Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1899-03-04

eGpLOettal |
There Is ome danger that the glamOr
OF the extensive and deliberately illus
trsted reports OF the United States geo
logical survey should obscure the value
OF the work done in science by the local
organizations for the same work. The
Capitalization which appears In all
walks OF life, and which is far from al
unmixed advantage. is here in evidence,
and the tendency Is TO place upon the
general government the responsibility
for the development OF the u Of
the various parts OF the country. II Is to
some extent true that the equipment and
maintenance Of local surveys duplicates
plants and fails OF the utmost economy
OF expenditure, but there is another side
have often been carried on very largely
az private expense by those connected
with the local educational institutions,
and thus an amount aud kind OF work
has been accomplished entirely impos-
sible Ia any other way. The members OF
the scientific corps of a state institution
are often able and willing to do a large
amount OF grstuitous or poorly paid
work for the sake OF the aid and i'm
petus given 10 the work In their de-
psrtment, and in this way a very large
aggregate Of valuable work has been nc.
complished. Moreover. the work OF these
local surveys has the advantage Of being
carried on in the interest OF the state
and is, therefore, more likely TO be d.
rected TO the exploiting OF the
OF the home field. one OF the very great
est advantages OF these local surveys il
their utility as training schools Of sci
entihc men. The ablest biologists OF
America, aud 70 Of the world. have been
developed in the course OF the work OF
these state geological surveys. But for
them we should have had no James Hall,
no Newberry, no Winchell. The most
productive results in theology have come
from the workers in the geological sur
yeys.
The state survey of Minnesota, OF
which the writer WAS a member, called
attention TO the iron ores Of the Vermil-
lion region and led TO The development
OF the most valuable iron mines in tie
world.
The geological surveys OF Pennsyl-
yania and New Jersey did great work in
developing the coal fields The survey
OF Ohio, in which the writer also as
sisted, outlined the possibilities for oil
and aided In the clay industries. But It
is often not 10 much by actively opening
up new regions a. by preventing the
needless expenditure OF money in ex-
ploring that the utility OF a survey IL
felt. The New York survey did not, like
Its ~neighbOrs, contribute largely TO the
building up of mining industries and
economic enterprises, and yet probably
no survey has taken "A higher place. Its
work was largely Of the technical scien
ti6c character that appeals only TO the
scientific man, and only incidentally did
II serve to prevent nor III outlay in
the vain search for ores shown by the
geological conditions not to exist, and
yet but for the CHRONOLOGICAL work OF
James Hall and his associates the other
state and government surveys would
have been impossible. This was the
foundation work, the standard OF refer
ence for all time in America. II g. no,
intended 10 minimize the value Of thC
work Of the United States geological
survey. The work done by the Hayden
survey OF Colorado has practically made
the state, 40 every one knows. yet. 10 IL
methods, this work WAS carried on In thu
same way az The local surveys, and Wal
inspired by them. The broader c0rrela
tiOn will always be- done by the genera.
organization, but the pioneer work anC
the study OF economic problems ia bes'
done aud usually can only be done by IA,
local organization II il difficult for tn
practical man TO see what advantage il
10 be gained by the study and descrip
ton OF extinct fossil animals, but /
should be understood that the determine
ton OF a coal horizon may depend on ia
g~eOlOgist's power OF recognizing a sinai
fragment OF some extinct she'll witt
unerring accuracy.
II may seem like an unnecessary re-
hnemeDt 10 study thin sections OF a roe