Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-25
SMITHSONIAN REGENTS
ANNUAL MEETING OF BOARD
HELD TODAY.
Lengthy Report of Secretary Langley
Presented-Good Work for Years
Opportunities Offered.

The annual meeting of the board of
regents of the Smithsonian Institution was
held this morning at the institution. There
were present Mr.. Chief Justice Fuller the
chancellor of the institution, in the chair;
| Senator o. H. Plat, Senator F. NJ. Cock
rell. Robert Adams, jr.. Hugh A. Dins-
more. DR.. James 3. Angel, ex-Secretary
Richard Olney. Justice George Gray, ex-
Speaker John B. Henderson. DIR. A. Graham
Bell and Secretary Langley.
1t was announced that Dr. James B.
Angel president of the University of Mich
igan, whose term as regent had expired
had been reappointed by joint resolution of
Congress, approved by the President. Sec
rotary Langley presented his annual report
to the board. During the year three meet
ings of the board were held, one on Deem
Der s. 1903 the annual meeting on January
81 1904, and the meeting on March 7. 1904.
He pointed out that for more than half a
century the institution had been one of the
most important agencies In the intellectual
life of the American people, furnishing
center for workers In every department of
scientific and educational activity. and be-
ing the chief means for the exchange of
books. apparatus of research and of scien-
tific intelligence between this and other
countries During this time 1t had been in
constant cooperation with the United
States government. with public institutions
and with individuals in every enterprise.
scientific or educational, which needed it's
advice, support or aid. The secretary re-
ported concerning the removal OF the re-
mains of James Smithson from Genoa to
Washington, in charge OF DR.. Alexander
Graham Bell, representing the board of
regents, and detailed the ceremonies Incl
dent to the reception of the remains. The
Smithsonian building has. he said, been i'm
proved through the reconstruction Of the
large anthropological hall. which has been
painted and decorated, the plastering hav-
ing given away to such an extent as to
render the hall dangerous
The permanent fund stands at little less
than one million dollars. of which 1887. 900
is deposited in the United states Treasury.
The income of the institution proper for
the wear was S6S, 1856, and the congress
sional appropriation made to the institution
for the conduct of the international ex-
changes, the bureau of American ethnology,
the astrophysical observatory, the United
States National Museum and the National
Geological Park was S44o.40o.
Various researches have been carried on
during the year by scientihc men in diff
ferent parts of this country and Europe
under the Hodgkins and other funds. Doc
tor Carl Barus of Brown University, Pro-
violence. has continued his experiments on
the ionization and INDICATION of air. Doc
tor e. w. Scripture of Yale University. to
whom a grant was made for the construc-
ton of a vowel organ. has been prosecuting
his researches in Berlin. He expects to be
able to construct an organ which can sing
the novels, or a vowel register while at
tached to a pipe organ may be effectively
used in church music. A memoir has been
published by Doctor Victor Schumann of
Leipsic on the absorption and emission of
the gases of atmospheric air in the ultra
violet spectrum For this special ap-
paratus had been devised and constructed
by the author. Professor William Hallock
of Columbia University, New York. is con-
tinuing his studies on the composition of
vowel sounds. A memoir summarizing the
research of Doctor NJ. W.tTravers of Uni
versity College, Bristol. England, on the
attainment of very fow temperatures has
been published. Doctor e. Mascha has,
through Doctor r. Won LendenfeId of
Prague, submitted a study on the structure
of birds wing feathers. Professor A. H
Zahm of the Catholic University has con-
tin,led a series of experiments on the laws
of atmospheric resistance to moving bodies
and Mr.. Alexander Larson of Chicago has
been experimenting on lightning flashes and
fuorescence by means of simple me cha nism
adapted and arranged by himself
Renewal of Lease.
The lease for table at the Naples
geological station was renewed for three
years from January /, 1901. Prof ]. B.
Johnston, head of the department of zoolo-
gy in the University of West Virginia,
has occupied the Smithsonian table at
Naples for six months during the year.
Two expeditions were sent out during the
year, one III the middle of last May to
Alaska, under the direction of Mr.. A. G.
Maddren, to search for the remains OF the
mammoth and other large mammals which
have been reported as abundant in various
regions there. The other expedition was