36 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW HAVEN MEETING 



The years 1898-1899 saw the completion of two of his home geogra- 

 phies, with the collaboration of Prof. Frank Morton MeMurry, of Teach- 

 ers' College. Xew York city. In the summer of 1900 he was plunged 

 into grief by the sudden death of his infant son Shaler. named after his 

 friend and preceptor, Professor Shaler. 



The academic year 1901-1902 was spent in Europe on sabbatical leave. 

 The summer of 1901 was spent in Switzerland. He was back in this 

 country at Christmas to look after the publication of his geographies. 

 On January 7, 1902. he wrote from Ithaca : 



••I have my passage engaged for the 30th of January. I go directly to Italy, 

 where I shall stay till May. then go slowly northward, putting next summer 

 in the British Isles. - ' 



During the winter of 1902-1903 he prepared the Cape Ann shoreline 

 paper. In the summer of 1903 he was again at work on the glacial geol- 

 ogy of the Ithaca folio for the T. S. Geological Survey. 



In the spring of 1906 Tarr was made head of an independent depart- 

 ment of physical geography. He was now full professor of physical 

 geography and at the height of his powers. 



The summer of 1906 was again spent in Alaska. On the loth of Octo- 

 ber he wrote from Ithaca : 



••You will be interested to know that since last summer the Malaspiua gla- 

 cier has started a forward movement, which has so crevassed it that it is no 

 longer available as a highway of travel. This is true. also, of a number of 

 smaller glaciers in the bay. but not of all. Earthquake effect?" 



This suggestion of earthquake action grew later to form his theory of 

 acceleration under seismic motion, a real contribution to glacier physics. 



In the summer of 1909. conjointly with Prof. Lawrence Martin, Tan- 

 conducted to Alaska the first expedition of the Xational Geographic 

 Society, his second and last being that of 1911. In October, 1909, he 

 sailed for Europe, spendiDg the winter mainly in Berlin with Penck. 

 In the summer of 1910 he attended the Geological Congress at Stock- 

 holm, and was a member of the party to visit Spitzbergen, an opportu- 

 nity which he gladly embraced as a supplement to his studies of glaciers 

 in Greenland and Alaska. 



On returning to Cornell in the fall of 1911 he became charged with 

 the Cornell seismograph ie station and was about to enter the small list 

 of workers in this adjunct to geology when all his work was cut off. 



From this view of the life of Professor Tarr, seen at close range from 

 the predetermined vantage point of a college-mate, let us now step back 

 in order to take in perspective a wider survey of his professional career. 



