The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-20
is NO SCIENTIST
WITH SINGLE IDEA
Director of the United States
Geological Survey Is Active
Business Man.
)NE THOUSAND MEN
UNDER HIS COMMAND
Department Conducted Along
Scientific Lines With
Master at Head.
Snecial TO The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune
WASHINGTON, May 19.-To be di-
-ector Of the United States Geological
survey is no sinecure. In forming a
tonception Of the kind of men In the
riace do not call up a mental picture
# a gentleman OF advanced years, wear
;ng eyeglasses with thick double lenses,
peering about. hammer IN hand, for the
Jingle purpose of knocking piece off
ri things. The geological survey is a
good deal more of practical business
Institution than many would suspect,
and the new director, DR.. George Otis
Smith, while long on scientific attain.
inents, is far from being long haired
investigator with a single bug IN his
bonnet. DR.. Smith is a man who pre-
sides over a department of the Govern
ment having more than 1000 employees
and operating actively IN every State
and Territory IL the Union, and he
looks much moro like the head of fac
tory with 1000 men on the payroll than
like the commonly accepted type OF a
scientist with a single idea.
DR.. Smith, who has come up through
the grades Of the survey from the bot"
.om since 1896 and is only 36 years old,
lid his first work as geologist on the
Marquette iron range, in Michigan, in
1898. That was shortly after his grad
uation from Colby college. The bust
ness appealed TO him so powerfully that
be forthwith came to Johns Hopkins
university and announced that here was
one boy from Aroostook county, Maine,
VINO proposed to become real geolo'
gist. lie took the three years post.
graduate course in geology and IN 1896
won the degree of Phi. D. and an ap'
pointment as assistant geologist in the
United States Geological survey. That
started him and he has been with the
Government ever since, until today, by
the appointment recently received from
President Roosevelt, he is IN charge of
the survey and has under him thirteen
divisions, covering bewi;derlng num-
Der of fields OF usefulness.
Reclamation Service.
One of these has been until recently
the reclamation service, which is eu'
gagged in making about 3.00o.000 acres
of the Great American desert blossom
like the valley of the Nile. This has
now been taken off the shoulders Of tie
director Of the geological survey and
made into a separate bureau, but still
he has enough TO do. The Classification
of the public lands Of the Government
is in his hands, winch means that he
swamp, or mineral, or agricultural or
desert, and he has also TO see To IL that
the lands are examined as TO their geo
logical structure, their mineral resources
and their products. He has to survey
the forest reserves and make topo-
graphic and geologic maps of the same.
and in addition he is gradually making
& topographic map of each Of the sew
eral States.
The value of this latter work will
not be appreciated by a man until he
comes to have 20 provide drainage for
any certain piece of land. When he
does he will find that if tho geological
survey has made topographic survey
of that section Of the country, he can
tell at a g'ance where the water will
have TO run and the exact amount of
digging necessary TO make it run.
But there Is still greater benefit
which tho survey is bestowing upon the
people of the various States, and that
is in its determination of the wot&r
supply. When this work has once been
done in State, as recently completc1 N
it is only necessary to glance
at the map to see where water may be
secured by boring we'll. Indeed, it
is also revealed how deep the we'll will
come TO the surface when the we'll IS
finished or pump will be needed TO
bring it up, The water survey in Michi-
gan and every other State where this
work has been done shows all these
things and also gives the individual his.
tory of each artesian we'll in the
State. In addition it gives the meas,
urements of all the streams III the
State, thus forming a valuable record
for those who contemplate developing
water power on any stream.
Auofher peaufj3,,1 TiIo,,%or
There is another beautiful chapte. in
and that is in connection with the work
relative to mineral deposits The sur.
yey' s men have ever been the pioneers
In the remote sections Of Uncle Sam s
domain, and their elaborate reports en-
the mineral resources have made many
a man rich by giving advance iEfor-
nation of mining possibilities, yet
there has never been an instance where
one Of the geologists has himself taken
a stake They have always regarded
the information collected as Govern
ment property and it has invariably
been turned in to be spread before al!
the people of the country at the same
time in the reports of the survey. Wise
men for many years have made 1T a
practice to carefully scan these reports
eAS H'oc cRPciDHii hnO"lnE Lldb
they were liable to contain inforninticn
worth vast sums to the one to get it
first.
Up in the wilds of Alaska the geo.
logical surrey has been at work for a
long time. Its men are well known
there. and what they report is de-
pended upon as the true gospel. But
all Alaskans agree that there never
has beer. an instance where an EN-
ployee Of the. geological survey has
taken selfish advantage Of anything dis,
covered while on duty there The same
ls not. said of the representatives of
the other departments of the Govern
ment. In fact, it is alleged that quite
the. contrary is the fact, but the geo
logical survey stands fair and clear,
with honor untarnished, although such
opportunities as come to tine geoloqists
can not be possible for any other Gov
ernment employees.
Has Excellent Record.
1t is from such a scnooI as this that
the new director of the geologica! sur.
yey has graduated into Ihe hiph ofTro |