REPORT OF THE STATE PALEONTOLOGIST I903 21 



Mr Duncan, by whose courtesy we were to be permitted to carry on 

 our examinations and collections during the sinking of th.e shaft. 

 Since the date of this arrangement Mr Duncan has retired from 

 the management of the company and comparatively little progress 

 has been made in carrying out the original plans for excavation. 

 Should, however, the undertaking be continued we expect to prose- 

 cute our examination as originally purposed. 



Proposed exhibit for the St Louis Exposition. At the request of the 

 state commission proposals have been made in various form for an 

 exhibition of the work of this department. The proposition which 

 has seemed to best meet the approbation of the commissioners in- 

 volves the exhibit of the slab of trails from the Potsdam sandstone, 

 already described, supplemented by a series of our publications. I 

 have been authorized to proceed with the preparation of this exhibit. 



Purchase of the Ruedemann collection. Previous to his appoint- 

 ment on the staff of this division Dr Ruedemann had brought to- 

 gether an interesting collection of Silurian fossils from this State, 

 in which was included the material utilized as the basis of his study 

 of the graptolites and Conularia. We have acquired this collection 

 by purchase and it constitutes one of the important acquisitions of 

 the year, its type specimens being both numerous and important. A 

 list of its contents is given in full among the accessions. 



Appointment of lithographer. By the death of Philip Ast, who 

 had been connected w^ith this department as lithographer for up- 

 ward of thirty years, it became necessary to fill the vacancy under 

 the civil service requirements. In due conformity therewith William 

 S. Barkentin has been appointed to the position. 



Present staff 



Permanent and temporary 

 John M. Clarke, state paleontologist 

 Rudolf Ruedemann, assistant state paleontologist 

 D. D. L.uther, field assistant 

 George S. Barkentin, draftsman 

 William S. Barkentin, lithographer 

 Jacob Van Deloo^ clerk 



