The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-21
u. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
AT WORK IN VIRGINIA.
Investigations Being Carried in the Fields of Geology
Water Resources and Topographic Mappng-A
Work of Great Importance

The State Of Virginia is receiving
considerable attention curing the
present field season from the en-
gineers, biologists. and mapmakers
of the United States geological sur
vey. The field force of the survey v
organized into geologic, topographic.
and water resources branches. In
connection with the governments
geologic Investigations In Virginia, the
growing commercial importance, with
consequent railroad building and
opening of mines. Of the Southwest
ern Virginia coal field. has made It
necessary to map and describe In de-
tail not only the areas previously I'M
studied, but also those on which geo.
logic maps and folios were published
during the early work Of the survey
in the southern Appalachian coal
fields. The present Investigations
have been initiated and are being car
ried on In cooperation between the
federal survey and the State geo.
logical survey Of Virginia, Thomas L.
Watson, State geologist. and the maps
will be on the scale of approximately
one mile to one inch, the geologic
work being done in conjunction with
the topographic mapping The area
known as the Pound quadrangle, sit
uated in Wise and Dickinson coun-
! ties. Va, and Letcher county. KY,
and part of the Clintwood quad
rangle, in Dickinson, Wise and Buc-
hanan counties, Va, were mapped last
year, The topographic map OF the
Pound quadrangle will be issued dur
/ ing this year, while the field work in
the ClIntwood quadrangle will be nm
ished and work commenced in tho
Regina and Bucu ouadrangles. which
include portions Of Dickinson, Buc-
/ hanan, and Russell counties. In these
quadrangles the geologic mapping
and the study of the stratigraphy. by
Henry Hindu assisted by ], H. Harms
berger for the State. is progressing
with a precision and refinement of de-
tail which promise to place the work
of the survey on a basis even higher
than it had previously attained in the
Eastern coal fields.
j Additional economic observations.
+ together with further palcontologic
/ Investigations. will be made in the
Abingdon quadrangle. lying mostly
! In washington, Russell. Smyth and
Grayson counties. Va. for use In the
preparation of folio descriptions and
maps and for correlation of the for
nations of this region with those in
other parts Of the Appalachian trough
and the United States. The phosphate
deposits discovered by G.. w. Stose
In this region, as recently announced,
are not to be regarded as commercial
ly workable at present, though 1t ~
not improbable that, as time goes on
and the draft in our fertilizer re-
sources becomes more and more ur-
gent these beds may some day be
utilized al least for local supply.
Surveys for Topographic Maps
In addition to the cooperative
work topographic surveys are being
made OF the Eagle Rock quadrangle,
in Allegheny and Botetourt counties
All these ouadrangles have an APP
proximate area of 2s7 square miles
each The Ciintwood. Regina, and
Bucu ouadranEles are being topo.
graphically mapped by Topographor1
~. l. Gayetty, G. W. Arnold. H. s.
Senseney, and r. w. Farnsworth. and
the Eagle Rock by r f Slaug Inter.
This work will include the detailed
surveys necessary to prepare map
which will show all rivers, towns,
roads, and railroads as well as tho
surface relief of the country by means
of ffty-foot contour lines. The COM
pleted maps viii be engraved on the
scale of one mile to one inch and will
probably not be ready for distrihu-
ton until two years after the COM
pletion of the field work.
Work on Water Resources.
4 The water resources branch of the
geological survey is making invests
cations of the water resources OF Vir-
ginia with SPECIAL reference to the
flow of surface waters. For this pur-
pose thirteen gaging stations are
maintained, located ,n Big Rood Is
land creek. near Allisonia: Little
river. near Copper Valley; New river.
at Radford: Reed creek, at Graham's
Forge: Walker creek, at Staffords-
Vile; Wolf creek. near Narrows:
Goose creek. near Leesburg; James
river, at Gainesville; James river.
at Buchanan; James river. at Hol-
comb Rock; Rappahannock river.
near Fredericksburg, Roanoke river.
at Roanoke; Occoauan creek, near
Occoquan. The first eight OF these
stations are maintained entirely from
survey funds; the Buchanan station
Is maintained in cooperation with the
United States weather bureau and the
remaining four in cooperation with
private persons. AT these gaging sta
tons the height or stage OF the rivers
lis determined each day by local OBJ
servers, and measurements of the dis
Icharge of the streams are made by
engineers of the survey when feasible.
From these data the quantity OF wa
ter flowing past the stations is de-
termined These data are of imme-
diate use in Virginia in connection
with the design construction, ana
Il maintenance of power plants, in
studies of river regulation, flood cons
strol. and water storage. and in the de-
Termination of suitable water supplies
for municipalities
i The investigations of surface water
carried on by the United States geo.
logical survey in the western part OF
Virginia are being made under the dt-
rection OF A. Fl. Horton. district en-
gineer, and in the eastern portion hy
10 C. Stevens. c. l.. Batchelder, and
NJ /. Walters. The Office Of Mr.. Hcr-
ton at Newport. KY. has been close0
Temporarily and it's work Is being
carried on from Washington, d. G. NJ
INSANE DAUGHTER