SCIENCE 



NEW YORK, DECEMBER 25, 1891. 



THE RELATIONS OP GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS TO SUC- 

 CESSFUL MINING. 1 



The subject assigned to me for presentation to-night is, The 

 Relations of Geological Surveys to Successful Mining. Other pa- 

 pers have been read to you and addresses have been made de- 

 scriptive and eulogistic of the mineral resources of Missouri. It 

 remains for me to present to you how such an organization 

 as I have the honor to direct aids in their development. It 

 gives me pleasure, gentlemen, to appear before you to discuss 

 so fertile a theme as this. I would that I had time to attempt 

 to do it full justice. I feel also gratified in being asked to do 

 so before such a body of mining and business men, because 

 we geologists are often led to believe that, among you busy men 

 of alSEairs, there is sometimes a feeling that a scientist is a poor 

 sort of creature anyhow, who spends his time hunting fossils or 

 learnedly ventilating elaborate theories which nobody knows how 

 to make use of. This we feel, of couree, is all wrong, and espe- 

 cially that you are all wrong, and hence such opportunities as 

 this, whei'e we can stand up and make it quite clear to you how 

 you are all wrong, without your having a chance to reply, are 

 always to be coveted. 



But before we can proceed to do this let us understand what we 

 are going to talk about. First, then, what is meant by the term 

 "mining" in this connection? Mining, strictly speaking, is a 

 process of excavating certain materials from the ground. With 

 such actual mining of ore I must confess that our work has only 

 indirect connection. This must be left to the judgment, energy, 

 and perseverance of the miner, and the success of any mining 

 venture is always largely dependent upon his genius in overcom- 

 ing the difficulties encountered. But over and above this, the 

 magnitude and importance of a mining industry is dependent first 

 upon the nature of the materials mined, and second upon the 

 extent to which those materials are used. I take it, therefore, 

 that the sense in which it is meant that mining shall be considered 

 upon this occasion is the broad one embracing all that is con- 

 cerned, not only with the production of minerals, but. also with 

 their complete utilization; or, briefly, I will define it as the 

 exploitation and the utilization of the mineral possessions of an 

 area. The question now stands, therefore, what are the relations 

 of a geological survey to these ends? To properly answer this it 

 first becomes necessary to consider what are the fundamental re- 

 quirements for the successful exf)loitation and utilization of the 

 materials considered. 



.Manifestly the first thing necessary for the inception of mining 

 is the discovery of the existence of the materials worthy of mining. 

 It seems so perfectly clear that there can be no mining of a mate- 

 rial without the presence of that material, that I would not say 

 even these few words on so self-evident a statement, did not such 

 facts as Missouri's tin mines and Arkansas's gold mines seem to 

 stare me in the face in refutation of my proposition. Still, I will 

 not yield my point, but merely elucidate it by adding that attempts 

 at mining can always be made, as many of you doubtless know to 

 your sorrow, without any foundation whatsoever. 



Second, and next in importance to the discovery of existence 

 for the development and sustenance of a mining industry, is the 

 determination of the quantity and distribution of the material to 

 be mined. A substance may exist, but it may be in such a small quan- 

 tity as to be unworthy of consideration, as are, I fear, the tin ores 

 of the United States. Or it may exist in large quantity, but be 



1 An address delivered by Arthur Wiaslow, State Geologist of Missouri, 

 before the Inter-State Mlulug Convemiou, held In SpringQeld, Mo., Dec. 15-17, 

 1891. 



SO disseminated or diffused as to be unattainable with profit, as is 

 the gold which occurs in places, in the sands of northern Mis- 

 souri. Finally, it may be both in large quantity and concentrated, 

 but inaccessible, either by leason of its existence at excessive 

 depths, as are some coal beds, or by reason of topographic isola- 

 tion or geographic remoteness with absence of means of transpor- 

 tation, as are some of the iron and other ores of this State. 



Third, in addition to the facts of existence and distribution, 

 that mining may attain its fullest vigor and soundest prosperity it 

 is necessary that the quahties and capabilities of the materials be 

 exhaustively determined. This is important in both a negative 

 and a positive way, according to whether the results prevent use- 

 less undertakings or direct enterprise in the right direction. An 

 ore may be abundant and its distribution well known, yet it may 

 be so lean, or so injured by impurities, as to be of low value, or 

 even entirely worthless. A building-stone may be of handsome 

 appearance and may be obtainable from the quarry in large blocks, 

 yet when exposed to the condition of atmosphere and temperature 

 of a large city, it may deteriorate rapidly. A superior clay may 

 be used for ordinarypurposes for which an inferior product would 

 answer just as well, and a determination of its qualities may lead 

 to its increased use for many other purposes, with enhanced 

 value. 



Different coals are put to different special uses. The determi- 

 nation of the essential properties of any one coal will lead to its 

 ultimate use for all the purposes it is best adapted to. An un- 

 common but valuable material may lie neglected in great quanti- 

 ties, simply because its capabilities are not appreciated. This was 

 the case for many years with the anthracite coal of Pennsylvania, 

 which was practically ignored simply because people did not know 

 how to burn it ; a material which is now mined at a rate of nearly 

 fifty million tons per year. 



Fourth, and finally, as a necessary supplement to the dertermi- 

 nation of the existence, distribution, and properties of materials, 

 is the dissemination of the knowledge in a way which will reach 

 those who should know, and in a manner which will command 

 their attention. If the knowledge of the existence of useful ma- 

 terials is confined to an individual or to a small cu-cle, their devel- 

 opment will be slow. The information must reach the right ears 

 for the full effect to obtain; and not only that, it must reach 

 those ears in the right way or it is not credibly received. The 

 world is too full of vague rumors, of bubbles and booms, for 

 startling or even aU rational seeming statements to gain ready 

 credence. People are more inclined to be incredulous of such 

 good news than credulous, unless it is backed by well-known au- 

 thoritj'. 



Thus reviewing what I have said so far, four fundamental re- 

 quirements for the development and sustenance of a substantial 

 mining industry are: 



1. The discovery of the existence of the materials. 



2. The discovery or determination of their quantities and distri- 

 butions. 



3. The discovery or determination of their qualities and capa- 

 bilities. 



4. The proper dissemination of the knowledge of these facts. 



These being granted as fundamentally necessary for the devel- 

 opment of mining, it follows that any work having for its object 

 the accomplishment of these ends is, in intention at least, a con- 

 tributor to the success of such industry. That conclusion follows 

 logically and is necessary ; the degree to which it is a contributor 

 depends upon the extent to which it attains its objects. The re- 

 lations of a geological survey to successful mining will hence be 

 well displayed by a consideration of the manner in which it con- 

 tributes to the four ends specified. 



First, then, with relation to the discovery of the existence of 



