The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1916-06-17
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

begin their summers work. Dur
ing last season in this viclnit'
about so latitude, and longitude pos
itions were determined and TWEEN
ty-fve bench marks were ESTABLISH
ed showing the elevation above
sea level to the nearest foot. 1r
addition to this preliminary work
about 240 square miles was map.
ped This mapped area included
the Bristol range, the Fairview dis
trict, and a portion Of the val
ley on each side of the Bristol
range The scale of the maps in
this vicinity is " inches to the
mile and the contour interval (by
means of which the shapes and ell
evations of the topographic featur-
es are shown is SO feet
During the present season it is
expected that $50 square miles will
be mapped; and roughly, this area
lies between Rose Valley and Dry
Lake Valley on the east and west,
respectively. and between STAN
pede Gap and Panaca on the north
and south, respectively.
To different persons the Geologi-
cal Survey means many different
kinds of work or service To the au-
omobile tourist, for example, it fur
nishes accurate maps showing the
roads that will guide him to his
destination; to the engineer, it
furnishes maps showing the shapes
and heights of the hills and val
legs on which preliminary routes
of road or railroad construction
work can be laid out; to the in
dustry builder who wants to de-
velop water power, it is an author
alive source Of facts about availa-
BILE horse power on rivers and
streams. TO many others the sur
vey Is bureau that studies rocks
and minerals. and especially ore
deposits; and the published results
of these studies are eagerly sought
Ivy the great mining industries Of
tie country.
The U. S. Geological Survey is
pioneer agency in the develop
ment of the country. Its name ex-
presses the scope and character of
it's work as national, scientific and
practical The public desires prac-
tical results and to be successful a
government scientific bureau must
give what the public wants,
What may be called the founda-
ton work of the survey is it's mar
making. 1t employs more than
200 engineers and many more tenn
porary assistants who are en-.
gagged in making topographic
maps of the United States. g
work in which many of the indi
vidual states cooperate with. the
oui wy ONOi SoVV VI tucSc maps
and representing about 40 pei
cent of the area of the United Stat
es. have been published, The map
ping is progressing at the rate o
10000 square miles year.
These topographic maps are print
ed in three colors, so as to distin
guish clearly three kinds of feat
ures shown. Black is used to in
dictate roads, houses and names
the human features of the map
Blue is used to indicate the stream
and lakes and other water features
Brown is used to indicate the hill
and valleys, whose elevations ar
shown by means of contour lines.
The topographic map is in ef
feet an accurate relief model of tn
area mapped; there is no part G
the area shown on the map who's
elevation above sea level is not gi,
en-. 1t is complete dictionary {
attitudes for its entire area. TIL
surveys topographic map is tn
base map, or mother" map of til
country; and when we consids
that one of these maps which show
every physical feature of the are
it covers, every streamlet and hill
every cross-road and farm house |
its exact relative position to all oil
er objects in the area, and that
Is sold by the government at IL
nominal price of ten cents, we ms
wonder that the survey does n,
sell even more than the half millic
maps a year that it does sell.
The permanent records OF Mo,
of this kind are left in the cou
try mapped in the form of ben,
marks-plates giving the elevate
OF the particular spot marked
the nearest foot. These marks a