200 engraved chart plates and about 50 



photographic chart plates. These 1,250 plates 

 have all been constructed from the results of 

 original naval surveys; from geographical and 

 cartographical data reported by the command- 

 ing officers of vessels in the naval service; 

 from information collected by the branch 

 hydrographic offices from incoming mariners 

 of all nationalites, and also from the geo- 

 graphical information that comes into the 

 custody of the Navy Department through the 

 prosecution of surveys by foreign govern- 

 ments. These charts represent about one- 

 third of what are actually necessary for a 

 complete set of navigational charts of the 

 world for the use of the naval and shipping 

 interests of the United States. It must not 

 be understood, however, that if we were to 

 become possessed of engraved plates repre- 

 senting the charts now issued by all other 

 nations we would be able to produce naviga- 

 tional charts covering the world's entire water 

 area. Very much remains to be done before 

 the hydrographic features of the world can 

 be so chartered as to warrant the statement 

 that dangers to navigation due to lack of 

 knowledge of geographic positions and cor- 

 rect soundings have been reduced to a mini- 

 mum. There are numerous places in the West 

 Indies which we know to be inaccurately 

 charted, and this same statement applies to 

 locations in nearly all parts of the world. In 

 the North Pacific Ocean alone there are 

 thousands of reported dangers. Many of 

 these are probably either inaccurately located 

 or do not exist, but all the same they are a 

 hindrance to navigation through the anxiety 

 or loss of time which the fear of their pos- 

 sible existence causes to shipmasters. For- 

 tunately, little by little the national vessels 

 of the Great Powers are either accurately 

 locating or disproving the existence of many 

 of these. 



As a result of an investigation along the 

 Colorado Eiver, made in January, 1902, by 

 the hydrographic branch of the United States 

 Geological Survey, the extent of the alluvial 

 bottom land between Camp Mohave and Yuma 

 was found to be from 400,000 to 500,000 acres. 

 Extended surveys were begun November 1, 

 last, to determine the area and quality of these 



