1671 HYDROGRAPHIC MANUAL PaGE 52 



1671. Decisions of the Board 



The full Board is composed of a number of federal employees representing the 

 principal map and chart making agencies and a few representatives of nonfederal insti- 

 tutions.^ 



The decisions of the Board are made by an executive committee of three members 

 whose actions are from time to time reviewed by the entire Board. The decisions are 

 made available in mimeograph form to the persons principally interested soon after they 

 have been made. The decisions made each fiscal year are published in leaflet form, 

 and at long intervals all of the decisions of the Board since its establishment are 

 published complete in one consecutive alphabetical list. The sixth report of the Board, 

 published in 1932, is the latest complete report. 



In general, the Board renders decisions only for cases which are submitted to it by 

 the various federal agencies. The cases fall into three major classifications: first, 

 where difl^erences exist in name, spelling, or application on federal charts, maps, and 

 publications; second, names for which established local usage is found to differ from 

 federal usage; and third, assigned names recommended by a federal agency for heretofore 

 unnamed features. 



Each case involving a name is reported separately on a form to the Board, with 

 all the information which the agency has available relative to the various usages found 

 on maps and locally. 



Many of the early decisions of the Board were rather routine — attention was 

 mainly on variations in spelling, local usage was often not determined, and definitions 

 were incomplete or indefinite^ — the tendency was to base decisions solely on the informa- 

 tion furnished by the agency submitting the case. In recent years each case has been 

 thoroughly investigated by the Board before a decision has been made. A thorough 

 examination of past and present map usage is made, with special emphasis placed on 

 federal map usage. If it has not been done by the submitting agency, the Board also 

 solicits information from local residents who are most likely to be familiar with the 

 facts. Formerly only the proper names were considered by the Board, but current 

 decisions include the generic terms as well. 



The Board follows certain guiding principles, which are not to be considered rules 

 and from which it departs whenever it deems it advisable to do so. The following are 

 some of the more important principles: 



Euphonious and suitable names of foreign or Indian origin should be retained. 



The excessive duplication of extremely common names, especially within one State, should be avoided. 



Newly assigned names in honor of living persons are not approved. 



Long and clumsily constructed names and names composed of two or more words are to be avoided. If a two-word name is essen- 

 tial, consideration is given to combining the two words into one. 



Only one name should be applied to a stream throughout its entire length and the name should generally follow up its longest 

 branch. 



Where practicable, independent names should be given to the branches of a river— such names as East Fork and North Prong 

 being avoided if possible — unless there is thoroughly established usage to the contrary. 



The spelling and pronunciation which is in undisputed local usage should generally be adopted. 



The possessive form should be avoided when it can be done without destroying the euphony of the name or changing its meaning. 

 When the possessive "s" is retained the apostrophe is invariably omitted. 



Where two or more names for the same feature appear to be equally established in local use, that which is most appropriate, 

 euphonious, and older should be adopted. 



There is some misconception regarding the application of a few of the principles. 

 The restriction against naming features in honor of living persons is applicable only in 

 the case of names which are newly assigned to previously unnamed features; the prin- 

 ciple does not apply where names of living persons have become established as geo- 

 gi-aphic names either through local or map usage. A geographic name in undisputed 



I The Board on Geographical Names was reorganized and its staff and the scope of its functions were vastly enlarged in 1943. Its 

 iictivities are under the Secretary of the Interior, and the Board as described in the text serves in an advisory capacity. 



