20 THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



ing importance of this work was further emphasized by the 

 third director of the Survey, Charles D. Walcott, who suc- 

 ceeded Major Powell in 1894. Mr. Walcott, in his first annual 

 report, announced his intention of enhancing the value of the 

 topographic survey for other than geologic purposes and or- 

 dered the representation upon the topographic maps of land 

 subdivision lines and township and section corners in the public 

 land states, and he obtained authority from Congress to print 

 and sell the topographic maps with text for educational pur- 

 poses. 



The desirability of having detailed topographic maps of an 

 area in advance of its geologic or other special investigation 

 resulted, very early in the Survey's history, in the extension of 

 topographic work over large areas that had not been covered 

 by geologic investigations. So extensive and accurate was the 

 topographic work thus performed that it rapidly assumed an 

 importance of its own quite independent of its prospective 

 utilization in connection with the Survey's geologic or other 

 work. In 1888 this condition was recognized by Congress by 

 a specific appropriation for the first time for topographic work, 

 and in the next year by the transfer to the Geological Survey 

 of the work of engraving the topographic and geologic maps 

 — work that had formerly been entrusted to private engrav- 

 ers, under contract with the Government Printing Office. 



In 1896, by a special act of Congress, a new function was 

 temporarily imposed upon the Survey, that of conducting a 

 land subdivision survey. The work was done in the Indian 

 Territory during the years 1896 to 1898. The Director of 

 the Survey reported that this work had demonstrated "that 

 it is more economical to survey large areas in this manner 

 than under the contract system heretofore employed by the 

 Government in its land subdivision surveys. This statement 

 applies to large areas embracing one thousand square miles or 

 more." With respect to smaller areas the Director was of 

 the opinion that the system of employing local surveyors under 

 contract was the more economical. No subsequent land sub- 



