Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-07-12

nOn-n magnetic yacht Carnegie Is
| - completing great magnetic
! every of the ten departments now in operation
work is being carried forward, which. however
Impractical it may seem to the layman, will
as the foundation which will be built up some
useful invention or discovery which will intimately
affect the many million of the inhabitants o:
the earth.
| s''
Andrew Carnegie gave his first s1O.ooO,OOo for
the founding of the Institution 1902 The results
factory to his practical mind that he added
s1,O00O00 in 1907 Again in 1911 he substantially
signfied his pleasure with progress OF the work
by adding another $1OOOOOOo. In making this latter
gift he asked that one-half of the income from it for
fund to provide against losses emergencies.
lions of income and the diminishing purchasing
OF money He also declared that this would give the
institution time to study suggestions submitted
to it and permit it to avoid the danger Of premature
action holding that ideas ought to be tested on
small scale before going into them deeply.
One OF the departments of the institution is that
| OF botanical research. Few laymen may understand
what is meant when IT stated that definite prog
ress may be reported in the attainment Of expert
mental results concerning environmental
physical relations of plants and animals in the deter
minaton celebration Of photosynthetc and other pho-
tochemical activities Of plants in the co-ordi.
which establish some major concu-
sions as to cmatolos1cal history during recent time
and in the accomplishment of systematic observations
which yield conclusions or Importance to the origin
and fate of the plant population in the course of c-
matte alterations" but when 1t is stated that much
has been learned about the effect of surroundings
plants and the relations that exist between them and
animals, about how they bring forth each after ITS
| foT the past thousand years
yealed by the records written in the the
and died. it will be seen that the studies of the de-
partment botanical revealed many
secrets hitherto safely locked away from science
salton has afforded an attractive field for
the seeker after botanical truth six years The
effect of its gradual subsistence upon plant
been watched The original maximum depth Of 50
inches year. about one-third of which has e.
placed by inflowing water. Here conditions which
observed today and the resulting changes in plans
life following thus affording miniature repeo-
ducton of certain phases OF geologic history
San Francisco bay salt works the microorganisms
in the brine are being studied They have to live
ed water to that Of almost completely
ed salt solution. It has been found that they not
only change mode of living to meet these chang
ed conditions but their modes of reproduction we'll
The botanists are taking cross sections Of some
the oldest in the world and by studying their
rings are able to tell what sort OF climate existed
thousand measurements have been taken and from
it hoped that the story of the climate Of
cient America will accurately. These only
few of the activities of this important depart
ment The study Of plant heredty is being carried
forward. and new species are being established
The institution has department of economics and
sociology which is laboring to gather together all OF
the sociological and economic literature OF the country
In the department of experimental evolution one
finds in many ways the most remarkable work Of the
institution. 1t has been able produce two strains
tailless chicken, in which the results strik-
ingy like those in the Of the Florida manatee,
whose hind have ceased to exist in rudi
| mentary form connection with the Eugenics rec
ord office study has made Of epilepsy in
using as a basis over 2ss families with one or more
epileptics them. found that if both pa
rents without the character that make for
trail strength all the children lack it; but if both
rents possess and yet belong strains,
fourth of the children may be expected to be nez
vously undeveloped
There is series of islands off the coast Maine
where. owing to their isolation. consanguinous mar
frequent
have consented to assist the department in
investigation as to whether not such marriages
have been deleterous Little by little these intricate
investigations disclosing laws of heredlty
and revealing the secret of control that
defied the ages and one whose possession would
be of incalcuiable economic value to the
one of the most interesting lines of work UNDER
taken by the institution is that being carried forward
by the geophysic laboratory. When began its
it decided to attempt to devise Thermometer which
could measure the temperature of molten rock, and
also machine which could apply great
enough the laboratory Both ends.
and many others of equal Importance. have
been accomplished A gas thermometer was devils
ed, and number of such thermometers carried
to Hawaii and let down into the molten lava Of the
volcano F1lauea Three sets OF apparatus were de-
stroyed by the heat but finally the
the boiling point Fahrenheit The conclusion has
been reached that Of the vital questions about
the formation of the earth may yet be by
Oratory studies of the reactions going in the
ter of active volcano.
The department of historical research is engaged
in seeking and getting together the unwrittsn
history OF the United States and many important
contributions to American history already have re-
suited.
thousand mysteries are hidden in the life OF
sea, and their solution the department of ma
rne biology has addressed itself. A well equipped
laboratory has been established Tortugas island
and vessel for the needs of the work has been
built The department maintains its corps OF
workers, offers the facilities its command
visiting scientists Last year Prof. Uric Dahl
gren, Princeton, sent to Hampton Roads to
enable him collect young specimens of little den
izen of the deep known the star gazer,' the
which develop into electric capable
OF giving a shock These being studied in
the hope that lessons of electricity may be
learned.
During last year G. Harold Drew carried out
series of observations which said to justify tie
belief that probably has discovered Of the
most interesting yet revealed through study
Of oceanography. lie that abundant
bacillus, depths between ten fathoms the
of the water Of Jamaica and Tortugas is form
IL Ill