234 



The National Geographic Magazine 



A generous grant has been made to 

 establish a "Department of Interna- 

 tional Research in Terrestrial Magnet- 

 ism," to be under the direction of Dr 

 L. A. Bauer. The magnetic storms that 

 have swept around the globe so fre- 

 quently of late, notably on the occasion 

 of the eruption of Mont Pelee, and again 

 in the fall of 1903, when the storm was 

 so violent in the United States that tele- 

 graph communication was for a time in- 

 terrupted, have excited much attention, 

 but our knowledge of the earth's mag- 

 netism is so meager that the cause or 

 origin of these storms can not be ex- 

 plained. Some of the problems which 

 Dr Bauer hopes the new department 

 will be able to investigate are : a mag- 

 netic survey of ocean areas and unex- 

 plored regions, international observa- 

 tions of the variations, observations in 

 ocean depths and atmospheric regions, 

 the correlation of magnetic and electric 

 disturbances with meteorological phe- 

 nomena, etc. Dr Bauer will continue 

 at the head of the magnetic division of 

 the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF 

 THE U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



ABOUT one-third of the United 

 States, 929,712 square miles in 

 all, exclusive of Alaska, have been sur- 

 veyed and mapped by the Geological 

 Survey since its formation in 1 879. The 

 Survey is now sending out each year 

 260,000 volumes, 45,000 geologic folios, 

 and 450,000 maps. It receives an an- 

 nual appropriation from Congress of 

 $1,500,000. 



The detailed map of the United States 

 which the Survey is making is the great- 

 est topographic work in magnitude and 

 detail ever attempted by any govern- 

 ment. The earlier reconnaissance sur- 

 veys were relatively inexpensive, the 

 average cost varying from two to four 

 dollars per square mile. The surveys 

 executed between 1884 and 1890 varied 

 in cost from three to seven dollars per 

 square mile. The more accurate maps 



now made on the larger standard scale 

 of 1 mile to 1 inch vary in cost between 

 ten and twenty- five dollars per square 

 mile, depending upon the character of 

 the topography, the amount of settle- 

 ment, of woods, etc. 



The mapping is, how T ever, but a frac- 

 tion of the Survey's present work. 

 There are many other big tasks with 

 which it is charged — the geologic sur- 

 vey of the United States ; the explora- 

 tion of Alaska ; the reclamation of the 

 West, involving the investment of over 

 $20,000,000 of federal money in irri- 

 gation works; the examination and 

 report on new gold, copper, coal, oil, 

 and other mineral deposits, involving 

 the investment of many millions of pri- 

 vate capital, and the many branches 

 of profound scientific research upon 

 which most of the practical results de- 

 pend. 



On April 2 the Geological Survey 

 celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary 

 of its formation by a dinner in Wash- 

 ington attended by over 300 members 

 of the Survey. Col. H. C. Rizer acted 

 as toastmaster. Speeches were made 

 by Speaker Cannon, Secretary of the 

 Interior Hitchcock, Director Charles D. 

 Walcott, and Dr C. Willard Hayes. 



Others who responded to toasts were 

 G. K. Gilbert, "Scientific Work of 

 the Survey;" S. F. Emmons, "Eco- 

 nomic Work of the Survey;" Henry 

 Gannett, "Topographic Work;" F. 

 H. Newell, " Hydrographic Work;" 

 J. F. Kemp, of the Columbia Uni- 

 versity, New York, "Geologists in 

 Outlying Districts," and George Otis 

 Smith, " The Younger Generation in 

 the Survey." 



SUMMER SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY 

 AND GEOLOGY AT CORNELL UNI- 

 VERSITY 



IN 1903 Cornell University started the 

 original experiment of a summer 

 school of geography, physiography, and 

 geology, designed principally for teach- 

 ers who might wish to combine field 



