New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-12
SCIENTIFIC STATE SURVEY.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE RE-SURVEY OF
Observation-Disclosures.


ADAMS, JR, DIR. A. S. PACKARD, AND oIhEhS-
THE uoos,c TUNNEL IN THE WRONG PLACE
IMPROVING CAPE COD AND NEw-Y0RK HARBoR
-rDuc,rIoyAL VALUE or THE SURVEY.
lpnoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNEI
BOsToN. jan Am important measure was
introduced last Legislature which was referred 10
the Board Of Education, and is now likely to be con
sdered at tho coming session. the Board having pre-
pared report to be presented The American Acaoo"y
Of Arts and Sciences of which Charles Francis Adams
President. but whose membership tho scient'nc ere
meut largely dominates, addressed memoriai W '"o
General Court last Spring. asking that new compre
hensiye and thorough survey of the State should DO
made. 1t set forth that more then IorV years h'u
elapsed since Massachusetts, began survey Vi us lorr
tory aud pub ished the results In series Oh repoS
upon the geology zoology and botany OF tho State with
man and n geological chart; that this was the nrst
publ,o survey undertaken In this country and the im
mediate predecessor OF other surveys by the General
Government and by other States; that the reports.
when not aptiquated, have been reprinted, but that
the survey and its reports credtabe at the time have
been left behind by the development Of scientific
study aud that Massachusetts, Is inferior IN this
respect to other States. The memorial urged
new survey Oh the double ground OF its unquestion-
able Importance in developing the industry OF the
State, and OF its great value as an instrument OF
education, and suggested that the reports under Inc
proposed survey should, rs far as possible be
prepared with special reference to an Intelligent use
by the people; and that, instead OF being dlstrio
uted gratutously, they should be sold through the
ordinary agencies at u slight advance upon the COST
so as to enable the State to pay the authors from the
proceeds the sales and recover the greater part
OF it's original outlay without placing the book beyond
the reach of persons Of moderate means
Tho memorial was referred to the State Board OF Edu-
cation and they appointed Committee OF three OF
their number Gardiner G. Hubbard esq, Rev. Phillips
nffnnr DraGfd dam
lege to mako a careful examination of the whole mat
ter These gentlemen called meeting OF the prom
pent scientific and business men OF the State and con-
ferred also with experts in Typographical surveys III
order they might report not only upon the expe
dency of the proposed survey but upon the pr0DaDe
cost OF It, They have drawn up report, which was
unanimously adopted by the Board Of Education ana
will be presented at the coming session OF the Legisla
ture in which the proposed is urged upon the
State and the representations Of the memorial OF the
Academy generally made the basis OF the considerations
Involved. -
WORK OF THE PREVIOUS SURVEY.
A summary OF the work previously done is given, by
which it appears that the former was commenced
I'm 1890 and extended period OF IA years tr1g
onometrca survey was made, mainly Dy ME- boruen'
and trgonometrcal and Typographical surveys by the
u g. Coast Survey have confirmed It's accuracy Iopo-
graphical surveys made by the several towns gen
orally confined to the superficial area, without refer
ence to elevation and depression, and being made n-
deneny by many different parties the combined result
was very unsatisfactory. map OF the State was pub
shed in 18 but has proved OF very little use in the
construction of roads, railroads or waterw0rks or IN
geological research or in the delneaton OF the water
sheds The geological survey was conducted by Prof.
Hitchcock and in the state OF geological knowledge at
that time was a notable work but the science OF eeo
ogy has greatly changed within the past generation,
especially in the department OF chemical geology and
few States know of their mineral wealth than Mas
sachusetts to-day; she seems hold firmly 70 the old
schoolbook severely stated fact that granite and Ice are
her sole productions in this fed. The results OF the
Biological Survey may be found in several volumes Of
reports well known to students notably those by Dr. T.
W. Harris on Insects Injurious to Vegetation by George
B. Emerson on the Trees and Shrubs, by DE- d. H. storer
on the Fishes and Reptiles, and by DR.. A. A. Gould
the Inverebrate Animals SO valuable were the reports
lately reissued them i'll revised form, Dr. Harrss, In
deed. being twice 50 published while Mr. o Eaersons
that edition Is now preparing as private enter
In brief, then, the old State survey has in
part been left behind by the advance OF , .c
acter, as the trigonometrical survey, remains of
value basis for further and more thorough
work The Committee them having reached this point
proceeded TO consider the expediency of new survey
within what limits it should beconGed how it should be
conducted and what estimate could DO naue OF the Time
and money required for the purpose.
MASSACHUSETTS COAL-THE HoOsAC TUNNEL
As regards the expedency of the survey the two
sderations urged in the Academys memorial OF devel
oping material resources of the State and stmula
ing the educational interest, kept In view by the
Committee and the gentlemen who met them. Some
very suggestive points were made especially by DR. T.
| sterry Hunt and Mr.. George Ii. Emerson. Dr. Hunt
speakiDg of the geological survey, the assertion
That few States have to-day less knowledge OF their
mineral wealth than Massachusetts, and yet in his
oninon the question OF coal alone sufficient
courage an Investigation the kind. and in ustra
ton OF the great waste caused ny lnsnuicSht khow
| edge, he instances the Hoosac Tunnel The region
through which the tunnel passes was examined many
years ago. and mica slate rocks were found at the east
ern portal and at the western portal where at an early
period excavations carried on to distance OF
several thousand feet while the middle Of the noun
feet prof hitchcock, with the facts which he had be-
fore hun, the conclusion that the structure OF
the whole way through it,. But when the great work
TO be carried through II was FOUND that inc core OF
the mountain was MADE VI hard foeK almost IKE Tue
] hardest granite and extremely dhcllt 10 cut Now
while engaged lately upon an examination OF the work.
by direction of the state he compared notes with Prof.
| Shaer who with the Coast Survey party camped
out the top Of the mountain and II became very clear
them that if careful cross sections Dad been run
that mountain TO the north and the south Of the
OF the tunnel the existence OF Just sueh mass OF
grauitic rock at the Las now been discovered
would have been made KNOWN and more than that
probability by going few miles further northward TO
Choose line in which that rock would not have been
engineering labors. In studying the distribution OF the
it necessary not only to nix tue geographical
distribution but the elevation OF the various OutcrOps
for without this finds himself entirely at fault when
later he attempts To work up his Held notes to put
the geology of the State What was wanted In proper
geological map to fix and determine the outcrOp
and boundaries every formation OF rock the geOgra
phical position and the altitude Of every exposure
each hill and roadside and lin every well, boring or
enttipg together with their dip and strike that
might be construct the solid geometry OF the
STATE The ordinary Typographical maps give the sur
face OF the land and this be marked the rocks
nut what was in addition was to know the way
in which the rocks beneath the surface underlie each
other order that the underground structure Of
| region might be known.
| PLANTING PINES-CAPE COD-NEw-YORK HARBOR