Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-16

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reached a position of eminence far beyond
what might be expected from the small
endowment which it possesses. 1t has,
/ moreover. on numerous occasions con-
Quoted in its initial stages scientific work
| that has proven to be Of great practical
| value. and when the experimental stage
was passed and their economic utility had
been demonstrated, the organizations and
results obtained were turned over to the
government Through one or another OF
| its agencies the name Smithsonian 1nst1-
| tuition has been brought to the attention
| of scientific workers in this country and
| in other lands. and those educated people
| generally who, though without special
training i'll science, desire to keep abreast
! of the progress of the world. IL mas
| abandoned projects which other institu-
| lions had undertaken, on the theory that
| there was plenty of work for all to do,
| and it has aided investigators throughout
| the United States, and, indeed. in foreign
| lands, as heartily as it has supported the
work of its own staff.
Objects of Foundation.
I'm other words. 1 feel that 1 have come
| to an establishment unselfish in its aims
and willing to help all men in the further
| ance of the objects for which it was
founded-an institution devoted fully to
| the progress and spread of knowledge in
every field without limitation to one
| branch of science or to all science, but
/ having within it's purvew the elevation OF
mankinu through the increase and spread
| of knowledge. The heads of the institution
| thus far have been specialists trained in
different branches of knowledge. Henry
| was a physicist, Baird was naturalist.
| Langley an astronomer and physicist.
| While they were carrying on the general
affairs of the institution each of these
| men pursued particular Investigations. No
one of them. however, allowed his judg-
ment to be biased by the limitations of his
own specially. l hope to follow in the
| footsteps of these men. In addition to
guiding the affairs of the institution.
expect to carry on research work in geol-
| ogy and paleontology. and to prepare
| some memoirs on these subjects which
occupied q large part of my life.y Such re-
search work produces a greater sympa-
thy and understanding of the special work
of others; as in the past, 1t will in no
| way tend to alter the universal chaFa cter
of the institution. or to limit my interest
| in all departments of research. =.
There are numerous projects actually
awaiting systematic development, which
from their nature might be advantage
ously conducted under the charge of the
institution; these include, among others,
the scientific exploration of large areas
of Central and South America, the in
vestigation of various problems connected
with the deposition of ores. Investigations
in regard to the production OIL petroleum
by artificial means; the study upon a large
scale of anthropological and chronological
problems having direct bearing on the
future American people. and the sys-
tematic study of earthquake phenomena.
With the consent, Of the rcEents have
rendered to the National Academy of
! Sciences and the American Association
| for the Advancement of Science office ac-
| cornmodations in the Smithsonian build
| ing. which have been accepted by the Of
| ficials of both of these important national
organizations. The institution continues
| its cooperation with the American His
| torical Association in accordance with
| the provisions of the act incorporating
that society. In ieneral l deem it one
| of the important functions of the institu-
| ton that it should freely place it's admin
| istrative machinery and opportunities at
the service of all the great national learn
| ed societies in the hope that the work of
| all of them will be aided and duplication
of labor and waste of energy avoided
Investigations During the Year.
! A number of special Investigations were
conducted during the year by men d.
rectly under the institution or in cooper
alton with it. Secretary Walcott himself
! spent last summer in British Columbia In
| special research work. He says:
| During the past twenty years I have
been studying the older sedimentary rocks
| of the North American continent from
Newfoundland to Alabama on the eastern
side and from southeastern California
to northern Montana on the western. In
| the interior. east of the Rocky mountains.
studies were carried on in Texas. South
Dakota. Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Three important sections remained to
be examined-one of the lower Cambrian
| in western Nevada. one in northern Mon
| tana, and another of the lower Paleozoic
rocks of the main range of the Rocky
| mountains in the vicinity of the Canadian
| Pacific railroad.
The latter was selected for examination
during the field season of 1907 Early in
July camp outfit was secured at Field,
| British Columbia, and work begun on
Mount Stephen. Subsequently sections
were studied and measured at Castle
mountain. west of Banff. Alberta. and on
Mount Bosworth. on the Continental di-
vide near Hector, British Columbia.
Upward of 10000 feet of strata were
| carefully examined and measured and col
| lections of fossils and rocks made from
many localities. 1t was found that the
Cambrian section included over 12.O0S feet
/ of sandstones. shales and limestoneS, and
! that the three great divisions of the Cam
brian-the lower. middle and upper-were
represented in the section of Bow river
series and the Castle mountain proup.
| Characteristic fossils were found in each
! division
Grants During the Year.
Among the grants during the year from
the Smithsonian and Hodgkins funds were
the following: To Mr.. c. w. Gilmore OF
the National Museum to conduct an ex.
| petition to Alaska for the collection OF
remains of large extinct vertebrates, par.
ticularly mammals. To Drs. David Starr
Jordan and J. c. Branner of Stanford
| University to make a study of UNIQUE
collection of peculiar fossil fishes un.
| earshed in Brazil. To DR.. George p Mer-
| rill. head of the department of geology
| OF the National Museum, to study the
| geologic origin of a large crater-like hole
half mile across and 800 feet deep al
Coone Butte, near Canyon Diablo, Arlz
| To Prof. Bailey Willis of the United
States geological survey. to study the dis
puted geologic origin of the European
Alps. To DIR. A. G. Webster of Clark Uni
| Versity. to study absolute measurements
of sound. To Prof. +. l.. Nichols of Cor.
nell. to study the properties of matter a
very low temperatures. To Mr.. C.. NJ
| Manly. associated with the late Secretar,
Langley in his flying machine work. t.
complete memoir on these experiments
To Mr.. Paul Brockett. assistant librarian
of the institution. to prepare bibliogra