The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-23

| have asked the Unlbed Bgapea teolORiCal
Survey to give US helping hand, and that
Survey could not now be assisting us except
| at the request of the State. Our own Geo
logical Survey has made much progress,
largely In the investigation Of invertebrate
paleontology; but the cooperation now In
progress has great advantages. 1t expe-
dites an undertaking Of great magnitude.
and divides the expense between the State
and the Federal Government. There are
other advantages, such as the fact that our
State Geologist has found 1t necessary to
study geologic formations In dozen States
OF the Union, because those found in this
State extend widely through the country.
1t is, therefore. economical to place the sur
vey on a very broad territorial basis.
The task now In hand is the making Of q
detailed Topographic map OF the State. Its
usefulness TO public and private interests,
| and to all our citizens who ever consult q
map, will be enormous. Its Importance to
the Geological Survey Is readily seen. for
without 1t It Is impossible to correctly map
the geological data acquired.
When military engineers first invented
| Topographic maps, their map sheets
we're. for the most part, merely series OF
hieroglyphics. hard to read and not very
deinitein the information they conveyed.
All this is now changed. The sheets OF the
map OF New York. now publishing. are q
dellneation OF natural and artificial as
poets, a plain representation Of facts that
all people may easily read. Two sorts OF
information are afforded. One is the nat
ural features, such as the drainage. the
mountains. the hills, and 30 on. Then
there are the artificial aspects. the rail-
roads, the highways, the towns, and other
features OF that sort. On the maps OF New
York we have long used, scores Of important
towns are not correctly placed because the
map makers did not know their exact geo.
graphical position. On these new map sheets
the smallest hamlet Is shown just where 1t
stands on the surface Of the earth. Every
stream with it's proper course. every
marsh lake, or other body Of water Is
there. Every undulation Of the land sur
face amounting to twenty feet appears
All the elevations are exhibited by grade
curves or contour lines. so that one may
easily trace. not only the relation OF one
point to another. but also the relation OF
each point to the level Of the sea.
II we observe the uses that New Jersey Is
making Of her admirable topographic map
anu VI Jilc ktOlOBlCul map Iiltb 10 ptbtn
upon it. we may readily see that although
our surveys will cost good deal Of money,
they will be worth to the State immeasur-
ably more than they cost. As these map
sheets are constructed with grade curves.
every elevation and depression is repre-
sented with mathematical accuracy. and tho
sheets may be used in the preliminary
work Of laying out the course Of aqueducts
to bring water from distant rivers. springs.
or lakes. AS they show the relative levels
Of the entire surface. they may be used to
determine the practlcability Of draining
swamp lands. They will be valuable in
laying out wagon roads and railroads. The
course OF tho Denver and Rio Grande Rail-
road was determined, not on the ground.
but in railroad Office, with the aid OF the
HAYDEN Topographic survey Of Colorado
and the POWELL topographic survey OF
Utah. or course. final surveys for rail-
roads arc still necessary to mark the lines
upon the ground and secure data for the
actual work OF construction.
The sheets will show at glance the
water catchment basins. and as they give
the true elevation Of lakes and ponds In re-
lation to the adjacent country. and the de-
scendlng grades OF streams. light is thrown
upon the possibilities OF water power for
manufacturing purposes. In southeast
New Jersey artesian wells are In great de-
mand. and the topographic maps. In con-
junction with geologic maps. are used to
determine the sites Of these wells. The
maps settle many questions OF water pow
er. water supply. drainage. and aid the
study OF lands available for agriculture.
forestry. and mining. Various phases OF
the work OF scientific men in our State will
be greatly promoted by the survey. It Is
impossible In limited space to indicate all
the purposes that the new map will serve.
1t is well known. however. that millions
OF dollars might have been saved to
the people of this country II they could |
earlier have awaited themselves Of such In |
formation as Is now furnished. 1t was testi- |
fled before the Joint Commission In Wash |
ington. several years ago, that millions OF |
dollars had been wasted in irrigation ex- |
periments by reason OF the lack OF proper |
Typographical surveys: that many towns |
had been planted before 1t was discovered |
that water could not be brought to them |
economically, and that every town In Utah |
had been moved, some OF them twice, after
it had been built. because of errors In Sc
lecting sites. Topographic reasons. chiefly
relating to altitude. compelled the removal
in nearly every case.
Our map sheets. like those OF most OF the
best maps the world over. are engraved on
copper. 1t costs more TO print from copper
plates. but the superior elegance OF this ma
tsrial. its durability. and the facility with
which corrections and duplicates may be
made. render the use of copper the best
method of map production.
According to the reports from Washing
ton. the cost OF the New York topographic
survey is about $40 a square mile. and the
cost OF the complete map OF the State will
be about 100000. The expense is to be d.
vided equally between the National and
State Surveys Thus far more than half Of
the money disbursed has come out OF the
national treasury. Our people will GER
tainlY aDDrOVe OF the aDnroDriation nv tina |