GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



403 



Hayden and Powell, so that each should make 

 geographic and geologic surveys in an inde- 

 pendent district, the former assuming exclusive 

 charge of all investigations in natural history, 

 and the latter of investigations in ethnology. 

 Unfortunately, t ms adjustment could not in- 

 clude the work of Lieut. Wheeler, since he be- 

 longed to another executive department, and 

 reported to a different chief. The Engineer 

 Bureau elaborated a plan for the preparation of 

 an atlas of the entire district, each atlas sheet 

 representing a rectangular area bounded by 

 certain meridians and parallels ; and the work 

 of Lieut. Wheeler was planned with reference 

 to those sheets. The Secretary of the Interior 

 determined upon a similar plan for the division 

 of the country into rectangular areas of some- 

 what different size, and bounded by different 

 meridians and parallels, and he assigned certain 

 of these areas to the organization under Dr. 

 Hayden, and certain others to that under Ma- 

 jor Powell. This duplication of plans, and the 

 rivalries associated with it, were recognized by 

 Congress as seriously prejudicial to a work 

 which all desired to see carried forward. Va- 

 rious proposals were entertained from time to 

 time to abolish all but one of the organizations, 

 and give to that one exclusive- possession of the 

 field, and, though none of these prevailed, the 

 corps were greatly embarrassed by the uncer- 

 tainty of their tenure. Each was seriously 

 tempted to make haste in publication, at the 

 expense of thoroughness, so as to enable Con- 

 gress and the public to appreciate that work 

 was actually being performed by it ; and each 

 was restrained by similar considerations from 

 the formation of far-sighted, economic plans 

 for its future work. Congress, doubting its 

 own ability to select from the three the one 

 best qualified to conduct the entire work, final- 

 ly appealed to the National Academy of Sci- 

 ence, the official adviser of the Government in 

 scientific matters. After giving full considera- 

 tion to the subject, the Academy reported an 

 elaborate plan for the unification of the work, 

 and a considerable portion of this plan was 

 eventually adopted. On the 3d of March, 1879, 

 tho existing organizations were abolished by 

 law, and a new one was instituted under the 

 title of the United States Geological Survey. 

 This survey was made a bureau of the Interior 

 Department, and the appointment of its chief, 

 who received the title of Director, was vested 

 in the President of the United States. Geo- 

 logic investigation was thus, for the first time, 

 clearly recognized as a function of the General 

 Government, and the legislation in regard to it 

 was made impersonal. On the 21st of March, 

 Mr. Clarence King was named the first director 

 by President Hayes. After two years of serv- 

 ice he tendered his resignation, and the present 

 director, Major J. W. Powell, was appointed by 

 President Garfield. 



The wording of the creative law left room 

 for doubt whether the functions of the new 

 survey applied to the entire country, or only 



to the lands belonging to the Government; 

 and, as the initial appropriation of funds was 

 small, the more restricted field was accepted 

 for the survey. Three years later the wording 

 of the law was so modified as to render the 

 authority for a general work unmistakable, and 

 operations were extended to the entire country. 

 While this change was pending there was a 

 free discussion, both in and out of Congress, of 

 the proper functions of a geological survey, of 

 the power of the General Government to exe- 

 cute such a work, and of the general princi- 

 ples that should regulate the governmental 

 endowment of research. The principles that 

 finally determined the action of Congress, and 

 the subsequent action of the director of the 

 survey, were the following : It is not advisable 

 to render state aid to researches that can be 

 conducted equally well by individuals, but the 

 Government may properly and advantageously 

 carry on scientific investigations that, by rea- 

 son of their magnitude and expense, can not be 

 prosecuted by individuals. As between the 

 General Government and the individual States, 

 it is wise to leave with the States the special 

 geologic inquiries that are of local interest 

 and importance, but the General Government 

 should undertake those greater problems whose 

 solution demands the combination of observa- 

 tions made in many States. 



In determining the scope of the work to be 

 performed, geology was made the prime object ; 

 paleontology and lithology were recognized as 

 subordinate branches of geology. Biology and 

 meteorology were excluded as subjects of in- 

 vestigation, although recognized as affiliated 

 sciences, whose accepted principles must form 

 the basis of many conclusions in paleontology 

 and general geology. Geography was given a 

 prominent place, because good maps are essen- 

 tial to thorough geologic study and the proper 

 presentation of geologic facts. 



Internal Organization. The survey having 

 been given a satisfactory status, the problems 

 of internal organization occupied the attention 

 of its chiefs. One of these problems was the 

 proper basis to employ in the subdivision of 

 the work. For some reasons it appeared best 

 to make the p'rincipal units of organization 

 geographic areas, and for other reasons to 

 classify by subjects of investigation. The for- 

 mer basis was adopted with slight exceptions. 

 The field of operations was divided into a small 

 number of districts, and a geologist was placed 

 in charge of the work in each, supervising all 

 that was done in stratigraphy, volcanism, pa- 

 leontology, lithology, economic geology, and 

 geography. It was soon found, however, that 

 although the districts were exceedingly large, 

 each of them was too small for the satisfactory 

 conduct of the most important investigations 

 instituted within it. The demands of the work 

 led to a practical abandonment of the lines of 

 demarkation. It was found also that the at- 

 tention of the geologist in charge of each di- 

 vision was so distracted by the variety of work 



