Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 9.djvu/635

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SKETCH OF PROF. WILLIAM B. ROGERS.
609

He married, in 1849, a daughter of Hon. James Savage, of Boston, President of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and author of the "Genealogical Dictionary," and in 1873 removed to that city, where he has since resided. Here, although he early identified himself with the educational and public interests of the community, he did not relax his devotion to scientific labors, which were now, however, more largely directed to the department of experimental physics. Among his contributions to physics at this period may be mentioned a series of papers "On Binocular Vision, giving an Elaborate Analysis of the Phenomena, with some Important Additions to the Researches on this Subject of Wheatstone and Brewster;" "Experiments on Sonorous Flames," in which he described an apparatus for making visible the vibrations by rotating the flame; and "On the Formation of Rings of Air and Liquids"—all of which may be found in Silliman's Journal (1855-'60).

He also published, in the New Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, the results of continued observations on atmospheric ozone, and on the auroras of August and September, 1859 and 1860. As a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the Boston Society of Natural History, of the former of which he was for many years the corresponding secretary, Prof. Rogers took an active part in the discussions of the various scientific questions then rising into importance, and made contributions from time to time to their published proceedings. Among the communications to the American Academy we may note papers "On the Protozoic Age of Certain Rocks in Eastern Massachusetts;" "On the Actinism of the Electric Discharge in Vacuum Tubes," of which he exhibited numerous photographs, in connection with his paper on the improvements, by Mr. E. S. Ritchie, of the Ruhmkorff apparatus; and "Experiments disproving, by the Binocular Combination of Visual Spectra, Brewster's Theory of Successive Combination of Corresponding Points."

In the "Transactions of the Boston Society of Natural History" appeared, among other articles by Prof. Rogers, communications "On the Growth of Stalactites;" "Geological Relations of the New Red Sandstone of the Middle States to the Coal-Rocks of Eastern Virginia and North Carolina;" "On the Origin and Accumulation of the Protocarbonate of Iron in Coal-Measures;" "On the Natural Coke and Associated Igneous Rocks of Eastern Virginia;" and "On Pebbles in the Newport Conglomerate."

At the annual meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Prof. Rogers has been a frequent contributor, as well in the discussions of scientific questions as in the communication of original papers, which, however, in most cases, appear only by title in their "Transactions," or are to be found in other publications before mentioned.

In 1853 he removed to Boston, where he has since resided. At