War Minerals 61 



MINERALS AND GEMS * 

 Herbert P. Whitlock, Curator 



With a view to increasing the attractiveness of the Morgan 

 Collection of Minerals, several experiments were made in re- 

 mounting small sections of the collection, and a 



Mineral p i an f or t ^ e reinstallation of the entire collection 



Collection 



has been devised which it is believed will not 



only materially add to the effectiveness of what is undoubtedly 



the finest displayed series of minerals in America but will admit 



of an appreciable gain in available space for exhibition, thus 



allowing for the growth of the collection in all its elements. 



A small exhibit illustrating the relation of minerals to the 

 production of munitions of war has been installed in two cases 



of the A type in the Hall of Minerals. This 

 ^ ar . series, the assembling of which was begun in 



June, aims to visualize the steps in the develop- 

 ment of war munitions from the ore to the finished product 

 and to emphasize the need of establishing an adequate domes- 

 tic source of supply of the ores of the rarer metals. Through 

 the courtesy of a number of prominent manufacturing firms 

 producing war materials for the Government, it has been pos- 

 sible to supplement the display of ores with many examples of 

 such finished products as special steel alloys, armor plate, 

 graphite tools and appliances used in smelting and converting 

 metals, detonators, cartridges and bullets, sections of gun bar- 

 rels, etc. The exhibit has proved eminently successful in that 

 it has apparently been instrumental in bringing before the 

 public a phase of our war industry of considerable importance. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Charles Lanier there has been 

 deposited as a loan in the Morgan Hall of Gems an exquisite 

 example of modern art in carved chalcedony. This consists of 

 a graceful statuette eight inches in height carved from an un- 



* Under the Department of Mineralogy (see also pages 183 to 185). 



