﻿6 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  what 
  circumstances 
  such 
  natural 
  supplies 
  can 
  be 
  most 
  advan- 
  

   tageously 
  exploited, 
  and 
  have 
  given 
  substantial 
  reasons 
  for 
  

   such 
  determinations. 
  To 
  carry 
  on 
  such 
  work 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  a 
  small 
  

   appropriation 
  was 
  asked 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  legislature 
  and 
  granted 
  by 
  

   it, 
  but 
  was 
  vetoed 
  by 
  the 
  governor 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  that 
  such 
  

   operations 
  should 
  be 
  conducted 
  by 
  private 
  individuals, 
  which, 
  

   as 
  above 
  remarked, 
  is 
  manifestly 
  impracticable. 
  With 
  full 
  reali- 
  

   zation 
  of 
  this 
  impracticability, 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  inaugurated 
  with 
  

   such 
  appropriations 
  as 
  this 
  department 
  had 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   carry 
  it 
  on, 
  a 
  necessary 
  curtailment 
  of 
  expenses 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  

   in 
  other 
  directions. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  therefore 
  to 
  present 
  herewith 
  the 
  very 
  valu- 
  

   able 
  report 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Edward 
  Orton, 
  the 
  state 
  

   geologist 
  of 
  Ohio, 
  who 
  has 
  for 
  years 
  made 
  this 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  special 
  

   study 
  and 
  is 
  recognized 
  as 
  the 
  foremost 
  authority 
  upon 
  it 
  in 
  this 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  countries. 
  

  

  To 
  enable 
  Prof. 
  Orton 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  entire 
  gas 
  field 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  

   in 
  one 
  season 
  he 
  was 
  given 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Irving 
  P. 
  

   Bishop, 
  of 
  Buffalo, 
  who 
  has 
  taken 
  special 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  gas 
  and 
  

   oil 
  fields 
  of 
  western 
  and 
  southwestern 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  has 
  sub- 
  

   mitted 
  an 
  interesting 
  and 
  important 
  report 
  upon 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   his 
  investigations. 
  

  

  In 
  my 
  report 
  for 
  1895, 
  Prof. 
  Charles 
  S. 
  Prosser, 
  of 
  Union 
  col- 
  

   lege, 
  gave 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  and 
  Chemung 
  

   formations 
  in 
  central 
  New 
  York. 
  This 
  report 
  was 
  but 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   liminary 
  statement 
  of 
  his 
  results 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  report 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  his 
  continued 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  formations 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  easterly 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  

   This 
  work 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Prosser 
  is 
  of 
  high 
  value 
  as 
  it 
  affords 
  data 
  

   for 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  line 
  of 
  division 
  between 
  the 
  formations, 
  which 
  

   has 
  for 
  years 
  been 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  obscurity 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   homogeneity 
  of 
  these 
  sediments 
  and 
  the 
  slight 
  variation 
  of 
  the 
  

   characters 
  of 
  the 
  fossils 
  which 
  they 
  contain. 
  

  

  a 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  for 
  Prof. 
  Orton's 
  important 
  paper 
  a 
  more 
  general 
  circulation 
  than 
  it 
  could 
  

   obtain 
  through 
  the 
  medium 
  of 
  this 
  report, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  deemed 
  best 
  to 
  issue 
  it 
  separately 
  as 
  a 
  bulletin 
  

   of 
  the 
  state 
  museum. 
  Therefore 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  this 
  report 
  but 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  incorporated 
  

   with 
  the 
  museum 
  report 
  for 
  the 
  current 
  year 
  [1899] 
  and 
  as 
  Museum 
  bulletin 
  30. 
  

  

  September, 
  1899. 
  John 
  M. 
  Clarke 
  

  

  