been considerably over 78 mph., and in a few hours was back at her hangar with no injury to personnel.

In May, 1924, the Shenandoah flew to Buffalo. On the return flight, thunderstorm conditions were encountered, as forecast, after dark. A large thunderstorm appeared which the ship quickly put in the rear, but two more large storms developed ahead. The ship successfully drove between these two storms and outdistanced them. Next morning she rode over a dense fog until she reached her hangar.

On August 8, 1924, the Shenandoah was successfully moored to the U. S. S. Patoka, the first time an airship was ever moored to a floating mast. On this day again, thunderstorms were expected, and sharp look-out was kept. Around noon cumulo-nimbus were sighted in the northwest and the clouds took on the aspect of a line squall. The ship immediately left her mast and subsequently encountered some very interesting cloud formations and air conditions in running southward along the Jersey coast to find an opening in the line squall which developed.

A few days later, on August 15, the Shenandoah flew several hundred miles to sea toward Bermuda on a scouting problem. On the return voyage a secondary disturbance which had not appeared on previous weather maps was encountered, and the ship's course was altered to avoid the worst of the wind and rain, based upon the information furnished by the meteorological officer aboard after a study of wind circulation and cloud forms.

The real assurance of the airworthiness of the Shenandoah was established by her behavior on the recent epochal trans-continental voyage to San Diego and the far Northwest. The choice of favorable weather conditions was made secondary to the desire to maintain schedule, and the ship flew several of the legs of this voyage under very adverse conditions. A meteorological officer was aboard continuously, and the meteorological information furnished was sufficient safeguard against the ship's undertaking the impossible. Her successful flight against fresh and strong head winds for a large part of the voyage and her admirable behavior in heavy storms, among them a snow storm in the mountains and a sandstorm at 7000 feet over the desert leaves no doubt of the fact that airships with proper meteorological advice can weather storms and gales and many times turn to favorable account air conditions which are unfavorable for surface ships.-F. W. R.

The Variation of the Wind With Height

By W. J. Humphreys

The speaker called attention first to the mathematical paper by Ekman, published in 1905, dealing with the effect of a steady wind on the movement of water.

This effect is to cause the surface water in mid-ocean to drift at an angle of forty-five degrees to the right (in the northern hemisphere, left in the southern) of the direction of the wind with reference to that drifting surface: and to cause each deeper and feebler layer to bear this same relation to the one next above it. He next showed that if the

air were initially at rest and a water or soil surface should be drawn along under it at a fixed speed and direction, that being the equivalent of a wind, the Ekman oceanographic equations could be applied directly to give the relation between surface winds and gradient winds, and also the change in direction and speed of the wind with height.

A non-mathematical proof of the general effects, equally applicable winds and ocean drifts, also was given.

The conclusion thus derived, although in some respects quite surprising, are in close accord with observations.—(Author's Abstract).

(This paper will be published in the Journal of the Franklin Institute).

Discussion-MR. H. H. CLAYTON said he was greatly impressed with the explanation given of the increase in wind from the surface to about 500 meters and the decrease above that level. Referring particularly to the increase, he had observed this work with kites many years ago and had found that it was decidedly more pronounced at night than during the day.

DR. HUMPHREYS, in reply, stated that the turbulence at night and in the early morning is of the frictional type, whereas that during the day, particularly in the afternoon, is largely thermal, and extends through a greater range of altitude, resulting in a more moderate rate of increase.

MEISINGER MEMORIAL

The latter part of the morning session of January 3rd was devoted to a resumé of Meisinger's contribution to Meteorology; to a consideration of some outstanding aerological problems that are recommended to students who may desire to compete for grants under the Meisinger Aerological Research Fund; and to a report of the purposes and present status of that Fund.

PROF. C. F. MARVIN reviewed briefly the circumstances leading up to Dr. Meisinger's decision to make meteorology his life work. During the war he served in the meteorological unit of the Signal Corps, and for a considerable period was stationed at Fort Omaha, where he qualified as a balloon pilot. He very soon developed a keen interest in the application of meteorology to aeronautics, and there welcomed an opportunity, which came in 1919, to enter the Weather Bureau and pursue special research along this line. Already possessing the requisite practical training and experience for this pursuit, he at once took up advanced work at George Washington University in order that his theoretical equipment, particularly in physics and mathematics, might be equally complete.

Within a few months after his entry into the Weather Bureau he became convinced that the crying need in meteorology, especially in forecasting, is the development of a method for accurately representing pressure distribution at selected levels in the free air. Synoptic charts at these upper levels would not only be of great aid in aviation, but more important still would show the intimate relations which undoubtedly exist between free-air movement and our day to day weather and

thus materially increase the accuracy of weather forecasting. The inaccuracy, as well as the inadequacy, of so-called sea level pressure charts was clearly recognized. Dr. Meisinger chose this big problem as his thesis for the Ph.D. degree. After an exhaustive examination of all available free-air data in this country he found that a close relation exists between the surface wind direction and the mean temperature of the air column up to 2 or 3 kilometers above the station, and he used this relation as the basis of a method for free-air pressure reduction which is described in detail in the Monthly Weather Review, Supplement 21. "It is a great piece of work and marks an epoch in the history of hypsometry."

Prof. Marvin paid eloquent tribute to Meisinger the man. "We all loved him, for he was a lovable man." The loss to meteorology is excessive, and the personal loss cannot be expressed.

DR. W. J. HUMPHREYS recalled the profound hush that settled over the Weather Bureau in Washington, when the news of Meisinger's death was first received-eloquent testimony to the high personal regard in which he was held by all of his associates. "He was full of human sympathy and his presence enlivened every assemblage." He excelled as a pianist, and had composed several pieces of merit. Reference was made to the pleasant "teacher and student relations" while Dr. Meisinger was taking advanced work in “Physics of the Air.”

In his scientific work he was extremely industrious and resourceful. He sought every bit of information on his specialty, thus piling up for himself a tremendous amount of tedious computation. Many very great difficulties were encountered and many perplexities arose as the work developed. The method must be made serviceable and this required the compilation of lengthy tables. Undaunted, he overcame every obstacle and completed what is undoubtedly a valuable contribution to science— one of real promise to the perplexing problems of weather forecasting. Unlike many students who turn from the subjects of their theses to other questions, Dr. Meisinger continued his investigations along the same line and was in fact engaged in securing additional data for them in the series of balloon flights which ended in his death.

As a part of the Meisinger Memorial Meeting, Mr. W. R. Gregg discussed some outstanding aerological problems.

Some Outstanding Aerological Problems

By W. R. Gregg

(This paper will be published in full in the Monthly Weather Review. A brief abstract follows.)

Nine problems are presented, as follows:

1. The diurnal variation of meteorological elements at different heights.

2. Winds and weather along airways.

3. The free air in thunderstorms.

7. The stratosphere.

8. The free air in cyclones and anticyclones.

9. Application of free-air data to forecasting.

Each problem is briefly discussed as to (a) what has already been done, and (b) the data now available for further studies. It is concluded that problems numbered 1 to 4, 8 and 9 can be taken up at once, data being sufficiently for valuable and quite complete discussions. No. 9 is considered most important because of the practical bearing of researches along this line.

Additional data are required before much can be done with problems numbered 5 to 7, although preliminary discussions of No. 5 would be well worth while and would form the groundwork for later investigations when more data have been secured. For No. 6 there is as yet practically no observational material. No. 7 has been very thoroughly discussed, and it is thought that further studies will add little to our knowledge of the subject until they can be based upon more complete and better distributed observations.

The problems presented are recommended to graduate students and others who aspire to compete for grants from the Meisinger Aerological Research Fund.

Discussion-MR. J. PATTERSON commented on the great difficulty of securing free-air data in the polar regions, but was glad to announce that stations are shortly to be opened in northern Canada at which observations would be made with pilot balloons. Referring to Mr. Gregg's statement that the Weather Bureau hopes to make a series of sounding balloon ascensions at 3 or 4 points in a north-south line from North Dakota to Texas, he (Mr. Patterson) felt sure he could promise that the Canadian Service would be able to extend that line northward very nearly to the Arctic Circle.

DR. W. J. HUMPHREYS remarked that a few sounding balloon observations have been made by Dr. G. C. Simpson in Antarctica.

MR. GREGG, in reply, was glad to learn that the Canadian Service would probably be able to make sounding balloon observations simultaneously with those made in the United States. Such a series, especially if it extended for a great distance along a meridian, would yield data of very great value. As to the soundings by Dr. Simpson, these gave interesting results. but were few in number, and unfortunately none of these reached the stratosphere.

The Meisinger Aerological Research Fund

DR. C. F. BROOKS outlined briefly the purpose of this Fund and reported the progress thus far made in raising it. Hardly less keen than the sense of personal loss, when news of Meisinger's death first reached him, was the feeling of regret that his work, so brilliantly begun, would never be completed. The question at once arose, "What can we do, that this work may be continued by others?" After thinking over various means, he concluded that an endowment fund for the award of prizes, scholarships, etc., offered the most promising possibilities. Accordingly

this proposal was made, was approved by the Council, and a campaign to raise the money was inaugurated last summer.

The response to the appeal for contributions has thus far been very encouraging, and the receipts now amount to slightly more than $1,000. There have been in all, 78 contributions, ranging from $1 to $100. Most of these came from members of the Society, but a few from outside friends and admirers of Dr. Meisinger. The Society itself has appropriated $100 toward the Fund, and there have been 3 other contributions of the same amount. A large proportion ranged from $5 to $10.

MR. W. R. GREGG expressed the utmost confidence that the goal set as a minimum, $2000, would be realized. He felt sure that all admirers of Dr. Meisinger's work and especially all who knew him personally would want to have a part in raising this Fund, whether it be $1, $5, $10, $25 or a larger amount, and he suggested that this was a particularly appropriate time for those to contribute who had not already done so. (In response to this appeal additional contributions totaling nearly $100 were received during the afternoon of this day.)

Professor G. O. Wiggin Retires

In the notice last month concerning changes in the Argentine Meteorological Service the wording should have been "Prof. G. O. Wiggin, retired" instead of "resigned.'

Prof. Wiggin went to Argentina when a lad of 16 as aid to his brother then engaged in surveying routes for the Argentine railways. He returned later as a student to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but was recalled to Argentina before graduating. He entered the service of the Argentine Government as astronomical assistant at the Cordova Observatory. Later he entered the Meteorological Service as Assistant Chief, and deserves much of the credit of bringing the Service to its present advanced position in meteorology, terrestrial magnetism and solar physics.

While Assistant Chief he was also Professor of Meteorology at the Agricultural College at Chacarita. After 35 years of active work in

the Government service he recently retired.-H. H. Clayton.

Colonel Malcolm H. Crump, Kentucky geologist, died on January 14, aged seventy-five years old. Col. Crump was an early member of the American Meteorological Society, and contributed at one time a paper on "Cave air versus torrid temperature," which was published in the BULLETIN of our Society, April, 1922, vol. 3, pp. 63-65.

As General Secretary for the next four years, Dr. W. J. HUMPHREYS, professor of meteorology at the U. S. Weather Bureau and the country's leading authority on the physics of the weather, was selected by the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.