Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-12-03
Survey of the Territories.

States geological survey of the terri
tories, DIR. F. V. Hayden in charge
have returned from the field and will
at once begin the working up of the
materials gathered during four months
active operations. The entire force was
divided into seven field parties, and in
general the area covered during this
season was west of that of last year.
The Northern or upper division, in
| charge of Mr.. Marvin, embraced six
| thousand square miles in Colorado,
along the White river, west of the
north park and between the 107th and
and 109th degrees west longitude. The
Middle division, under Mr.. Gannett,
covered five thousand square miles Iy-
ing in Western Colorado, between the
Gunnison and Grand rivers.
The South or lower division, under
Mr.. Wilson, covered an area of six
thousand square miles Immediately
south.
The aggregate work of these parties
thus reached seventeen thousand square
miles. The general Typographical and
geological features of the three areas
were as follows: The upper was rugged,
broken by the lofty Blue river noun
tains and generally comprised high
plateaus. Basaltic rock prevailed. A
great deal of Ignite coal of superior
quality was also discovered. The Mid
die division was furrowed with deep
canons, on either side of which reared
the high spurs of the Sahwatche and
Buckskin range and some of the north
ern spurs of the Uncompahgre group
and the famous park of that name.
This il the chief hunting ground of the
Ute Indians. The South division in
cluded the Uncompahgre group, the
highest peaks in Colorado. This par
ticular section covers about twenty
five hundred square miles. Seventy
five per cent. of the country has an ele-
walton of over eleven thousand five
hundred feet, or above timber land.
This party ascended over eleven sta
tions over fourteen Thousand feet high.
Pyramid Peak, fourteen thousand five
hundred feet high, has d straight slope
of over seven thousand feet to the west.
Peaks of similar height were found at
the head of the Rio DolOrosO. The San
Juan mining country i'm this vicinity
was surveyed geographically and geo.
logically and the mines were visited
and examined. The latter exhibited
fine fissure veins filled with argentifer-
uus galena from the surface down, but
were not much opened. South of this
tho survey extended down to the New
Mexican boundary, In portions OF this
region good agricultural lands were
found, also very extensive deposits of
coal. The low country of the south
western corner of Utah, five thousand
feet above the sea, was visited by the
Photographic corps of the expedition
under MIR. Jackson. The remarkable
and interesting Aztec ruins on the
Mancas river and in the adjacent cQun-
try were visited, photographed and ex-
amined. 1t is proposed that another
party shall visit this section next year
and continue the excavations made this
season. Mr.. jackson also took large
number of photographs of the San Juan
country and of the base of the NOUN
tains bordering on the plains. In all
four hundred negatives were taken.
DIR. Hayden with another party finish
ed the Elk Mountains and the moraines
deposits, glacial phenomenon in the
valley of the Arkansas, and also took a
belt fifteen miles wide from Kenyon
City to near Cheyenne, working up the
coal deposits. Mr.. Gsrdner, the chief
topOgrapher of the survey, took charge
of the geodetic work and operated in
Southwestern Colorado, where are to
be found the highest peaks of the Rocky
Mountains. This work rests on a series
OF large and triangles by which the
highest peaks over the whole country
were located. By this means the astro-l
nomical positions were fixed, leaving
the topographers to fill the details of
the topography between. This work
necessitates the climbing of the highest
of the peaks. The instrument used
weighs seventy-five pounds, and is car.
ried on the back Of the topographer.
The geodetic stations varied from thir-
teen to fourteen thousand feet, and sew
en- ascents, including the marching be-
tween the points, were made in nine
days. For the last six weeks the climb
ing was through new snow. The East
ern division, under Mr.. Bechler, COM
pleted the work along the eastern part
of the mountains in the thickly settled
parts of Colorado.
The different parties have returned
with rich harvest of Theological speci-
mems, minerals and fossils, and colIec-
tiOns in natural history. Also large
quantity of pottery and stone imple-
ments from the Aztec ruins on the
Mancas.