68 



EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY. 



lu compliance with the custom which has grown' up of including a 

 summary of the yearly operations of the Geological Survey in the an- 

 nual report of this Institution, a statement furnished by Maj. J. W. 

 Powell, the Director of the Survey, is appended hereto. 



The last report which was made was for the calendar year 1884; and 

 the present account is for the following eighteen months. 



During each of the years under review, the appropriations for the 

 Survey were substantially the same, and tbe organization was practi- 

 cally unchanged. 



As heretofore, detailed statements of tbe operations of the Survey 

 will be found under the headings of Geography, Geology, Paleontology, 

 and Miscellaneous Work, the latter including chemistry and physics, 

 mining statistics and tecbnology, and library and documents. 



GEOGRAPHY. 



At the date of the last report a statement was made under the vari- 

 ous subdivisions of this heading of the areas which had been surveyed 

 in tbe different States and Territories. Including those, and the areas 

 subsequently surveyed during tbe fiscal year ending June 30, 1885, the 

 chief geographer of the Survey, Mr. Henry Gannett, reports a total of 

 57,508 square miles. A glance at tbe appended table will show the 

 distribution of these areas, the scale of publication adopted, and tlie 

 contour interval: 



Area. 



Massacliiisetts 



New Jersey 



Appalachian region 

 Missouri-Kansas . . . . 

 Texas 



Scale of pub 

 lication. 



Plateau region 



Yellowstone Park . . 

 Northern California 



Total 



0-2500 



6250O 



1'25«00 



125000 



125000 



250000 



12.5000 



250000 



Contour 

 interval. 



Feet. 



20 



20 



100 



50 



50 



200 



1(10 



200 



Area. 



Sq. m. 



1,250 



1,268 



17,640 



13,600 



4,000 



15,000 



1,(>00 



3, 750 



57, 508 



The average cost of tbe work for the year was about 

 mile. 



per square 



