The sun., 1901-03-17
A POET AND GEOLOGIST.
STORIES or STRANGE JAMES GATES
PERCFvAL NOW RECALLED.
HIS Erudition and His Ecoeutricitiss Brought to
Mind by tho Present Geological survey Of
Connscticut-A Fatal Love OF Details "A
Aclsutlst AAvsusures


NEW HAvKN. March ie-The scientific
professors from Yale and Wesleyan univer-
sities who have been engaged in making a
geolo gtcal survey Of the State OF Connecticut
for several years announce that their work
should be practically completed n the coming
summer Three-auarters OF tho State has
now been trnvsrsed, the rocks and forma-
tions examined. and maps prepared. Several
parts OF tho completed work have been al
ready published and within a year what 10
left will pass into the hands Of the printers,
The present survey Is tho second made Of
the State The history OF the frst makes
some OF the most interesting reading in Con-
necticut's scientific annals. IL has practically
been forgotten that James Gates Percival.
during the first half Of the century the most
popular poet in America and a man OF most
remarkable personality and gifts. under
took the geological survey ~ the State In
1885 and for six years prosecuted his labors
with painstaking minuteness that pro-
duced the most comprehensive report OF
the kind ever made. and also precpitated a
series Of queer financial disputes. Psrcival
never published the complete account of his
studies but the sketch which he prepared
fills many bulky volumes and stands to-day
"a the authority on the subject Said ono OF
lae's professors in discussing the work OF
Percvnl:
What we are now doing for the Govern
rent covers the same field as that which
Percval covered for the State more than
sixty years ago The in6ccessibilty Of the
facts and generalizations In Perovals work,
however. and the bulky nature Of his report
have made It practically dead letter sven 10
scientists. and "a for tho remainder OF those
who might be Interested IL is Of no Use at all
Al the same time Percval's work has not been
surpassed by tho present survey. so far as
scientific discoveries and conclusions go.
and ~ not likely to be
Percival wns selected TO make a geological
survey II Connecticut in 1885. when his repu-
tation as poet was at It's height He had
besides collaborated with Noah Webster
on tho dictionary. and had published q series
of lectures on botany. Of which little was
known at that time He had studied msdi-
cine and had been graduated with honors
in INV. In fact. in all branches of science
he was educated far beyond the ordinary
standard Of the day
But with all his eridtion Perctval was ono
Of the most eccentric men Of his generation.
lie was lhnormally sensitive and II a friend
offended him once he would never afterward
take him into his confidence lie wore
through life old clothes that were the laugh
ling stock of the town. He lived in the poorest
lodgings and refused everybody admittanCe
70 his rooms. lie went about the streets Of
New Haven rapt in poetical composition or
engros-ed in scientific thought unconscious
Of his surroundings or the people he passed
He would so for a month to his boarding
table and sav not word, but would burst
out Unexpectedly at the end OF that time with
two-hour oration on the scientific aspect
of some question that was brought UP for
discussion, He often kept friends talking
at a street corner for hours
Peculiar in his everyday dealings with
people his business methods we're even more
unusual. He had gained through soms
early experience with a publisher a suspi-
con Of the whole rnce Of printers nd refused
to be bound to any agreement which he mi ght
have made with them. He was tha despair
Of all publishers. and II was only on account
Of til5 'p5nn.GTi,y.-0f ms p6sxy that pub
fishers could be induced by his' ',rGii;.s 10
print for him at all. Painstaking and minute
In every work of a scientific nature that he
took up. he carried hs care to such IN extent
IN literature that the purse OF no publisher
was long enough 10 carry him through with
literary undertaking. Webster though
valuiug his services highly could not get
along with him In collaboration. as Percyal
persisted in spending as much time on the
derivation Of single word as Wcsbter could
afford to spend on . column of words
IN his geological WORK tins trait nearly
result ed Ia the wasting " his efforts While
PprCival. considered AZ u geolOgist. was
the first man for the State 10 engage. he was.
az n practical business man, the last The
Legislature, made up then, as now. Of "A great
prepundcranCe OF farmers wanted a business
ike report that would inform them Of m"
mincral"glcal sources Of IN" State and the
agricultural value Of the several district,
PerClval was the laAt man to furnish re-
port Of such nature. He was Incapable
Of writing anything that was not as detailed
~ II could he made lie was unwilling to
take NJ the worl, unless the state let hlm
study ,very feature Of hl- field Thoroughly
Not knowing what mis- meant. hi- proposal
wa agreed 10 and PeryvaI began a work
that took -N wears 10 inish, and even then
was cur oN without his having presented
tho r8pur That he set ont 10 prepare
In all, he took more than 500 specimens
to hIS laboratory and carried ON the WORK
with minuteness that promised to make
II "A life vOrN
In the first wear Percival doing the geology,
with Dr shepard ~ min"ralogst traverscd
the entire state, visiting every village aud
parish and handing IN at the ehd Of the year
n brief report Of what had been accomplished
To pCrCval This WAS tut the preparation
iur greater phurs, though II emiuently salts
lie the Legislature \ grant of more money
was asked and the Legislature appropriated
81. .u0O for a second years work usaG THIS
sum vas expected 10 he sufficient 10 cover
everything Ia tho wBy Of geological survey
that the State miRh' need
PercYal travelled alone IN the second
year A. showing how EupraCti iCa he was
II u related that to expedite matters, GOv
Edwards requested him to use horse, and
PerCval, much against his will purchased
ono He was never known 20 ride the animal
which, CARRYING merely tho specimen bags Of
It's uwnerS, easily got into y WAY of Hmhling
ia2ily along through the country behind
Percival. 10 m" astonishment Of the natives
ward related, he would walk ahead of the
animal with an apple In his hand and the horse
would follow the apple
For the whole year Percival travelled back
and forth across the state. missing but two
weekdays IN the year lie was unable.
however. 10 report 10 the Legislature IN 1871,
To n" disgust of that body. lie wanted
thought II ought 10 be done The sum Of
$3.50 was granted him with the provision
that he must complete the work at once and
thai he would then receive 81. 500.
The next year PerCival still wanted time
and III" Legislature baked at giving him
any Gov Edwards, refusing TO make any
further concessions. offered him the 81, 800
II he would sit down then and write out the
report PerCvai refused the Offer and for
the next three years went steadily ahaad
without help further than small advance,
made 10y the Governor
In isIl after losinR all patience with the
painStaking scientist, the Legislature fatly
mediately no further grants would be- made
md in thqt ypar no slf down and wrota n