reached, and the waters began to slowly recede. This stage of 38 feet was 8 feet above the danger line, and within 2.6 feet of the great high-water mark of June 27, 1844.

This flood, while, of course, much more destructive than that of 1844, did not by any means equal it in volume. In 1844 the lowlands were not occupied, there were no busy centers of industry at Armourdale, Argentine, and East St Louis, and consequently the damage done was relatively slight. The rainfall in 1844, however, was decidedly greater than in May, 1903, and there were no levees along the river to hold the waters. Yet with all bottom lands overflowed, a stage of 37 feet was reached at Kansas City on June 20 and of 41.4 feet at St Louis on June 27. At the same time the Illinois River was from 10 to 15 miles wide from La Salle to its mouth, and from Hardin down united with the Mississippi to form one continuous river. The consequence of an equal amount of rain during the present year and equally well distributed cannot be estimated with any degree of exactness. Nevertheless it is reasonably certain that several feet would have been added to the stage at St Louis, and that the entire city of East St Louis would have been totally sub

merged to a depth of at least 8 or 10 feet.

The annual rise of the Columbia River is always a subject of interest to the people of the north Pacific coast. This rise depends almost entirely upon the melting of the winter snows in the mountains, and there are at times wide divergences of opinion as to the probable extent of the rise and its effects upon the Willamette River at Portland, Oregon. In March of the present year the official in charge of the Weather Bureau office at Portland issued a bulletin on the subject, in which he stated that from the amount of snow then in the mountains a stage of 24 feet, or 9 feet above the danger line, would be reached at Portland about the middle of June. On June 13 the stage was 22.8 feet, with the Columbia still rising slowly.

Against such cataclysms as those at Pacolet and Heppner, flood warnings cannot avail. They are caused by torrential downpours upon extremely precipitous watersheds. Millions of tons of water are suddenly poured into a deep reservoir with but a single narrow avenue of escape. The results are then apparent, but they are beyond the province of human wisdom either to foresee or prevent.

TH

HE cabled reports tell of the continued activity of Mont Pelée in Martinique, of Colima in Mexico, and of Santa Maria in Guatemala. For a period now of eighteen months there have been unceasing volcanic disturbances in a belt extending east and west, from the west coast of Mexico to Martinique, and north and south, from central Mexico to Venezuela. Since January 1, 1902, this belt at some point or other along its length

has been constantly in a state of violent disturbance. The first disturbance occurred in January, 1902, when an earthquake destroyed Chilpancingo in Mexico, and caused the loss of thousands of lives. On April 18 Quesaltenango and other towns in Guatemala were likewise ruined and fearful destruction of life resulted. On May 8 occurred the eruptions of Mont Pelée and La Souffrière, numbering 35,000 victims. In November the Santa Maria volcano in Guate

mala erupted, and thousands of lives were destroyed. Early in 1903 Colima in Mexico erupted, and many more lives were lost. Since the eruption of Mont Pelée, on May 8, blasts even more terrific than the first fatal one have burst repeatedly from its mouth.*

We know that all these phenomena are related to each other in a general way, but what that relation is we are unable to explain. The Royal Society of England in 1902 sent two geologists to Martinique and St Vincent to study conditions there; the French Academy of Sciences did likewise; the National Geographic Society sent two eminent. American geologists, Prof. I. C. Russell, head of the department of geology, University of Michigan, and Robert T. Hill, of the U. S. Geological Survey, and one foreign-born geographer, C. E. Borchgrevink; Harvard University and the National Geographic Society jointly sent Dr T. A. Jaggar, of the Department of Geology of Harvard University; the American Museum of Natural History sent one geologist, Dr E. O. Hovey, who is still in the field, and Prof. Angelo Heilprin, of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, has made three separate trips to the same region. But each of these expeditions has observed and studied only one point in the region of volcanic disturbance, and that point on the extreme eastern end of the belt. No one has gone to Colima or Santa Maria, on the western end, the ashes from whose craters are different from the ashes from Mont Pelée and Souffrière. The conclusions of all these expeditions deal with one locality, with one point of weakness only. What is needed is a careful examination of all the principal points of disturbance on

*Consult "Mont Pelée and the Tragedy of Martinique," by Angelo Heilprin, pages 257270. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co.

1903.

the belt, Santa Maria in Guatemala, Colima in Mexico, etc., so that the phenomena at the various points on the belt may be carefully compared.

The trouble with all past investigations of volcanoes has been that the study has not been sufficiently complete and general. Krakatoa, Vesuvius, and Mauna Loa have each been examined and carefully watched by expert geologists and special commissions, but these investigations have been handicapped by being limited to a small area of activity. An opportunity like the present for studying active volcanic conditions, not at one point only, but at several connecting points extending over a wide region, has never before been presented.

A more comprehensive study of volcanic action will throw light on the forces writhing beneath the earth's crust. What is beneath the upper strata we do not know. By a systematic study of such a region as the volcanic belt of Central America great and invaluable information may be gained as to the origin and history of the earth.

But a far greater discovery may result from such investigation; it may be possible to foretell when volcanic disturbances are to occur, and thus to prevent such a series of catastrophes as have horrified mankind during the last eighteen months.

To carry out a careful and thorough study of this long volcanic belt would require probably less than $5,000, a mere trifle compared to the vast sums at present being expended to further exploration in the north and south polar regions. A wiser expenditure for scientific exploration could not be made, in view of our absolute ignorance today of the causes of volcanic action and the tremendous revelations that are possible from a comprehensive study of the extended region of present volcanic activity.

A

T a conference of representatives from the several Geographic Societies in the United States, held Saturday, June 20, 1903, in the American Geographical Society Building, 15 West Eighty-first street, New York city, to arrange for the meeting of the Eighth International Geographic Congress, to be held in this country in 1904, the organization of the Committee of Arrangements was perfected by the election of Prof. W J McGee, of the National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C., chairman, and Dr J. H. McCormick, secretary. It was formally voted to hold the Congress in Washington in September, 1904, adjourn ing to St Louis, Missouri, to meet in connection with the International Congress of Arts and Science. In addition to the formal sessions of the Congress in Washington, it is planned

to hold informal sessions or social meetings in other cities. After the final session in St Louis, a trip is planned to the City of Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone Park, and other points of interest to the members of the Congress. The following subcommittees were appointed: Program, Mr C. C. Adams, of the American Geographical Society; Exhibits, Mr. Henry G. Bryant, of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia; Invitations, Prof. A. L. Rotch, of the Appalachian Mountain Club; Transportation, Dr G. B. Shattuck, of the Geographic Society of Baltimore; Finance, Messrs C. J. Bell, David T. Day, and Jno. Joy Edson. The appointment of other committees was deferred till the next meeting of the Committee of Arrangements. A formal prospectus will be issued in a few days.

GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION IN EASTERN ASIA

CH

HINA, the land which so deeply interests us politically and commercially, has also its scientific interest. Geographically it is a region of great diversity of aspects-along the Hoangho and Yangtze having great flood plains, more extensive than those of the Mississippi; along portions of its coast. presenting bold promontories like the coast of the Pacific; throughout the central region exhibiting mountain ranges which the rivers traverse in deep canyons, and in its northwestern portion consisting of extensive plateaus and deserts, which extend to the heights of the Tibetan ranges. Geologically the rocks of China comprise representatives

of every known geological period, and the record of the earth's history appears to be as full and as interestingly exhibited in the Middle Kingdom as in the United States. It is natural that geographers and geologists should take a lively interest in exploration of any unknown country, but with reference to China their appetite has been whetted by the suggestions of explorers who have had opportunity to travel hastily, but rarely have been able to do more than glance at the problems which presented themselves.

The Carnegie Institution of Washington, recognizing that China is a rich field of investigation, has made a grant for exploration in eastern Asia, and plans have been developed, based upon the results of extensive researches car

ried out by Baron von Richthofen thirty years ago. The plans are comprehensive in purpose, including the study of the successions of rocks-that is, stratigraphy, the problems of structure involved in the mountains, and the history of mountain growth as expressed in the existing valleys and heights, and the paleontology of the various strata which may be encountered.

The party will consist of Mr Bailey Willis, geologist in charge, and Mr Eliot Blackwelder, paleontologist.

Mr Willis is a member of the National Geographic Society, and has been accredited its representative in China, with authority to make investigations on its behalf should opportunity occur.

These gentlemen will leave this country in July, and, proceeding by way of Europe, will confer with Baron Von Richthofen and other eminent European scientists. During the early part of September they will travel from St Petersburg to Peking by the Siberian Railway, and as soon as possible after their arrival in Peking will enter upon geological field work. The detail of operations during their sojourn in China depends upon conditions which can not now be exactly foreseen. It is expected that they will return to the United States in the summer of 1904.

long, 20 feet broad, and has a tonnage of about 48. She is provided with a small petroleum motor, and makes about four knots an hour. She will carry 30,000 liters of petroleum stored in iron vessels to serve for heating, cooking, and to furnish the motive power. The vessel will be provisioned for four or six years and carry a crew, with officers, of 8 men.

Mr Amundsen's instruments, which will serve for making both absolute and relative magnetic observations, were constructed and tested under the direction of Professor Neumayer while director of the "Deutsche Seewarte.'' His outfit also includes two sets of selfregistering instruments.

He proposes to start north during the early summer of this year, stopping at Godhavn, Greenland, for dogs.

From

His first base station will probably be in the vicinity of North Somerset, in Leopold Harbor, from which he hopes to send news of his work in 1904 by means of whale hunters. There he proposes to make absolute magnetic observations, and also operate his self-registering instruments for a time. this base station he likewise proposes to make sledge trips, on which magnetic observations will be made. In the summer of 1905 he may locate his base station on King William Island, and again set up his self-registering instruments. The following summer (1906) he will attempt to locate his base station at Herschel Island, and open communications with Fort McPherson, of the Hudson Bay Company. His return trip will be made by way of Bering Strait, and he proposes to stop at Sitka and make his final observations there at the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey magnetic observatory for the determination of instrumental constants.

Mr Amundsen thus contemplates making a complete and systematic magnetic survey of the region about the

magnetic pole, from which not only an accurate location of the magnetic pole may result, but other most important results will follow. The determination of the north magnetic pole by CaptainJames Clark Ross, in June, 1831, rested on a single determination. Owing to local. disturbances, which may be expected in that region, there is no telling how close his determination was to the actual magnetic pole. His position was on Boothia Felix, in north latitude 70° 05' 17" and west longitude 96° 45′ 48′′.

It is generally believed that the magnetic pole is subject to a fluctuation in its position, and it is hoped that Amundsen's work will throw some light upon the rate and direction of motion.

PORTO

nishing a market of a million dollars a month to the producers and merchants of the United States, and supplying nearly a million dollars' worth each month of tropical products required by the United States.

These figures of commerce between Porto Rico and the United States are in marked contrast with those of earlier years. In the fiscal year 1898, which immediately preceded the transfer of Porto Rico to the United States, the exports from the United States to that island were $1,505,946. In the next year they were $2,685,848; in 1900, $4,640.449; in 1901, $6,965,408; in 1902, $10,882,653, and in the year 1903 will be about $12,000,000. Thus the total shipments from the United States to Porto Rico for 1903 will be eight times as great as those of 1898, and six times as great as those of 1897. On the other hand, shipments from Porto Rico to the United States have grown from $2,414, 356, in 1898, to $8,378,766, in 1902, and