The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-10-11
SHELTON MASON FRIDAY OCTOBER 1895
The Survey of the State.

Bailey Willis, superintendent for
the state OF Washington of the United
States geological survey, gives the
following interesting and instructive
account of the work in progress:
He explained first the organization
OF the survey, comprising two
branches-the typographical survey
and the geological survey, each aiding
the other. The topographic party
does its work first, taking an accurate
map OF the surface, delineating plains.
hills, railroads, roads, towns, political
boundaries, etc. Provided with this
map the topographer goes into the
district to measure and to sketch the
topographic features. He carries out
a secondary triangulation, determin-
ng the meanders of all roads, trails
and streams. He also makes constant
observations of the elevation above the
sea, and makes sketches of the forms
slopes of valleys and hills that can be
Enthusiastically represented on the
map. The topographer is not only
surveyor, he must be an artist trained
to represent on maps the forms of the
landscape. By means of the topo-
graphic map stranger may traverse
the country without losing his way;
the land owner may indicate the local
ity, the relation to roads and water
courses, and the form and slope of his
land. When this topographic map is
drawn it is engraved and printed, and
copies can be had by the public
Mr.. Willis then sketched an outline
of geologic history. History rarely
has a definite beginning; in geology it
never has. Back of the most ancient
OF human histories lies a period of
tradition, and behind the most re-
mote geologic epochs extends an un-
ending series of events. In this region
we come to records that are not vet
deciphered. These are the oldest rocks
of the Cascades, such as the iron-bear-
ing schists of the Skagit district and
the GRANTEES of the northern portion
of the range. The first geologic event
of the Puget sound region of which
there is any definite knowledge is
subsistence of the earth's crust by
which areas of these rocks that had
been land sank beneath the waters of
q shallow, fresh water estuary. The
estuary extended over the Sound basin
and over much of the space where the
Cascade and Olympic mountains
stand. In later epochs the mountains
grew where the shallow waters then
extended. This fresh water sound en-
dured long time. 1t received rivers
from surrounding lands, and they
brought to it vast quantities of sand
and mud, which were spread in hori-
zontal beds. The filling went on fast
er than the subsidence, and where the
water became very shallow marsh
was developed. Here rank vegetation
grew, and the conditions again chang
ing, the vegetable accumulation was
buried beneath other deposits OF sand
or mud. The sandy beds hardened to
sandstone, the muddy beds became
clay, and the plant beds became coal.
Thus were formed the coal-bearing
measures, which are among the most
important of the resources Of Puget
sound.
These coal-bearing strata formed in
a nearly horizontal position, but were
afterwards warped into troughs and
arches. The troughs probably remain
ed water basins of straits, while the
arches became islands or. peninsulars
which were continually eroded by the
sea. The total thickness of coal-bear-
ing strata thus formed is certainly o.
600 feet, and it may exceed l2,OOO
feet.
The Olympic and Cascade noun
tains were then probably low ranges
but they gradually uplifted, and vol
canic action followed. producing the
neaks. Then came the glacial epoch,
during which the mountains were
sheathed in ice, which formed the val
levs and the amphitheaters at their
heads and deposited the clay, sand and
gravel in the lowlands. Compared
with these glaciers those OF present
times are pigmies. Then came a
change of climate, the armor OF crystal
melted, vegetation crept upward over
the surface abandoned by the ice, the
forest grew and the face of the land
took on it's present aspect.-P.-l.
IF Troubled With Rheumatism Read