OCTOEEE 26, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



533 



Before doing so, however, I wish to lay the plans 

 before you and ascertain if it is not possible to 

 make some arrangement whereby the work done 

 by you as state geologist of Arkansas can be 

 utilized. 



As a basis for practical cooperation the follow- 

 ing plan is suggested, 



1. That all notes and maps in your possession 

 pertaining to the Arkansas coal field be turned 

 over to this Survey for use in the proposed in- 

 vestigation ; 



2. That this material be used by the geologic 

 parties so far as practicable in making a careful 

 resurvey of the field, special attention being given 

 to the economic features, and 



3. That the results of this work be published 

 by the United States Geological Survey in such 

 form as may be decided upon, with the geology 

 either shown upon the topographic base, upon the 

 scale of 1:62500 as at present engraved, or on 

 some reduced scale. 



It will be understood that in all reports deal- 

 ing with this region full credit shall be given to 

 you and to the Arkansas Survey for the geologic 

 material furnished by you and used in the resur- 

 vey, as well as for the topographic base maps pre- 

 pared by this Survey under a plan of cooperation 

 adopted in 1890. 



Should this plan meet with your approval, 

 kindly let me know at your earliest convenience, 

 as preparations are being made for beginning 

 field work in the early spring. 



Very respectfully, 



Chas. D. Walcott, 



Director. 



(Sub-signature C. W. H.) 



Stanford University, Cal., 



February 9, 1906. 

 Hon. Chas. D. Waixjott, 



Director of the U. S. Geological Survey. 



Dear Sir: I have your letter of January 31 

 (C. W. H., M. R. C. ) regarding a resurvey of 

 the Arkansas coal fields. It goes without saying 

 that I shall be glad to cooperate with the survey 

 in this matter. 



Having planned, directed and done a large part 

 of the work in the coal regions of Arkansas, hav- 

 ing carefully preserved and guarded the results 

 of the survey since it was suspended, and having 

 made several later trips to different parts of that 

 region, I am naturally deeply interested in its 

 geology and in the publication of the report. 



After having done so much work upon it I 

 feel that, by some sort of equity, I ought to be 

 allowed to finish it. For that reason I venture 



to suggest that the U. S. Geological Survey allot 

 what you consider a reasonable sum for the com- 

 pletion of the work under contract with me. 

 Such an arrangement would make it possible to 

 finish the field work during the coming summer 

 and to submit the completed report about March 

 or April, 1907. 



About two thousand five hundred square miles 

 of geology should be gone over, and all openings 

 made since 1889 should be examined, statistics 

 gathered, and maps corrected to date. 



As to the cost I suggest that the assistants 

 whose judgment you rely upon in such matters 

 be asked to make a just estimate of the probable 

 cost of the work if done by some equally com- 

 petent person with details warranting the publi- 

 cation of the maps on a scale of an inch to the 

 mile, and that the amount so agreed upon be the 

 price for which I should do the work. It should 

 furthermore be understood that this price is to 

 cover all expenses of field-work, supervision, prep- 

 aration of the manuscript report, drawings, maps 

 sections, photographs, etc., up to the submission 

 of the report to the editor, and that the survey 

 is to be called upon only for the necessary copies 

 of the topographic maps now in its possession and 

 for such analyses and coking and fuel value tests 

 as may be necessary for the work. 

 Yours respectfully, 



J. C. Branneb. 



U. S. Geological Survey. 

 Washington, D. C, Feb. 16, 1906. 

 Dr. John C. Branneb, 



Stanford University, Cal. 



Sir: The plan of cooperation for the survey of 

 the Arkansas coal field, which you propose in 

 your favor of February 9, in answer to my letter 

 of January 31, seems to differ in no essential 

 particular from those that have been considered 

 in the past and that have not proved acceptable 

 to this bureau. 



We have here a large force of men who have 

 had wide experience for the last 10 or 15 years 

 in coal work in various parts of the country, 

 and also in connection with the Coal-Testing 

 Plant at St. Louis, and we would not care to 

 consider any proposition which would take the 

 survey of the Arkansas coal field out of the con- 

 trol of these men. 



The demands for a resurvey are so great that 

 we feel compelled to enter the field, and, while 

 the work done by you a number of years ago 

 Avould doubtless be of some assistance to us, prac- 

 tically we expect to resurvey the entire region as 

 though no previous surveys had been made. As 



