Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-03
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
An Interesting Document From Prof.
white, Assistant Geologtst In the
PennsyIvania Survey.


white, Assistant biologist In the
Pennsylvania Survey.
The question OF a geological survey OF
West Virginia has been considerably dis.
cussed in the Legislature this winter and
also in the press of the State. A joint leg
islatiye committee was appointed toinquire
into the probable costs OF such q survey
and to make other Investigations into the
subject.
bill appropriating 5000 to ~inaugurate
this survey of the State was discussed at
great length in the House of Delegates, and
passed by q majority Of one, but the vote
was afterwards reconsidered.
While the mstter thus hangs. the iriends
of the scheme are making further inquiries
into the.subject.and the workings OF similar
measures in other States. :,
For the information OF those interested
in the matter, the REGIsrER publishes a
valuable letter from the assistant g~eologist
in the second geological survey OF Pennsyl-
yania, now being carried on, to q prOml-
nent member of the State Senate. Ii IL as
follows:
Hon. HR. ". o. DdTSoa: =,
Your favor OF the 18th was duly received
and ] hasten to reply to the inquiries there
in made. First-S5.O00 is not Il sufficient
appropriation to start a geological survey
on any basis that will be OF enduring use
fulness. To show this | have only 10 give
you a few items of necessary expense. The
Chief. geofogist cannot be procured at a sal
AIRY OF less than $500 per annum and 500
thrown in for necessary held
and Office expenses. Il am Sett-
ing 5000 per amman and so per
month for expenses for only six months
work on the Pennsylvania survey Then
$1,000 would be required 10 fit up 4 chemi-
cal laboratory, and 4 competent chemist
could scarcely be procured for less than
1880 or = 1000 annual salary, and the IN
cidental expenses OF making analyses
would amount to, say, 500 more. Thus you
will see that before the survey could
be organized at all flor with
out q competent chief 10 over
see and direct all work, as well a.
take q hand in the most important and
difficult portion, and a chemist OF unqueS'
toned ability TO analyze all minerals,
money spent on q State survey would be
worse than wasted. the SOD would be
gone. Then to complete the survey with:
IN any reasonable time, the chief should
have at least two competent assistants
at a salary of 81. 800 with 500 each for ex-
penses. and three aidS, one
for each assistant, and one for
the chief. would cost at least
s., 800 more, so that a corps OF seven per-
sons, chief, two assistants, three aids and a
chemist could not work for much less than
Sl2,0 900 annually. A corps as thus organ
lied, could cover about six OF our counties
annually, in such a way as to be OF lasting
value TO the State, and of course could
complete the whole in about eight years.
With a larger corps itmight be done IN hye
years, but in no event should the work be
Al = la Aha~ hn lat
ter period, for the mistakes
that necessarily occur in any human work,
have then ample time to be corrected i'll the
later publication of the survey. This is II
reason why it would be better in the end
to make a small appropriation, say $1,000
a year for ten years, or $4,000 annually for
eight for the actual work of the survey,
than to makes large appropriation and eX'
pect the work to be com
pleted in two or three years
/ send you with this letter some copies of
my own publications on the survey OF
Pennsylvania, from which YOU will get a
better idea of the plan on which the work
in our State ought TO be conducted. You
may place them at the service OF the joint
committee on geological. survey, if you de-
sire. You will doubtless gather from what
| have said that in the opinion OF the writer,
speaking professionally, mt for the best
interests OF our Young commonwealth that
unless the appropriation can be at least
doubled from that which passed the House,
il would be better to. defer the organiIa-
ton OF a State survey until such time as
the State treasury will warrant an annual
appropriation of $4,000 or $4,000. 1t will
take in round numbers about 100000 to
survey our State rs it ought to be done to
be of any permanent value. &c. WHITE.
Prof. White is known to the people OF
the State as one of the Leading instructors
at the University of West Virginia. He is
DOW assisting Prof. j.. Peter Lesley, the
state Geologist of Pennsylvania, in his
survey of that State, and may he consider
ed as we'll qualified to speak upon this sub
iect.
ten by Senator Dawson at the instance OF
Senator StollingS, who is a member of the
Joint committee on the geological survey.
Senator ~Stollings, in an interview with
The REGISTER, stated that he did not agree
with Prof. White in regard to the appro.
p%riations required to inaugurate and carry
out the survey. He had given the matter
some study, and judging from theinforma-
ton he had gathered, he felt positive that
a survey could be started and conducted
the first year on 5000 and that the entire
sum required TO complete the survey
would not, i'll his estimation, exceed $50
900.
He thought this total amount should be
distributed over a number of years so that
it would not bear heavily upon the funds
of the State n one year, and hence the
comparatively small appropriation requir.
ed each year would hardly be felt by the
taxpayers of the State. He recognized the
great value and importance such a survey
would be to the State, and thought that it
should be entered upon without delay.