Evening star., 1926-04-18
SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITIONS
UNRAVEL EARTH'S PROBLEMS
Scientists Go Half Around World to Coordinate
Studies of Mans Origin-Much Left to Be Done,
Says DIR. Walcott After 10 Years Work.

An expedition half around the world
to coordinate the studies OF mans
origin: an expedition to Baluchistan
and Africa to find a site for new
! solar observatory in order 10 further
the development of long-range weather
! f0recasting; expeditions to Europe, to
| the Canadian Rockies, to Tennessee,
| to the Grand Canyon, and to Florida
for the study of the earth's crust and
! the fossils contained therein; botanical
and geological trips 10 Brazil; also ex-
| petitions to Haiti for the study Of
| mammal bones. to China for the col
| lection of mammals, birds and insects,
| and to many corners of America for
| the study Of Indian tribes or evi-
dences Of their past-all of these were
included in the field of activities OF
the Smithsonian Institution In the
| fiscal year 1925. aS revealed by the i'll
stituticns annual Exploration Pamph-
! let. which is just off the press.
The Exploration Pamphlet reveals
the astonishing extent to which the
Smithsonian is aiding in unraveling
| the history of our earth and of the
| life upon it. Carried on annually for
| 80 years, the sum total of the results
| of these scientific expeditions Consti-
knowledge in nearly every branch Of
natural and physical science. The
| scope and continuity of the field work.
! however, Is sharply restricted by lack
! Of adequate funds, and the institu-
tons definite program of research ir
many lines is constantly handicapped
by the necessity of foregoing import
ant expeditions or of depending upon
cooperative arrangements with other
a gencies.
The past season is signalized in
Smithsonian history in that it saw the
completion of Secretary Walcott's 19
years of field work in the Canadian
Rockies. In spite of heavy SHOWS. Dr.,
Walcott collected a fine series of fos-
silS from critical horizons in the great
lower Paleozoic section north: of Bow
Valley.
Work Awaits Students.
In summing up his 10 years work
in the Rockies. DIR. Walcott says: "A
few Of the problems encountered have
been cleared up. but many remain to
be studied by young, well-trained men
with strong hearts. vigorous muscles,
and the high purpose of the research
student, seeking to discover the truth
regarding the development of the
North American Continent and of the
life of the waters in which the miles
in thickness of sands. clay and limey
muds accumulated during a period of
several million years of lower Paleo-
zoic time" DR.. Walcott expects next
year to transfer the scene of his geo
logical work to some locality in the
American Rockies.
Other expeditions for the study of
the earth's crust and OF fossils were
made by DR.. K. s. Bassler in Tennes-
see. by f. Il. Pohl in central New
York, by DIR. Charles f.. Resser in
Europe, by DIR. Charles w. Gilmore in
Arizona, and by Or. James w. Gidley
in Iowa, Florida and Oklahoma. DR.
Gilmore collected fossil footprints esti-
mated to be 25.000.000 years old in the
Grand Canyon. He says of them that
they are probably the best preserved
and most extensive series of Permian
footprints known anywhere in the
world.
The astrophysical expedition
financed by the National Geographic
Society for the selection of a
solar observatory site in the eastern
hemisphere is still in the field. Word
has just been received from DIR. Abbot
that he has decided upon Brukkaros
in what was formerly German South
west Africa, and is now building the
observatory. Daily measurements
of solar radiation from this station
will serve as a check on the two other
Smithsonian stations in California and
Chile, and decrease the error in the
daily values of the solar constant.
which. it is hoped, will eventually
make possible l0ag range weather for
casting.
War and Bandits Hinder Work.
Civil wars and bandits added to the
difficulties of the natural history ex-
plorations for the Smithsonian by Rev.
David c.. Graham in the province of
SZechwan, China. Nevertheless he
succeeded in reaching the top of
Washan Mountain. where he collected
some interesting specimens. Describ-
ing his experiences. he writes: 1T is
a sheer cliff several thousand feet
high. with only one road to the top
and back. The road made n
few circles. and soon | found myself
walking along the edge across the top
of that cliff. with only foot or more
of dirt and some small bushes between
me and the precipice. Later the road
leads long way on the edge of a
narrow ridge, on each side a sheer
precipice of thousands Of feet. In one
spot the path is about three feet wide.
and I think a little less. 1t took all
the grit I had to cross that place, and
I'd hate to attempt it in rainy weather
when the rocks are slippery. There is
one place which affords no foothold.
and the precipice is bridged by poles
placed side by side; under the bridge
is chasm that one does not like to
look at. To cap the climax, near the
TOP are long ladders"
From Mount Washan Mr.. Graham
turned his attention to Mount Omei,
one of the four sacred mountains of
China. Though he reached the top,
the temple priests forbade him to col.
lect specimens on the ground that
shooting there would cause some to
believe that the Buddhist priests were
insincere.
Exploration of certain caves in
Haiti containing fossil mammal bones
led DR.. Gerrit S. Miller. jr., to the
conclusion that the bones were of no
great geological antiquity, though
they include bones of animals now
extinct.
F'resh-water shrimps. which are be.
lieved to be able to travel considerable
distances over land when their parent
stream goes dry, were among the
finds made by DR.. Waldo L. Schmitt
in a study of the crustaceans of
Brazil. In the course of his work
under the first award by the Smith
sonian of the Walter Rathbone Ba-
con travelling scholarship, DR.. Schmitt
extended the range of a number of
specie@ of crustaceans and found a
couple of new species.
In his heredity experiments with
mollusks at the Carnegie Marine Bio
logical Station. Tortugas, Fla, DR..
Paul Bartseh continued his work on
he 1~AA1irrr rnF
bridization produced great diversity
and modification Of the internal an
atomy from the types planted, and
the results will soon be ready for pub
lication. DIR. Bartsch also exposed
I 6nn feet of moving nicture film I'M: