The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1904-08-06
Missouri an Open Book.

BY S. NJ. FRANK.
''St. Louis-Well, il that IS not the
creek | was born on I am not a Mis-.
sourianl Who would have thought
that little stream that rms away out
past Nowhere would ever be on a map
Of Missouri"
These words from the lips of a prom
lnent Missouri newspaper man as be
stood In the Mis- ouri building at the
fair before the largest map of his state
ever made were uttered with a feeling
OF mingled pride and surprise.
1t has long been known that the
Exposition company is very partial to
things big. Early in the history of
the undertaking it was decided that in
order to make the enterprise popular
with the masses something more than
mt exhibits and beautiful effects had
to be boosted OF. So it was decided
That this fair must be the biggest from
every point Of view ever attempted.
The Missouri commission followed the
same idea in preparing its exhibits,
ana many months ago arranged to
have on, display the largest maps of
Missouri in the world.
1t was found that these maps were
already In the course of preparation.
Mr.. @. f. Marbut, professor of Geol.
ogy at the University Of Missouri, had
been collecting data and general ia
formation for the production of such
maps for the last ten or twelve years.
de was assigned the task OF preparing
the maps.
The result is that five typographical
maps, fourteen by sixteen feet, the
most accurate and detailed of any of
their kind, have been prepared by the
students of the Univerfity of Missouri
under the direction Of Prof. Marbut
and are now on exhibition in different
buildings of the fair. These maps, of
so much value to the student and the
man of business, are colored to show
the various features of geographical
and ecoBomlcI interest. The horizontal
scale of the maps is about two miles
to the inch; the vertical scale Is about
q Thousand feet to the inch. The data
on which the relief work is based was
gSthered from all published sources,
but mostly irem research work done
by the geological students at the State
University under the direction of Prof
Marbut and Student Assistant Otto
Veatch. The various typographical
characteristics OF the state have been
faithfully and accurately reproduced in
mIDiature-a most difficult task. The
various stages Of dissection, from even
plains to thoroughly and deeply DIS
sected regions, the width Of river and
creek valleys, and elevations are ali
carefully shown.
All the facts from the sources pamed
we're collected and converted into a
contour map Of the state or the same
scale as the relief map. A relief map
IN sections made of cardboard and
modelling clsy was made from this
contour map. Geletine negatives we're
cast from these section and plaster
posltives were cast from the negatives.
The positives we're trimmed, smoothed
and compared with the contour map.
From these completed positive sections
3 fnal negative was cast, from which
the FIVE relief maps were nodded in
two sections each. The final posltlves
we're further trimmed and smoothed
before they we're colored and lettered
These maps, produced With SO much
expense and labor, we're finished as
follows:
The first map, which is installed in