Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-08-15
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
OF the Lead and Zinc District OF
Southwestern Wisconsin.

Southwestern Wisconsin.
The economic department of the
Wisconsin Geological Survey in
charge of w. o. Hotchkiss is engaged
in mapping the most promising areas
in the LEAD and zinc district not IN
cluded in U. S. Grants lead and zinc
atlas.
A corps of topographers, biologists
and levelmen, consisting OF K. Steldt-
mann, L. Davis, S. Fl. Davis, II. "A.
Stecker, W. Him and E. o. Stiehm
from the University of Wisconsin,, f.
F. Grout from the University of Min
nesOta, and G.. II. Decker and ID. +.
Higgins from Northwestern University
began work on the Ipswich sheet east
of Platteville, July 6.
The maps will embrace topography,
represented by contour lines at ten
| foot intervals connecting points of the
same elevation above sea level; Gull
ture, including all works of man, such
as, railroads, cities, roads, mines,
prospects, drill holes ETC.; geology,
showing the rock formations lmme-
diately underlying the soil, the rock
outcrops and the elevation of the base
of the Galena limestone, the most pro-
| ductive formation in the district, by
| series of contour lines.
! The field party is making careful in
quiry into the capitalization, magni-
tude of the operations of mining COM
panies, the lands held under lease and
the names of lessees and lessons.
The most important ways in which
| the efforts of the state Geological
Survey serve the needs of the people
who are developing the mineral re-
sources of the district are:
l. The investor and the general
business man will receive an author
itative statement regarding the organ
ization, and magnitude of the opera
| tions of the various mining companies
| in the district.
2. Experience has shown that it is
more profitable to prospect for jack
on old lead diggings than to search
for new fields. The Survey maps
furnish the prospector with the loca-
ton of the old lead diggings in the
territory covered.
3. So far as known all the large ore
bodies in the district appear to be as
sociated with synclinal troughs in the
base of the Galena limestone. The
distribution and trend of these troughs
as shown by the Survey sheets consti-
tute valuable guide in searching for
ore.
4. With the aid of the geological
maps the prospector can determine the
depth of the drill holes to the clay bed
at the base of the Galena limestone
and can thereby anticipate the cost of
drilling.
5. 1t is unfortunate that a consider
able proportion of the drill record in
formation resulting from the expendi-
ture of thousands of dollars has been
| lost. In order to discourage so great
an economic waste and to secure the
information for an underground map
of the district, the state Geological
Survey furnishes a set of drill record
books to anyone who promises to keep
records and to fill out one in dupli-
cate and turn it in to the state Geolog-
ical Survey Office at Madison, Wis
consin.
The field party has met with unusual
success; an enormous number of drill
records have been secured and with
out exception mine managers have
been very cordial in granting survey
members a view of their underground
workings.
Since July nearly forty square
miles of territory have been mapped,
one hundred forty four miles of levels
have been run, and four hundred
ninety five bench marks have been es-
tabIished. Edward Steidtmann, in
charge of field party.