The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-11

Among the minor but by no means un-
important reforms in the work done by tho
government we hope to see the next Con-
gress consolidate and put into some sys-
tematic order the various government sur
vsys and explorations in the Western Terri
tories.
There are now three principal surveying
parties, which take the field every summer
and spend the winter in Washington, en-
ployed in the double task of working out
their field notes and lobbying in Congress
for next years appropriations AS the gen.
tlemen employed in these scientific labors
are, or at least ought to be, scientific men,
it is certainly not fair that they should have
to give any part of their time to tho painful
work Of buttonholing Congressman for the
means to continue their explorations. 1t Is
an indignity that science should have to
stand about in the lobby. The three prin-
cipal surveys are those of Lieutenant
Wheeler, called the Geographical Survey
of Territories West of the One Hundredth
Meridian = DR.. Hayden's Geological and
Geographical Survey of the Territories,
and Major Powells Geographical and
Geological Survey Of the Rocky Noun
tain Region" Kings important Geological
Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel has
been completed, we understand, and MIR.
King is now seeing through the press the
last volume and charts. There are besides
these o Black Hills surveying party and,
we believe, some others
The three first named are the principal
surveys now going on. Hayden and Pow
ell are under the control of the Interior De-
partment. Wheeler is sent out by the War
Department. The last Congress gave SIS, 200
to the Hayden survey, $4,000 to the Powell
survey, and $780, 900, with transportation by
the War Department, to Wheeler. We take
it for granted that all three of these parties
are headed by able men and do useful and
important work. But we notice that not
unnatural rivalry between the three, each
working Independently of the Others leads
to the multiplication of needlessly costly
books, which are no doubt pleasing and
seductive gifts to congressman when the
appropriation bills are coming up for
scrutiny, but which are certainly the cause
of trouble and waste of time to men of
science here and in Europe, to whom the
results of these surveys are for the present
of the greatest interest and Importance.
Why, for instance, should each of these ex-
petitions publish an Independent account
of the natural history Of it's region, includ-
ing descriptions of all the animals found,
when, rs is easily seen if one compares the
different issues, they cover the same animals,
with very few exceptions? It would surely
be better to have one systematic account, easy
of reference, and then note the exceptional
animals, if any. No one can examine and
compare the numerous and sometimes very
costly publications made by these surveys
without seeing that great deal of public
money is wasted on mere book-making
work of kind which can make only con-
fusion and vexation for scientific men, and
worse for layman who seeks information
We venture to say that the numerous and
bulky volumes, enough to form library,
which have been put forth by these different
expeditions, if properly edited and con-
densed, as they would be if the expeditions
compressed into tenth of the space they
now occupy and be hundred times more
useful, besides costing very much less to
the country.
Nor is this all. The work of these expe-
ditions is conducted in SO unsystematic
manner that, as the charts and other records
show, one survey often in its work overlaps
the other, and thus duplicates expense by
needless resurveys; and not only this, but
causes another waste in the duplication of
printed volumes of often very costly charts.
For instance, we notice that Wheeler's
Survey, volume 8, publication of 1875,
contains q map of the Twin Lakes which
seems to us substantially the same as
the map of the Twin Lakes at page SO of
Hayden's Report for 1873. We do not mean
that Lieutenant Wheeler has taken copy
of Dr. Hayden's map, but that the two
parties have evidently covered the same
ground by their surveys Again, the TRAN
gulation charts of Wheeler, 1875, and Hay
den, 1873, to considerable extent cover
the same ground, and here must have been
serious waste of human effort, not to
speak of money. We should think not less
than fifty thousand dollars must have been
flung away here. Again, Kings and Powell's
reports show Implications to the amount,
we judge, of at least eight thousand square
miles of country which King appears to have
surveyed in 1875 and Powell in 1876. Mr..
Kings work has been going on for ten years
and has produced results of undoubted
scientific and public Importance, and surely
there was no need Of Major Powell going
over part of Kings ground.
The work of the United States Coast Sur
vey has always been under n single head,
and il is the admiration of scientific men NIL
over Europe If however there had been