12 Scientific Intelligence. 
rector of the United States Geological Survey, promptly took up 
the matter and sent W. J. McGee, a geologist of the Survey, to 
personally examine the ground. At the request of the Survey 
the United States Signal Service also sent Professor T. C. Men- 
denhall, of their corps, a former resident of Japan and a member 
of the Seismological Society there. These observers spent a week 
in the vicinity of Charleston, and brought back many valuable 
data, besides a series of photographs of injured buildings and 
displaced monuments. A competent person was also left on the 
ground to continue their observations. 
A series of questions was promptly distributed through the 
public press and by special circular, and the personal letters 
received by the Geological Survey in reply already number sey- 
eral hundred and are still receiving additions. The Signal Service, 
through its observers, has a large amount of information which 
is also open to the Survey, while the other departments of the 
government, as the Hydrographic Office, the Light House Board, 
ete., have each contributed whatever information was in their 
hands. 
It will be seen therefore that the mass of information in regard 
to the Charleston Earthquake which is accumulating in the hands 
of the Geological Survey, both in amount, in careful detail, in 
number of contributors and in area covered, is likely to far surpass 
that gathered in respect to any previously studied ear thquake. Of 
course in such a mass of material, coming from all sorts of per- 
sons, much is included that. has little scientific value; but there 
are also many careful reports from competent scientific observers, 
and the results should be as good as can ordinarily be obtained 
from non-instrumental observations. Indeed the one thing to be 
regretted is, that the Earthquake Commission had not yet per- 
fected their plans for establishing a series of seismoscopes ; 
although it is doubtful if the area selected for them would have 
included the southern Atlantic States even if they had been ready 
for use. 
It will be evident, from what has been said, that much time and 
labor are needed to sift from such a coliection what is authentic 
and valuable and to collate and compare the records so obtained, 
before any attempt can be made to formulate results. On this 
work the Geological Survey is now engaged, certain of its mem- 
bers having occupied nearly all their time for the past three 
months in the clerical labor involved, but it will still take months 
of steady labor before the final results will be ready for publica- 
tion. 
Meantime some things have appeared in print which deserve 
mention here, although their full discussion must: be reserved for 
another time. In Science, No. 188, Sept. 10, 1886, a map of co- 
seismals, or lines of equal times, was published as prepared by 
Everett Hayden of the Geological Survey, which however can 
only be regarded as a first rough approximation. In the U.S. 
Monthly Weather Review for August, 1886, issued in October, 
