I90 The American Geologist. ^^•"■'''> ^'-^^^ 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
Geogkai'ukj feoc'iKTv (»F Chicago. Professor F. R. 
Moulton of the University of Chicago gave an illustrated 
lecture before this society on January 13th. His subject 
was "What geography owes to astronomy. On February 
loth Professor R. D. Salisbury addressed the Society; his 
subject was "Western mountain scenery." 
Mr. C, W. Pdkington of Denver, accompanied by Mr. 
Sidney Paige, spent last summer in Alaska in an investiga- 
tion, for the U. S. Geological Survey, of the methods and 
costs of placer mining. The report on this subject has been 
nearly finished. One chapter of this report, dealing with 
roads and road building in Alaska, will soon be printed as 
a Senate document. Mr. Purington advocates the building 
of certain main government roads in Alaska, and he esti- 
mates that such roads can be built for from $1,200 to $3,000 
per mile, with a yearly cost for maintenance of $350 per 
mile. These figures are based on the cost of roads that 
have been built by the Canadian government. 
Geological So(^iety of Washington At the meeting 
of January nth the following program was presented: 
"Undulations of certain layers of the Lockport limestone," 
G. K. Gilbert; "The great fault of the Bitterroot moun- 
tains," Waldemar Lindgren ; "Artesian water in crystalline 
rocks," G. O. Smith ; "Some erratic boulders in middle Car- 
boniferous shale in Indian Territory," J. A. Taff. At the 
meeting of January 25th the following program was pre- 
sented : "Red beds of southwestern Colorado," Whitman 
Cross and Ernest Howe ; "Cause and periods of earthquakes 
in the New Madrid area, Mo. and Ark.," AI. L. Fuller; 
"Some crystalline rocks of the San Gabriel range, Califor- 
nia," Ralph Arnold and A. M. Strong; "The question of the 
origin of the natural mounds of Louisiana," A. C. Veatch. 
At the meeting of February 8th the following program was 
presented: "Xotes on the fossils of the Bahamas." W'm. 
H. Dall ; "Pre-cambrian rocks of the Franklin Furnace 
quadrangle," A. C. Spencer: "Consanguinity of the erup- 
tive rocks of Cripple Creek," L. C. Graton ; "The big sink 
on the Lucin route across Great Salt Lake," J. ]\f. Bout- 
well. 
Chicago Academy of Sciences. Profes.sor T. C. Cham- 
berlin has been re-elected president for the year 1905. 
Among the lectures for the winter course of this year are 
the following: "The Yellowstone National Park," Charles 
Truax ; "The devil fishes and their relatives." F. C. Baker; 
"The evolution of dogs and cats," S. W. \\^illiston. 
