South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-31
BIOLOGIST URGES
STATE SURVEY
Topographic Maps of General
Resources Would Aid
Industries.

In view of encouraging new indus
try and to materially assist present
industry in varied form Is well as
commercial, agricultural, engineer
ing and individual endeavor, it is in
tensely essential that a complete top
ographical survey of Indiana be
made and a map setting forth facts
in minute detail compiled, argues
DR.. W. NJ. Logan, state geologist and
professor in economic geology at In
diana university. in a report TO the
department of conservation.
The necessity for a complete
topographic survey of Indiana seems
to me imperative says DR.. Logan.
Almost every line of industrial de-
velopment utilizing the natural re-
sources Of the state are dependent
upon some information Contained in
the topographic map and where such
information is not at hand, it must
be obtained at great expense and
generally TO the disbursement OF
industry"
Indiana had not Invested any
money in topographic mapping until
in 1919 when maps were compiled of
SO square miles each in the counties
of Lawrence and Martin. This in
face of the fact that Ohio has been
completely mapped and all of the
surrounding states have large areas
mapped.
Present System.
In many instances now the facts
presented by the topographic map
must be secured for the same area
by several Industries or departments.
This duplication of work is far more
expensive than the cost Of the map
ping which provides data in a per
manent form accessible to all de-
partments and industries. For in
stance in the same area the farmer
may wish TO drain his land. or secure
d supply of deep we'll water: the
county or state TO build a road; the
miner 10 locate the depth of a coal
bed; the quarryman 10 quarry stone f;
the railroad to build a spur or ex-
tend its main line; the hOmeseeker TO
buy a farm; the tax commission TO
equalize taxes on land; the assessor
to determine a correct valuation;
fish and game department to pre-
vent the useless draining OF valuable
lakes; the meteOrolOgist to deter
mine areas subject to early or late
troSts; the geolOgist TO map the geo
logical strata; the soil expert to me- y
q hn IN
sight-seer to locate points of inter
est; the instructor to teach local geo
graphy; the military college to teach
military tactics: the forester TO To-
cate existing forests and lands suit
able for fOrests-all must use the
data which is presented by the top
ographic map.
Locates Boundaries
The typographical map as pro-
posed for Indiana locates the bound
aries or sections, townships and
counties. 1t locates the towns, cities,
even streets in the cities in their
proper position. 1t locates roads,
wagon and rail. churches, school
houses. mines and quarries. bridges
and streams. 1t locates lakes, ponds
and marshes 1t DISTINGUISHES level
lands from rough lands, and bottom
lands from high lands, and shows
by means of contour lines the eleva-
tion of the land area above sea level
and above or below neighboring
lands.
The cost of mapping the average
15-fOot quadrangle in Indiana is
about $4,000. The cost is least in
the level areas such as exist in the
glaciated portion Of the state and
highest in the unglaciated area
where the topography is more rug
ged and forests more abundant. BY
cooperating with the United states
geological survey half the expense of
the mapping will be borne by the
federal government. The government
also will pay the expense of printing
the maps.