Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

JUNE 30, 1910.

Presiding officer ex officio.-WILLIAM H. TAFT, President of the United States. Chancellor.-MELVILLE W. FULLER, Chief Justice of the United States.

Members of the Institution:

WILLIAM H. TAFT, President of the United States.

JAMES S. SHERMAN, Vice President of the United States.
MELVILLE W. FULLER, Chief Justice of the United States.

PHILANDER C. KNOX, Secretary of State.

FRANKLIN MACVEAGH, Secretary of the Treasury.

JACOB M. DICKINSON, Secretary of War.
GEORGE W. WICKERSHAM, Attorney General.

FRANK H. HITCHCOCK, Postmaster General.

GEORGE VON L. MEYER, Secretary of the Navy.

RICHARD A. BAllinger, Secretary of the Interior.

JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture.

CHARLES NAGEL, Secretary of Commerce and Labor.

Regents of the Institution:

MELVILLE W. FULLER, Chief Justice of the United States, Chancellor.
JAMES S. SHERMAN, Vice President of the United States.

SHELBY M. CULLOM, Member of the Senate.

HENRY CABOT LODGE, Member of the Senate.

AUGUSTUS O. BACON, Member of the Senate.

JOHN DALZELL, Member of the House of Representatives.

JAMES R. MANN, Member of the House of Representatives.

WILLIAM M. HOWARD, Member of the House of Representatives.

JAMES B. ANGELL, citizen of Michigan.

ANDREW D. WHITE, citizen of New York.

JOHN B. HENDERSON, citizen of Washington, D. C.

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, citizen of Washington, D. C.

GEORGE GRAY, citizen of Delaware.

CHARLES F. CHOATE, Jr., citizen of Massachusetts.

Executive Committee.-J. B. HENDERSON, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, JOHN

DALZELL.

Secretary of the Institution.-CHARLES D. WALCOTT.

Assistant Secretary.-RICHARD RATHBUN.

Chief Clerk.-HARRY W. DORSEY.

Accountant and Disbursing Agent.-W. I. ADAMS.
Editor.-A. HOWARD CLARK.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Assistant Secretary in charge.-RICHARD RATHBUN.

Administrative Assistant.-W. DE C. RAVENEL.

Head Curators.-WILLIAM H. HOLMES, F. W. TRUE, G. P. MERRILL.
Curators.-R. S. BASSLER, A. HOWARD CLARK, F. W. CLARKE, F. V. COVILLE,
W. H. DALL, B. W. EVERMANN, J. M. FLINT, U. S. N. (retired), W. H.
HOLMES, WALTER HOUGH, L. O. HOWARD, ALES HRDLIČKA, GERRIT S.
MILLER, Jr., RICHARD RATHBUN, ROBERT RIDGWAY, LEONHARD STEJ NEGER,
CHARLES D. WALCOTT.

Associate Curators.-J. N. ROSE, DAVID WHITE.

Curator, National Gallery of Art.-W. H. HOLMES.

Chief of Correspondence and Documents.-RANDOLPH I. GEARE.
Superintendent of Construction and Labor.-J. S. GOLDSMITH.
Editor.-MARCUS BENJAMIN.

Photographer.-T. W. SMILLIE.

Registrar.-S. C. BROWN.

BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY.

Ethnologist in charge.-F. W. HODGE.

Ethnologists.-J. WALTER FEWKES, J. N. B. HEWITT, FRANCIS LA FLESCHE, TRUMAN MICHELSON, JAMES MOONEY, PAUL RADIN, MATILDA COXE STEVENSON, JOHN R. SWANTON.

Philologist.-FRANZ BOAS.

Editor.-JOSEPH G. GURLEY.

Illustrator.-DE LANCEY W. GILL.

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES.

Chief Clerk.-C. W. SHOEMAKER.

NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK.

Superintendent.-FRANK BAKER.

Assistant Superintendent.—A. B. BAKER.

ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY.

Director.-C. G. ABBOT.

Aid.-F. E. FOWLE, Jr.

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR THE UNITED STATES, INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE.

Assistunt in Charge.-L. C. GUNNELL.

REPORT

OF THE

SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

CHARLES D. WALCOTT,

FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1910.

To the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit a report showing the operations of the Institution during the year ending June 30, 1910, including the work placed under its direction by Congress in the United States National Museum, the Bureau of American Ethnology, the International Exchanges, the National Zoological Park, the Astrophysical Observatory, and the regional bureau of the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature.

In the body of this report there is given a general account of the affairs of the Institution, while the appendix presents more detailed statements by those in direct charge of the different branches of the work. Independently of this the operations of the National Museum and of the Bureau of American Ethnology are fully treated in separate volumes.

THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

THE ESTABLISHMENT.

By act of Congress approved August 10, 1846, the Smithsonian Institution was created an establishment. Its statutory members are "the President, the Vice-President, the Chief Justice, and the heads. of the executive departments."

THE BOARD OF REGENTS.

The Board of Regents consists of the Vice-President and the Chief Justice of the United States as ex officio members, three members of the Senate, three Members of the House of Representatives, and six citizens, "two of whom shall be resident in the city of Washington, and the other four shall be inhabitants of some State, but no two of them of the same State."

[blocks in formation]

There has been no change in the personnel of the Board since my last report, Representatives John Dalzell, James R. Mann, and William M. Howard; and Hon. John B. Henderson, and Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, whose terms of office expired during the year, having been reappointed as Regents.

Meetings of the Regents were held on December 14, 1909, and on February 10, 1910, the proceedings of which will be printed as customary in the annual report of the Board to Congress.

Although occurring a few days after the close of the fiscal year, I may properly record here the death on July 4, 1910, of the Chancellor of the Institution, Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice of the United States. Adequate reference to this sad event will be made in my next report to the Board.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.

I have called attention heretofore to the influence that the Smithsonian Institution has had in the development of science in this country. That its usefulness is not restricted to this country is constantly evidenced in many ways. But the achievements that the Institution might accomplish, and that the scientific world expects of it, and the general good that it might do in the promotion of the welfare of the human race, continues to be greatly limited by the lack of ample funds to carry forward worthy lines of exploration and research that are constantly being presented for consideration.

During the past year the Institution's activities have been increased to some degree by gifts for the promotion of certain special lines of study, particularly in biological research.

Among the important works that might be undertaken I would especially call attention to the great advantage to this country and to the world that would result from the establishment of a national seismological laboratory under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution.

IMPORTANCE OF A NATIONAL SEISMOLOGICAL LABORATORY.

NEED.

The immense destruction of life and property by certain large earthquakes emphasizes the importance of investigations which may lead to a reduction of the damage of future earthquakes. The science of seismology is in its infancy and it is not always evident what lines of investigation will yield the most important results, hence the importance of developing larger knowledge of seismology in all directions. As an example: It was not at all realized that the accurate surveys of the Coast and Geodetic Survey in California would demonstrate that the great earthquake there in 1906 was due to forces set up by slow movements of the land which have probably been going

on for a hundred years. We have learned that slow movements of the land must precede many large earthquakes, and monuments are now being set up in California to enable us to discover future movements of the land and thus to anticipate future earthquakes. This, I think, is the most important step so far taken toward the prediction of earthquakes.

COOPERATION.

Seismological work is too large to be prosecuted successfully by the universities, but requires some central office under government supervision to encourage theoretical and observational studies and to collect and study information from all available sources. The various departments of the Government could offer material help. The Weather Bureau could furnish information regarding felt shocks and could maintain seismographs at some of their stations. Postmasters throughout the country could also report felt earthquakes. The Coast and Geodetic Survey could maintain instruments and adapt their surveys and tidal observations to the detection of slow earth movements. The army could give information regarding earthquakes felt at their outlying posts, the navy regarding earthquakes felt at sea. The Geological Survey could furnish information regarding the geological structure of earthquake regions.

SEISMOLOGICAL CLEARING HOUSE AND FOREIGN COOPERATION.

The seismological laboratory would collect and study all this information. It would serve as a clearing house for the whole country. It would also be the link to connect seismological work in this country with the work done in other parts of the world. Its director should represent the United States in the International Seismological Association which this country has joined through the Department of State.

GOVERNMENT WORK IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

Germany, Italy, Hungary, Roumania, Bulgaria, and Japan have maintained for some years offices for the collection and study of earthquake material. Chile and Mexico have recently established them. The work in England is under the direction of the Royal Society. Many other countries maintain stations for seismological observations. This is the only important country subject to destructive earthquakes whose government does not support the study of earthquakes.

WORK OF THE LABORATORY.

1. Collection and study of all information regarding earthquakes in the United States and its possessions. The preparation of maps showing the distribution of earthquakes and their relation to geological structure.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »