THE OUTLOOK FOR GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY 



F. W. De Wolf, State Geological Survey, Urbana. 

 1. Experiences of the War 



Before speaking of the outlook in geology and geogra- 

 phy it will be worth while to consider briefly some applica- 

 tions of these sciences to war activities in the several 

 armies. 



The usefulness of geology and geography in the war is 

 not generally realized. Indeed their possible use, either 

 directly or indirectly, seemed unlikely to those in respons- 

 ible charge of the American program, until the scientists 

 themselves had by persistence shown that these earth 

 sciences have mam- practical applications to warfare, and 

 to those home industries necessary to sustain the army and 

 the nation. However, the government accepted these pro- 

 fessional services gradually ; rapidly in some lines and 

 slowly in others. The strenuous efforts made by groups 

 and by individuals to bring this about would make a most 

 interesting and entertaining story if it could be fully 

 written. It is enough to say of the efforts, that they suc- 

 ceeded to a marked degree before active fighting stopped, 

 and that geologists and geographers were giving increasing 

 service with the following agencies : the field army, the 

 military intelligence, the officer training camps, the war 

 industries, war trade, and shipping boards, the fuel admin- 

 istration, and the House commission engaged in preparing 

 for the peace conferences. The work of these men made a 

 splendid impression, and a brief statement covering some 

 of it will be enlightening. 



Of first importance was the making of accurate topo- 

 graphic maps of large scale for control of artillery fire. 

 About one hundred commissioned topographers from the 

 L'. S. Geological Survey were engaged in the work on the 

 American lines, and in cooperation with the French. A 

 map-printing plant, larger than the combined plants in 



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