756 CONSERVATION 



order to furnish a basis for a requisite Waterways Plan, was in a state of 



thorough knowledge of topography. doubt or open hostility. 



The Geological Survey is construct- And there are still other problems to 

 ing a complete topographical map of solve. Experts must be called, each to 

 the United States, in sheets of about make his contribution toward the solu- 

 250 square miles, one of which is tion of the difficulties offered, from the 

 issuing every third day. Nearly 2,000 Mississippi Delta through to Lake 

 of these sheets have already been Michigan, and again from the muddy 

 engraved, and already more than one- waters back to the very snow-drifts 

 third of the United States has been whence flow its primal supplies. There 

 covered. This will be as complete a will be chemical problems, physical 

 map as any in the world. It is the aim problems, geological problems, botan- 

 to do this work so thoroughly that one ical problems and engineering problems, 

 may be able to trace the course of There will be projects of swamp and 

 every stream, and locate every mountain sanitary drainage, the making of reser- 

 and hill, with accurate knowledge of voirs for the developing of water power 

 steepness and altitudes with reference and for impounding potable waters and 

 to making it equally valuable to the waters for irrigation and navigation 

 engineers of irrigation or drainage sys- supplies. There will be other works 

 terns or railroad extension, as well as to for protecting slopes, river banks, bot- 

 help the farmer who may wish to drain torn lands, valleys, and plains, and for 

 a swamp. To this sort of information conserving their soils, and many other 

 the Geological Survey adds data, not details and problems and all of them 

 only regarding rocks and soils exposed subsidiary to the great geographical con- 

 to the surface, but with remarkable ception of opening up and artificializing 

 accuracy shows what may be found at and controlling the entire interior em- 

 hundreds or even thousands of feet in pire of the United States and Canada, 

 depth. tributary to the Mississippi and the 



The mapping of the catchment basins Great Lakes. The Idea of state control, 



presents problems which are both topo- and the realization of the ethical possi- 



graphic and geologic. The determina- bilities under certain phases of state 



tion of the geologic structure of the ownership, have grown more during the 



depth of water horizon and of the depth Roosevelt administration than in all the 



of flow of each water well are all of rest of the history of the United States 



great value in outlining artesian areas, put together. 



whose charts are reduced to folios That Mr. Roosevelt has been able to 



which include topographic, geologic. accomplish so much of a definite and 



and economic data, and are issued by concrete nature which was dependent 



the Geological Survey. upon the technical surveys and investiga- 



It must be remembered that before tions of thousands of scientific experts, 

 anything definite was done, practically and get this vast mass of material to- 

 the whole problem had to be stated. An gether and mapped out and organized 

 enormous preparatory work of scien- and digested and transmuted into its 

 tific investigation must be laid down be- proper engineering channels ; that he 

 fore the engineering work of construe- has been able practically to educate the 

 tion could be even begun. To be sure, Nation on the subject, or put it in the 

 a great deal was already at hand, but in way of being educated ; that he has 

 many fields it was pitifully inadequate. been able not only to get so many con- 

 One must remember, also, that before crete engineering works accomplished. 

 Mr. Roosevelt's administrations began, but that he has been able to inaugurate 

 public opinion in the United States as so much of ethical legislation, and 

 to the Government taking the initative, ethical administration, straight away in 

 or assuming the responsibility of a great the line of the enlargement "and morali- 

 project like the Reclamation Service or zation of the sphere of the State and 

 the Forest Service, or the Inland the extension of the sovereignty of the 



