Vol.. 6, 1920 
REPORT OF THE AUTUMN MEETING 
43 
Rowland gives 180 lines of intensity 1 or higher, as due to iron. Both of 
these are from spectrograms having a scale of lA per milHmeter. 
The apparatus employed consists of a small 25,000 volt transformer with 
a mechanical rectifier to charge a glass plate condenser of 0.4 microfarad 
capacity. The condenser is discharged through a circuit consisting of a 
spark gap 2 cm. long, in series with which is a fine iron wire 5 cm. long and 
weighing about 2 mg. When the condenser discharges the wire explodes 
with a loud report and a brilliant flash of light, and if it is enclosed in a tube 
of wood having an internal diameter of 1 cm. or less, the continuous 
spectrum is observed on viewing the tube, end on. The average duration 
of the explosioti is of the order of 10 seconds, and ten explosions are 
sufficient to record a fully exposed spectrum of the X4000 region, using a 
grating spectrograph giving a dispersion of 6 A per millimeter. An ex- 
posure to the sun in this region requires V40 second, from which it follows 
that this new source of light is of the order of 100 times as bright as the 
sun. With a quartz spectrograph the ultra-violet region at X2300 (scale 
4 A per millimeter) is well recorded with 10 explosions, and the region at 
X3500 (scale 20 A per millimeter) with 1 or 2 explosions. 
A few trial exposures have been made using nickel, copper, and man- 
ganin wires. These indicate that with nickel, the spectrum is considerably 
brighter than with iron, while with copper it is much weaker. Manganin 
and iron give about the same intensity. 
With a larger condenser and higher voltage it is hoped that the bright- 
ness may be materially increased. 
REPORT OF THE AUTUMN MEETING 
Prejpared by the Homk Secretary 
The Autumn Meeting of the Academy was held at Yale University, 
New Haven, Ct., on November 10 and 11, 1919. 
Fifty-six members were in attendance, as follows: Messrs. C. G. Abbot, 
Bailey, Benedict, Boltwood, Bumstead, Cannon, Cattell, Chittenden, 
Cross, Cushing, Dana, Davenport, Davis, Day, Donaldson, Blkin, Flexner, 
Gomberg, Gooch, E. H. Hall, Harrison, Hastings, Henderson, Howard, 
Jennings, Johnson, Kasner, Leuschner, Lusk, Lyman, Mayor, Meltzer, 
Mendel, C. E. Mendenhall, Millikan, E. S. Morse, E. F. Nichols, A. A. 
Noyes, H. F. Osborn, T. B. Osborne, Parker, Pearl, Prudden, Russell, 
Schuchert, Setchell, Squier, Stratton, A. Trowbridge, Verrill, Walcott, 
Webster, H. S. White, Edmund B. Wilson, Edwin B. Wilson, R. W. Wood. 
BUSINESS SESSIONS 
The President announced the deaths of W. G. Farlow, elected to member- 
ship in the Academy in 1879; Joseph Barrell, elected in 1919; Lord Ray- 
