June 17, 1887.J 



SCIElSfCE. 



587 



amplitude is to my mind incompatible with innumer- 

 able observations of what did not happen in Charles- 

 ton. I admit the difficulty of the problem, but 

 think it easier to account for large displacements by 

 successive movements of small amplitudes. 



I must also dissent from the opinion expressed as 

 to the value of stopped clocks as a means of deter- 

 mining the time of the wave-transit. Is it not likely 

 that most of the inconsistencies which appear on a 

 comparison of such data arose out of the fact that 

 many of the clocks were not correctly regulated to 

 75th meridian time, or that their errors were not 

 known ? The man whose clock or watch is ' just 

 right ' is met with at every turn, especially after an 

 earthquake ; but to most people this means that the 

 error is not greater than a minute or two. 



If all of the stopped clocks in the area disturbed 

 had been in exact agreement before the shock, I do 

 not think the errors would have been very great ; 

 except, perhaps, in the immediate vicinity of the 

 source. The stopping of all clocks at any consider- 

 able distance probably occurred at the transit of the 

 same great wave. Of course, a properly adjusted 

 seismoscope with a clock attached is infinitely better, 

 but I do not have great confidence in the ' observer 

 with watch in hand.' Most intelligent observers in 

 this country must be classed as inexperienced : the 

 watch is not generally in his hand until after he is 

 convinced that the something which has happened 

 is an earthquake, and then it is very likely to have a 

 large and unknown error. Should the disturbance 

 be so considerable as to threaten to be destructive, 

 the skill of the observer in ' measuring a part of 

 the shock and estimating the beginning ' is tolerably 

 certain to be overshadowed by his disposition to seek 

 a place of safety. The position and environment of 

 the observer at the time of the occurrence will 

 greatly influence the character of the phenomenon. 

 As an illustration, I may compare my own observa- 

 tions with those of Professor Newcomb, when the 

 Charleston earthquake was felt in Washington 

 City. 



I was seated in my library on the second floor of 

 a three-story brick building, about four squares from 

 the state, war, and navy building. As soon as the 

 disturbance was felt, the time was noted. In a mo- 

 ment the motion became very strong. My small 

 boy, who had been awakened out of a sound sleep, 

 rushed into the room ; and the family quickly de- 

 cided to do what it had often done before under such 

 circiimstances, and found its way to the street. By 

 the time this was accomplished all was quiet ; and in 

 two minutes from the beginning we were again seated 

 in the same room, discussing the shock. In a few 

 minutes, about five from the beginning, another 

 shock occurred, much less violent than the first. 



Professor Newcomb " observed a duration of per- 

 ceptible tremors, with two maxima lasting about five 

 and one-half minutes." 



There is, of course, no doubt but what these 

 tremors were felt, but it may be a question whether 

 they were prolonged vibrations of the building in 

 which Professor Newcomb was, or real earth-move- 

 ments. I am pretty sensitive to earthquakes, and I 

 can say with ceriainty that they were not felt by me 

 or by my family. 



Everybody, I am sure, will agree that it is highly 

 important to establish a large number of observing- 

 stations, equipped with the best instrumental ap- 

 pliances which can be obtained. Even so small a 



number as ten or twenty such stations, well distrib- 

 uted over the area disturbed by the Charleston 

 earthquake, would have put us a long way in ad- 

 vance of our present knowledge of seismology. It 

 is greatly to be hoped that the able and interesting 

 discussion of the subject, which Messrs. Button and 

 Hayden have evolved from the mass of observations 

 which they have gathered with so much industry, 

 will serve to direct the attention of intelligent people 

 to the importance of such a system of observing- 

 stations, and that in the near future the director of 

 the geological survey will be enabled to establish it. 



T. C. M. 

 Terre Haute, June 1. 



Museums of ethnology and their classification. 



The remarks of Dr. Boas and Professor Mason 

 on the classification of ethnological material raise 

 questions which miist occur to every one who has 

 before him unclassified material. As both views in- 

 clude a part of the truth, the decision on the course 

 to be adopted must depend iipon the amount of 

 material to be handled, the space available for its 

 exhibitien, and the purpose most at heart in the 

 organization of the museum considered as an agency 

 for effecting a purpose. 



The ideal way, if all circumstances were favor- 

 able, would be to have a double series, — one repre- 

 senting the culture of each people as an ethnic unit ; 

 and the other a comparative collection illustrating 

 the relations to a common standard of the items 

 making up each tribal aggregation. In ninety-nine 

 museums out of a hundred, this would be impracti- 

 cable, owing to the expense involved, the exhibition 

 space required, and the difficulty of obtaining suf- 

 ficient duplicate material for two series. The decis- 

 ion must therefore depend on the object to be at- 

 tained. Is this to show the manner in which tools, 

 weapons, dress, etc., have been elaborated, under 

 the operation of the environment, by the human 

 mind in varying stages of development, or is it 

 rather to convey to the observer the resultant of all 

 the forces acting in and on a comparable series of 

 ethnic types or units, each complete in itself ? In 

 either case the object is a worthy one, and to be 

 attained in its particular manner. Neither is likely 

 to be completely attained under the existing condi- 

 tions of museums in this or any other country ; but, 

 as attempted in different collections, we may regard 

 them as complementing each other. In the one 

 case, as very truly observed by Dr. Boas, we are 

 helped to a knowledge of what problems exist ; and 

 it is no little matter to have a rational sailing-direc- 

 tion over a trackless ocean, though the accurate 

 chart is still to be made. In the other, we have the 

 equivalent of the monographic study of the special- 

 ist who surveys in detail, and for all time, a gulf or 

 harbor forming a small part of the oceanic coast. 



To conclude, for the people at large and the 

 majority of those who profit by public museums, 

 I believe the greatest amount of satisfaction and 

 instruction is to be obtained rather from an ethnic 

 arrangement than from the organic method ; but 

 this is merely an expression of my individual prefer- 

 ence. Wm. H. Dall. 



Washington, D.C., June 4. 



Prof. Otis T. Mason's rejaly to my remarks on his 

 views of the methods of ethnology is mainly a justi- 



