The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-14
ALABAMA NEEDS
 TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS State Geologist Smith Presents
 Some Facts FEDERAL COOPERATION Maps Especially Needed in Fnyette Gas District and in Mineral Fields-Ex- pense Shared Equally By
 State and Nation
FEDERAL COOPERATION
0 the Editor of The Age-Herald.


 the development of this field would be forwarded by cooperative geological in- vestigations by the national and state geological surveys. Accordingly agree nents were soon entered into for the preparation of accurate topographic and structural maps of the region on reason ably large scale, the cost of the surveys to be shared equally by the United States survey and the Alabama survey. The policy of the United States survey in such matters is that that organization will ex- pend annually in the field work an amount equal to that which the state will contribute for the same purpose The of flee work and the engraving of the result ing map are taken care of in the office of the United States geological survey, and at it's expense. As soon as the maps are ready for engraving photographic copies are furnished the state geologist for ex- animation. after which the map Is en- graved on copper and transfers are fur nished to the state, at the expense of the state. for printing such editions of the map as may be required for state use. The cost of all this to the state is com paratively small.
 There being no fund available on the part of the state except such as could be spared out of the regular geological survey appropriation. the cooperation in the preparation of the map of the gas field has necessarily been on a small scale, since only about 5000 could be used for the purpose without seriously crippling the other regular work of the geological survey. Thus the extent of the map prepared under this agreement for cooperation is limited. 1t embraces an area about six miles by 10. around the productive gas wells. On this map will be shown by appropriate colors O the exact plan of every road, lane, path, railroad, street. dam. public boundary, name, etc., printed in black. In addition to these there will be shown the position of all houses and the outlines of all wood ed areas, and the ownership lines. This last-named feature will be very greatly appreciated by every one making use of the map, because from 1t the ownership of any particular tract may be seen at a glance CD The hydrography or water,
 
 streams, swamps, marshes, reservoirs, springs, etc. (3) The relief or surface forms printed in brown, including the shapes of the hills, valleys and ravines, and their elevations and depressions, and the slopes of every rise or fall in the sur face of the land. (D Printed in some other color, probably red, will be contour lines showing the structure of the underlying oarboniferous rocks, which bear the gas, and we hope petroleum also.
 The value of these last named structure contours will be appreciated when one considers the fact that such contours will at once suggest the most promising places for the location of future borings, and are thus calculated to save vast sums of money which would certainly be wasted by putting down the borings where the structure was distinctly unfavorable for accumulation of oil and gas. As mat ter of course, no one could promise that every boring put down where the struc- ture was favorable would be successful, but at least borings in the unfavorable To- cations could be avoided. This co-opera- tive work has been going on for the past month or six weeks. Most of the field work is completed and 1t is hoped that the first copy of the map will be avail able some time soon, probably before the first of February, when 1t is hoped they will prove of great service to future pros- pectors. But this map would embrace an area of only about 60 square miles, which Is very small proportion of the area in which, by all analogy, oil and gas might reasonably be expected to occur. If the use of this mop should be found profitable. there will naturally be de- mand for similar maps in other parts of the state of similar geological structure.
 The extent to which this system of CO., operative mapping may be carried in any state Is fixed by the amount which the state Is willing to appropriate for the pur- pose since the United States geological survey Is ready and willing to cooperate with any state by expending for the field work annually a sum equal to that which the state itself will set apart for the same purpose. Many states have appro- priated sums varying from $100oO to $50, 1000 annually for cooperation, and in that manner have secured splendid maps of | their territories in comparatively short | time.
 | A number of years ago when maps of certain areas were absolutely needed by | the Alabama survey, as a basis on which to show the geology, the state survey set apart 5000 annually for cooperation for
 several years, securing in this way the required maps of parts of Coosa, Fillmore, | quickly evident that the small amount
 used each year in this way could not be economically expended, and this CO., operative work was by mutual consent | suspended. The smallest amount which I could be economically used for this top cgraphic mapping would be $10,000 annual | ly for field work that is, s5O00 each from the state and the national surveys But even with this amount the mapping would progress very slowly. A far more satis- factory result could be reached by the
 annual expenditure of s2O0Oo to be con tributed one-half by each of the organiza- | tions mentioned.
 | Up to the present time only about one-
 third of the area of Alabama has been mapped and most of the earlier maps | will have to be resurveyed and brought up to the present standard of excellence l Outside of the mineral district not a sin | gle sheet has yet been surveyed. With
 out cooperation with the state 1t will be
 many years, nay, generations, before the whole area of the state will be mapped l With cooperation the completion of the map can be expedited to any extent de- | sired It all depends on what the state | is willing to contribute for the joint work
 The usefulness of these maps Is not by
 any means confined to the prospector for gas and oil. but extends to nearly every
 department of human activity, among l which may be mentioned the following: l 1. Educational (a) By promoting an ex- act knowledge of the country (b) by
 serving teachers and pupils in geograph- ic studies
 2. Practical AS preliminary maps foI
 planning engineering projects. Highways
 electric roads, railroads, aqueducts, and sewerage plants may be laid out on them
 and the cost of the preliminary surveys | lx<. raA nF k,t~ C..