MEMOIR OF EDWARD ORTON 545 



and reported on by counties, the attention of the principal assistants 

 was given to various special topics. Newberry, who had been divided 

 in residence between Ohio and New York, removed altogether from Ohio, 

 and about the same time Orton's field of college work was removed from 

 Yellow Springs to Columbus. Votes of state money, except for publi- 

 cation, had practically ceased, and it remained only to prepare and 

 print the topical volumes of the series of projected reports. The. edito- 

 rial work gradually devolved on Orton. He also continued to devote 

 much time to field-work, and he came to constitute the survey in fact 

 some years before Newberry relinquished nominal control. Meanwhile 

 the development of various mineral resources, especially the fuels, coal, 

 gas, and oil, created a popular demand for more geologic work, and a 

 third geological survey was finally established under Orton's director- 

 ship. In 1882 he was charged by the legislature with the completion 

 of delayed reports of the second survey, and a year later was appointed 

 State Geologist by Governor Foster. The new organization, restricting 

 attention to the geology and industries of useful materials, assumed the 

 character of a continuous economic survey and has been maintained to 

 the present time. 



Orton's personal contributions to the geology of Ohio began with the 

 details of areal, stratigraphic, and structural geology in the third district. 

 These were described and published in thirteen county reports and two 

 reports on the classification and distribution of strata. His data on 

 various economic materials, accumulated during the areal survey, were 

 supplemented by visits to other parts of the state and were generalized 

 in a series of special papers. Iron ores, building stones, lime, gypsum, 

 clays, rock waters, and coal were thus treated, the discussion of coal 

 being elaborated by horizons and districts. From about the year 1884 

 attention was largely concentrated on natural gas and oil, and as to these 

 Orton soon became a recognized expert. In addition to his voluminous 

 writings on this subject for the Ohio reports, he made a number of con- 

 tributions to scientific and technical journals, and his researches were 

 carried to other states. Chiefly for the purpose of verifying a general 

 theory of the relations of gas, oil, and brine in subterranean reservoirs, 

 he extended the investigation of the natural gas fields in northwestern 

 Ohio so as to include the cognate fields in eastern central Indiana; and 

 he was called by the officers of geological surveys in Kentucky and New 

 York to examine and report on gas and oil fields. 



The earlier part of his geologic work consisted of observation and 

 primary generalization, the determination and record of local phenomena 

 and their arrangement under categories already established. His later 

 work was largely economic, the application of geologic principles and 



