Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-13
>HE United States geological
survey has furnished Ill Off
GERS and 175 field assistants to

GERS ana 40 Ilelu ASSISTANTS TO
the United States Army. This
trained corps of topographic engineers
and scientific men. aggregating 2s6
officers and non CONS, constitute the
i.k of the map-making arm of the
nerican eXpeditionary forces.
The war service record of the sur
vey. and especially of it's topographic
branch. the personnel of which was
changed overnight from peaceful citi-
zens into busting men in khaki, is
probably unequaled by any other bu-
reau of the federal government.
The Topographic branch has been
training it's corps for thirty years or
more in all parts of the United States,
sincluding Alaska and Hawaii They
Ehave been making topographic maps
sthe kind of maps that are absolutely
necessary on any battle front.
Il The corps has never been large, yet
sits members have accurately mapped
s42 per cent Of the United States. When
sfhe officers reserve corps act became
"a law in the summer of 1916 there
Were only 1877 topographic engineers
and 800 field assistants In this branch
sof the survey, yet IS per cent of these
engineers applied for and most of
them received commissions before
war was declared. Only a very few of
sJhe men, who had some minor physi-
cal defect, failed to receive them.
q X X
D The field assstants-rodmen record
sers, chainmen and the like-went into
sfhe service as privates. Many of these
smen We're college graduates, and some
soon became sergeants and corporals,
while few have since been commits
Stoned.
II Three-fourths of these survey Of
ulcers are to be found close to the
Hbattle line in France. One is a major
#on Gen. Pershing's staff. The re-
Smainder are in the United States I'M
sfler the command of Lieut.. Col. Rob-
Cert B. Marshall, chief geographer of
@the geological survey, who Is in
charge Of all military mapping being
zzdone by the survey for the War De-
APARTMENT.
3 Col. Marshall, who is one of the
worlds greatest authorities on geog-
3sraphy and topographic mapping, has
Ssbeen a member of the topographic
Ibranch for twenty-nine years and for
sthe past ten years chief geographer
xof the survey. His work has taken
him all over the United States, and
even to Hawaii. It's swamps, deserts
5sand mountain peaks are as familiar
gto him as the average citizens back
yard is to the latter. Eighteen years
IOf Col. Marshalrs service was in the
west, principally in California:
VI Another survey officer who IS per
@forming yeoman service in training
mapping for Pershing's army is Capt.
a. Il. Daniel of Washington, who is
shead of the school of surveying, map
are production and ranging at Camp
Humphreys. Before entering the
Army he was in the employ of the
sasurvey for twenty-five years, rec
ssprd for length of service only ex-
ceeded by Col. Marshall.
"A Most Of the field assistants of the
Topographic branch, who entered the
Sfe giment and are now in France, and
fSome of them, no doubt, were with
5Lieut. kosta Mudd of La Plata, Md,
sSone Of the survey officers VINO Won
Sthe croix de guerre while mapping
.as,nder fire. This officer, who nearly
&lost a leg at the time, was severely
Nv ounded. but he continued to direct
dhe work with which he was charged
On the face of hot fire from the enemy.
Il The existence Of the survey, with
espe cially trained body of topograph-
&c engineers and scientific men,, has
Sorovided the basis for the supply or
smilitary mappers for the American
sArmy. Although organized for pur-
suits of an entirely peaceful nature
gthcir training was such that they
sCould be transformed over night into
4inilitary units capa bic of rendering
invaluable service to their country,
II Long years of training and expert
ence are necessary to make the fin
ished topographic engineer, and five
minutes talk with any seasoned cam
Spaigner of the western front Will suf-
sfice @ convince even the most skep-
ticaltical that there are no more impor-
liant men in our Army than the engi-
neer officers who have been commits
Stoned from the geological survey.
II The training of the military map
pers of our modern armies does not
differ in principle from that received
by the topographic engineer; both
must be woodsmen. water witches,
Elders, swimmers, good shots, fisher
men, pathfnders, living compasses,
and withal good, common sense scion
tilic men, for in their daily work
they may be called on to do anything
from the least square adjustment to
Crying fish, washing the clothes and