Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-06
A $4,000 PRIZE
Lord Rayleigh and Prof. Ramsay
Receive It.
THEY DISCOVERED TIE ELEMENT ARGON
Other Noted Scientists Receive the
Hodgkins Prizes.
A RRAY OF SAY Mt S

The committee of award for the Hodgkirs
prizes CT the Smithsonian Institution has
completed it's examination of the 21S pa
pers submitted IN competition by contest
ants from almost every quarter Of the
globe. The committee is composed of the
following members: DR.. G. Brown Goode,
appointed by the secretary Of the Smithson-
ian Institution; Assistant Surgeon General
John S. Billings. U.S.A., appointed by the
president of the National Academy OF
Sciences Prof. NJ w. Harrington, ap-
pointed by the president of the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science. A foreign advisory committee
composed of the late Prof. Huxley, NJ.
Jansen of the French Academy of Sciences
and Prof. Wilhelm Won Behold, director of
the German meteorological service, has
been consulted in connection with the
award of the prizes.
The committee of award announces today
the following decisions: First prize of &c.,
600 "for treatise embodyiag some new
and important discoveries in regard to the
nature or properties of atmospheric air, to
Lord Rayleigh of London, ana Prof VIM.
Ramsay of the University College, London,
for the discovery of arson, new element
of the atmosphere. The second prize OF
$1,000 is not awarded, owing to the failure
of any contestant to comply strictly with
the terms of the Offer The third prize of
$1,000. to DIR. Henry de Varigny of Paris
'Ifor the best popular treatise upon at1nos-
pheric air, its properties and rela tionsnip'
DR.. de Varigny's essay is entitled Il AIR
ct la Vie.'
Honorable Mention and Medals.
Honorable mention and silver medals We're
awarded to Mr.. A. L. Herrera and Dr.
vergafa Lopez of the National Museum
a. if,,Ia al
Bienstar del Hombre;;' C. L. Madsen, esq,
Villa Bregneheg, Helsngor, near Copen-
hagen, Denmark, '"rhermogesgraphical
Studes;' F. A. r. Russell, esq, vice presi-
Cent Of the Royal Meteorological Society
of Great Britain. 1.-The Atmosphere in Re
lation TO Human Life and Health"
Honorable mention and bronze medals
were awarded to DIR. Franz Oppanheimer
and DR.. Carl Oppenheimer Berlin ior an
article on "Ueber atmospheerische Luft,
thre Eigenschaften und ihren Zusammen-
hang mi. dem mensch-ichen Leben;" to
Mr.. Alexander Meade of the United States
weather bureau. who submitted essays en-
The known properties of atmospheric air
considered in their relationships to re-
search in every department of natural sci
ence and the importance of a study of the
atmosphere considered in view Of these re-
lationships; the proper direction of future
research In connection with the imperfec-
tons of our knowledge of atmospheric air,
and the conditions of that knowledge with
other sciences" DIR. o. Jesse of Berlin,
die leuchtenden Nachtwolken." Mr.. f.
Deberaux-Dex and Mr. Maurice Dibos OF
Rouen, France, "Etudes des courauss aer-
lens continenraux ct de leur ltilisation per
DIES aerostats long-courriers." Mr. Hiram
S. Maxim of Kent, England, Natural and
Artificial Flight" DR.. A. Loewy of Ber-
lin, Understandings uber dieResperation
und circulation under verdunnter und
verdichteter Sauerstoffarmer und sauer-
stoffreicher Luft."
Smart, U. S. A. for his essay on THE
Properties, Constitution and Impurities of
Atmospheric Air, in Relation to the Pro-
motion of Health and longevity DIR. A.
Marcuse of the Royal Observatory, Ber-
lin, Die Atmosphaerisehe Luft;" DR.. T:
j. B. Cordeiro U. S. N, "Hypsometry;"
DIR. A Magelssen of Christiana, Norway
''Ueber den Zusammenhang der Biolog-
ischen, Meteorologischen und Kosmischen
Erscheinungen."
Prof. C. Nees of the Polytechnic School,
Copenhagen, Denmark THE Use of Kites
and Chained Air Balloons for Observing
Bigelow Of the United States weather
bureau, Washington; Solar and Terres-
trial Magnetism and Their Relation to
Meteorology," E. C. c. Baly. Esq. of Uni
versity College, London; 'The Decomposi-
ton of the Two Constituents of the Atmos-
phere by Means Of the Passage of the
Electric Spark" DR.. F. Vault, Faculty of
Medicine, Bordeaux, France; "Decouverte
dune nouvelle ct importante propriete
physioligique de Fair atmospherique (ac-
ton hematogene de Fair raref1e; Prof. DR..
E. Gieseler Bonn, Germany, "Mittlere
Prof. Emile Daclsux of the French Insti-
tute, Paris, France, Sur Pactinametrie at
mospherique ct sur la constitution &C.
Yorkshire College. Leeds, England. "The
Air of Towns DR.. Ludwig 1losvay Won
Macy Ilosva, professor in the Royal Joseph
Polytechnic School. Budapest. Hungary
"Ueber den unmittelbar oXydirenden Be-
standtheil der Luft."
The HOdskins Prize.
The Hodgkins prize is the result of do
nation made in October. 1891. by Thomas
George Hodgkins Of Setauket, N. Y. The
donor specified that an income from a part
of this fund was to be devoted to the in
crease and diffusion Of more exact knowl-
edge in regard to the nature and proper
ties of atmospheric air in connection with
the welfare of man.
An announcement of the prizes which
were offered was made by the secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution on the 31st of
March, 1893, and it was required that those
treatses to the secretary of the Smithson-
ian before July l, 1881, except those in COM
petition for the first prize which might be
delayed until December 81, 1894.
The offer of a prize of this value excited
general interest throughout the civilized
world, and papers were received from
nearly all those who We're at all interested
in this branch of scientific research.
In the opinion of Mr.. Goode, the object
of the donor of this prize has been accom-
plished, as he desired to call the attention
of the scientific world to the subject of
atmospheric air, alb nut which he in COM
mon with others. believed that there was
a great deal of ignorance, both popular and
scientific.
1t is not likely that the income from this
fund will be expended exactly in this way
another year, but another method may be
adopted, which will accomplish the same
purpose. Great care was exercised by the
committee in the examination of the pa
pers, and the advice of eminent specialists
was secured upon number of the papers
submitted.
Wills Filed Today.