2.54 U. S. BUREAU OF MINF.S NOTES. [J. I?. I.

established at strategic points and enough. of the coal passing these points would be sampled, to determine whether the standard of. product is being maintained or not. That adequate sampling methods can be easily provided is obvious to anyo’ne familiar with smelter sampling in the western United States. This would give the consumer a means of knowing what he is buying, and, while it is not part of the plan, it seems probable that coal of guaranteed quality would sell at a sufficient premium to cover the cost of sampling.

Tunnel Atwosplzere.-The New York and New Jersey Vehicu- lar Tunnel Commission has asked the Bureau to undertake an investigation of the atmospheric co’nditions likely to exist in the tunnel under conditions of normal use, especially from the stand- point of the effect of the exhaust gases from motor vehicles. A series of road tests on 80 motor vehicles, bo4h passenger cars and trucks, is well advanced and chamber tests on human sub- jects in a chamber representing a section of the tunnel are about to be started. The road tests give results differing somewhat from the block tests, heretofore available, as might have been expected. Vehicular tunnels are being constructed in other cities and the results will be. of general service, as well as furnishing further data on the use of internal combustion engines underground.

Atomic Orientation. T. R. MERTON. (Phil. hlag., October, IgIg, p. 463.)-The atoms in a crystal are arranged in a regu- lar manner. Each atom has one or more electrons revolving about a nucleus at the centre. A line through this nucleus and perpendicular to the orbital plane is the axis of the atom. Are these atomic axes oriented in a regular manner within the crystal or are they pointed in all directions? A second question is this: If the crystal is radioactive does the direction in which the alpha and beta particles are thro\vn off bear some fixed relation to the atomic axis ?

To seek an answer to the two questions proposed the alpha ray activity was investigated from different faces of crystals of uranium nitrate. No difference was found. Thus either or both questions appear to have a negative answer.

G. 1;. s.