Geographic Notes 



163 



considerable areas of the high plateaus 

 on either side. The first of these sheets, 

 known as the Bright Angel, will be 

 available to the public some time this 

 summer. It includes almost all of the 

 scenery visible from the Bright Angel 

 Hotel, familiar to every visitor. The 

 new map will be on a scale of one mile 

 to the inch, and the contour interval 

 will be 50 feet. It will show every pin- 

 nacle, spur, and gully in its true pro- 

 portions, and each line of cliff and 

 terrace may be traced along the canyon 

 walls. 



The dimensions of the Grand Canyon 

 have been the subject of much discus- 

 sion ever since it was first explored. It 

 is therefore interesting to see some of 

 the figures of this latest survey. The 

 average width from rim to rim does not 

 exceed lo miles throughout the Kaibab, 

 or widest section of the canyon, and 

 frequently narrows down to 8 miles. 

 The river does not occupy the middle 

 of the gigantic trough, but flows at a 

 distance varying between 1 and 3 miles 

 from the south side. Practically all of 

 the magnificently sculptured pinnacles 

 and mesas (the so-called temples) lie 

 north of the river, and at distances of 

 from 5 to 7 miles from the view-points 

 usually visited by tourists. The depth 

 of the Grand Canyon, in one way, has 

 been overstated, in another understated. 

 Measured from the south rim, the total 

 depth is considerably less than a mile. 

 From the rim at the Bright Angel Hotel, 

 where the altitude is 6,866 feet above 

 sea-level, to the high-water mark of the 

 river at the foot of the tourist rail, the 

 drop is 4,430 feet. The highest point 

 on the south rim at the Grand View 

 Hotel is 7,496 feet, about 4,900 feet 

 above the river. From the north side, 

 however, the drop to the water level 

 averages considerably over a mile, and 

 in many places even exceeds 6,000 feet. 

 It may be stated in a general way that 

 the north rim is from 1,000 to 1,200 

 feet higher than the south, thus pro- 



ducing that high, even skyline so strik- 

 ing in all views. These figures are 

 based on spirit-levels run in connection 

 with the map work. They are the first 

 that have ever been run to the bottom 

 of the 'chasm, and the high standard of 

 accuracy maintained throughout will 

 cause them to be considered authorita- 

 tive and final. 



GEOGRAPHY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF 

 CHICAGO 



THE University of Chicago has 

 established a Department of 

 Geography, and Prof. Rollin D. Sal- 

 isbury, of the Department of Geology, 

 has been placed at its head. The ar- 

 rangement between the Departments of 

 Geology and Geography is such that 

 Professor Salisbury retains his connec- 

 tion with the former, as heretofore, at 

 the same time that he assumes the head- 

 ship of the latter. The close connection 

 of the two departments appears from the 

 fact that Professor Salisbury will also 

 act as head of the Department of Geology 

 when Professor Chamberlin is not in 

 residence, and Professor Chamberlin 

 will act as head of the Department of 

 Geography in Professor Salisbury's ab- 

 sence. 



The Department of Geology has here- 

 tofore offered courses, both elementary 

 and advanced, in physical geography, 

 and elementary courses in meteorology. 

 Other courses of a geographic character 

 have been offered by other departments, 

 notably geographic botany by the De- 

 partment of Botany, zoogeography by 

 the Department of Zoology, and com- 

 mercial geography by the Department 

 of Political Economy. These courses 

 will continue to be given as heretofore 

 by these several departments, except 

 that meteorology will be under the au- 

 spices of the new department. The new 

 department will not duplicate the geo- 

 graphic courses already given, but will, 

 at the outset, provide courses which 



