August 9, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



213 



shown tlirougliont his career, was thus 

 recognized by Superintendent A. D. Bache 

 at an early day. This assignment was 

 most fortunate for the interest of science 

 in general and particularly so for the ad- 

 vancement of the work undertaken by the 

 Survey. In the Computing Division the 

 fundamental data obtained in the field is 

 digested and discussed for publication and 

 this data, after passing through the Division, 

 furnishes the foundation upon which the 

 work of the Survey is built up. A wonder- 

 ful opportunity was thus otfered to a man 

 capable of distinguishing himself, and this 

 opportunity was seized by Mr. Schott and 

 utilized to the fullest extent. The results 

 of his painstaking labor are shown in the 

 numerous publications bearing his name in 

 the annual reports of the Superintendent 

 and in scientific journals. 



Mr. Schott's regular duties in the ofiice 

 were interrupted from time to time by 

 assignments to special duty in the field. 

 As early as 1855 the records show that he 

 was in charge of the magnetic work of the 

 survey and in 1863, during the time of the 

 national peril, he was engaged in surveying 

 the defences of Washington. In 1869 he 

 took a party to Illinois to observe the total 

 eclipse of the sun and in 1870 went to Ca- 

 tania, Sicily, as a member of the Superin- 

 tendent's party to observe an eclipse of the 

 sun. At various times during the absence 

 of the assistant in charge of the Survey 

 Ofiice, he acted in his place. 



Mr. Schott continued in charge of the 

 Computing Division until December 31, 

 1899, and on January 1, 1900, was relieved 

 of this duty and assigned to the discussion 

 of the arc measurements in the IJnited 

 States resulting from the extension triangu- 

 lation already executed by the different 

 organizations engaged in survey work. All 

 the available triangulation of a sufiicient 

 degree of accuracy is utilized in these dis- 

 cussions. ' The Transcontinental Triangu- 



lation and American Arc of the Parallel,' 

 has already appeared as Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey Special Publications No. 4, and 

 ' The Eastern Oblique Arc of the United 

 States ' is now ready for the printer. The 

 discussion of an oblique arc in California 

 was far advanced before Mr. Schott's health 

 failed and will bear the mark of his genius 

 when it finally appears in print. 



It is impracticable to give a resume of Mr. 

 Schott's work in the survey at this time 

 and reference can only be made to the 

 ' Annual Eeports ' of the survey covering 

 the years of his services for the innumerable 

 results of his labor. 



The following extract from Science of 

 January 12, 1900, is a fitting tribute to Mr. 

 Schott's work as Chief of the Computing 

 Division. 



With the close of the year, assistant Charles A. 

 Schott, who for nearly fifty years has been the dis- 

 tinguished and energetic chief of the Computing Di- 

 vision of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, retired from 

 that important position in order to devote his whole 

 time to special scientific work. 



Under Mr. Schott's careful supervision and train- 

 ing has developed a corps of skilled computers 

 equalled by no other scientific bureau. To his labors, 

 perhaps more than to any other one man's, is due the 

 high scientific character of the results which the 

 Survey has given to the world. The completion last 

 year of the great arc, begun over a quarter of a cen- 

 tury ago, marks an epoch in the history of the Di- 

 vision, and the beginning of the triangulation on the 

 98th meridian would seem to be a fitting occasion for 

 relieving Mr. Schott of the burden he has borne for so 

 many years. 



His ofiicial career has been coincident with the de- 

 velopment of the Survey, and his untiring zeal and 

 fidelity have done much to bring about its present 

 standard. 



In 1898 Mr. Schott attended the ' Inter- 

 national Conference on Terrestrial Magne- 

 tism ' held in Bristol, England, as the rep- 

 resentative of the United States Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey. 



He took part in the discussion, and his 

 proposal that a permanent magnetic observ- 

 atory should be maintained for a series of 



