GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS IN ALABAMA. 28 1 



by the state geologist during this long period, have unquestion- 

 ably since been of benefit to the state, for without such exper- 

 ience on his part the disbursing of large sums and the directing 

 of the work of the enlarged survey, so as to secure the best 

 results and to avoid injudicious expenditures, would have been 

 attended with many perhaps insurmountable difficulties. I might 

 add further that the cost to the state of this preliminary work, 

 as shown above, was small. » 



3) On the other hand, while at the beginning of the work 

 these preliminary reports supplied in a measure the information 

 then demanded, it cannot be denied that the progress of the state 

 in the development of its great resources, especially in the latter 

 part of this period created a demand for much more detailed and 

 special information in certain directions than the survey could 

 supply without some greater expenditure of money. 



Second Decade. — Accordingly, a bill was brought before the 

 General Assembly of 1882-83, providing for an annual appropria- 

 tion of $5,000 for the ensuing ten years, and this bill became a 

 law in February, 1883. Before the expiration of this ten-year 

 limit the amount of the annual appropriation was increased in 

 1891 to $7,500 ; to continue till otherwise ordered by the General 

 Assembly, thus avoiding the necessity of renewed legislation at 

 every meeting. Under these laws assistants were appointed and 

 work assigned as follows . Henry McCalley, in the Warrior Coal 

 Field and subsequently in the Valley regions ; Jos. Squire, in the 

 Cahaba Coal Field ; A. M. Gibson, in Murphree's Valley and the 

 Coal Measures adjacent thereto, and afterwards in the Coosa Coal 

 Field ; the State Geologist, with D. W. Langdon, T. H. Aldrich, 

 and L. C. Johnson, undertook the examination of the Cretaceous 

 and Tertiary formations of the Coastal Plain. Administrative 

 work, the editing of reports, and the preparation of the Geolog- 

 ical Map, have however engrossed a great part of his time. Later, 

 Dr. George Little made an examination of the clays of the Lower 

 Cretaceous ; Dr. W. B. Phillips began the investigation of the 

 Gold region, and Mr. K. M. Cunningham has demonstrated 



