THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS OF ARKANSAS. 827 



The bill providing for the continuation of the survey passed 

 in February, 1859; by its provisions the state geologist's salary 

 was raised from $1,800 to $2,500, and an appropriation of $6,000 

 per annum was made for the survey work. Under this act Dr. 

 Owen was again appointed state geologist. Before the next leg- 

 islature convened Dr. Owen died (November 13, i860) and his 

 " Second report of a geological reconnoisance " was edited by 

 his brother, Dr. Richard Owen, and Prof. J. P. Lesley and was 

 printed at Philadelphia in i860. 



Dr. Owen's efforts were devoted entirely to the work of 

 reconnoissance, the first report treating the region north of the 

 Arkansas River, and the second that south of the river. In the 

 main his ideas of the geological structure of the state were cor- 

 rect, and his facts have been of great service in working out the 

 details of the structure and the areal geology. Errors were 

 made, but they were few and unimportant, especially when we 

 take into consideration the limited time and small means at the 

 disposal of the survey. It may be well to mention the more 

 fundamental of these errors, because they have so long been 

 current : 



I. It was thought that the Arkansas coals belonged to the 

 Lower Coal Measures. Coal does occur in the Lower Coal 

 Measures north of the Boston Mountains, and the generalization 

 was made from these beds. The coal of the Arkansas valley is 

 in an altogether different position — near the top of the Coal 

 Measures. 



II. It was thought that the novaculites, now known to be 

 Silurian, were Carboniferous, No fossils had then been found 

 in or near the novaculites. 



III. The theory of northeast-southwest metalliferous veins 

 across the state, although advanced only as " probable," led to 

 much searching for silver and lead, much loss of time and 

 money, and to much disappointment. 



The civil war broke out shortly after the publication of 

 Owen's second report, and all such work was necessarily sus- 

 pended in the southern states. No steps were taken to finish 



