The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-03-29

working sometimes 10 and 16 hours a
day. by the time he was ready &c
turn the superintendency over TO other
hands he had sunk the shafts deeper
than those of any other mine.
Agassiz had been president and di-
rector of the c. q III. and other mines
for many years. Upon his retirement
from the superintendency in 1869, he
went abroad To examine some of the
leading museums in Europe. In 1870
he was made assistant curator At
Cambridge. and i'm the same year the
alumni of Harvard selected him as one
of the overseers of that institution. In
1875, he surveyed Lake Titicaca in
Peru and subsequently conducted ex
plorations and scientific investigations
in the Hawaiian Islands, I'm Australia.
on the coral reefs of the West Indies
and i'm other parts of the world.
His Scientific Career.
Strictly speaking. Agassiz was a sell
enlist all his life. He never forgot the
legacy left him by his father, and his
boyhood's ambition was to follow him
in this work. 1t was his scientific
training and inclination which enabled
him to make the success OF the c. a.
II. mine that he did, but IT was not un-
I'll after he ceased the superintendent
cy of the mine, that his scientific ca
reer really began. In 1874, he became
curator of the Museum of Compare =
tive Zoology at Harvard, which ii ha1
been a part Of his father's duties to
create and to which he devoted the
most loving attention almost to the
very day of hiG death in December
1873. Alexander held the place for
years, and i'm recent years had been
director emeritus, which position LETT
him free from the responsibilities
which the curatorship carried with 1t.
OF his scientific prestige, Agasslz
was very proud. This was shown n
few years ago when he undertook one
of his largest deep sea expeditions IN
board the Albatross. Andrew Carne-
gle offered to advance $4,000 to help
finance the enterprise, on condition
that IL be known as the Carnegie en-
terprise. This offer was refused as
might be expected.
The winters from 1876 to 1881 were
spent by Agassiz i'm dredging in the
deep seas, the steamer Blake having
been placed at his disposal for this
purpose by the United States Coast
Survey.
During recent years Mr.. Agassiz had
devoted large portion of his time TO
the pursuit of natural science. 1t was
his custom to spend the time from
about october / until June of each
year on expeditions to the South sea-
on several of these trips he narrowly
escaped death. on one occasion a few
years ago his boat struck a submerged
wreck and was seriously disabled.
Authority on Natural Science.
In 1897 he spent five months i'm
scientific investigation Of the islands
along the Pacific coast and the great
barrier reef of Australia. For over
two months he was i'm the Fiji islands,
studying coral reefs. Eight years ago
he spent several weeks with party IN
the exploration of the Meldives, dur
ing which soundings were taken of the
various Iagoons. and the development
of the plateau on which the atolls OF
the Meldives were formed was deter
mined
Agassz was generally recognized as
an authority on all things pertaining
to natural science. He personally WIS.,
tied almost every portion of the globe
and was considered the greatest Amer
lean naturalist, being generally credit