Geology and Mineralogy. 225 



II. Geology and Mineralogy. 



1. United States Geological /Survey. Twenty-seventh Annual 

 Report, 1905-1906, of the Director, Charles D. Walcott. 

 Pp. 104, pis. 24. — This report contains a detailed account of the 

 work done daring the fiscal year in the geologic, topographic, 

 hydrographic, publication and administrative branches. It is of 

 interest to note the amount of the appropriations to the several 

 divisions, as these are in some measure indicative of the lines 

 along which the work of the Survey is being at present chiefly 

 pushed. The plan of operations for the year involved an 

 expenditure of $1,513,482.30; $202,000 were also allotted to a 

 special investigation of the fuel resources of the United States, 

 the necessary equipment being maintained in Forest Park, at St. 

 Louis. A small allotment of $12,500 was also made for the test- 

 ing of structural materials. 



The Director recommends an increase in the appropriation for 

 geology of $50,000, it being important, for example, that the 

 present small owners of lands holding iron-ores should, in view 

 of the buying up of ore lands by large corporations, be able to 

 obtain reliable information regarding the occurrence and value of 

 iron-ore deposits. The Government itself is directly interested, 

 since extensive deposits of iron-ore occur upon the public lands. 

 Further " the Government is the largest holder of coal lands in 

 the world. These lands have up to the present been on the 

 market, yet the Govei*nment has spent less in determining the 

 value of its property than many private companies. It has been 

 demonstrated that many millions of dollars can be saved to the 

 Government by a geologic examination of its coal lands at a cost 

 of less than 1 per cent of the amount saved." 



The urgent requests for topographic maps also have led the 

 Director to recommend an increase of $50,000 for the topo- 

 graphic branch, the total asked for being $400,000. The hydro- 

 graphic branch was hampered by the reduction during the past 

 year of the appropriation from $200,000 to $150,000. It is hoped 

 in view of the value of an accurate knowledge of the water sup- 

 ply of the country that this appropriation may be restored to its 

 original amount. By June, 1906, the connection of the Reclama- 

 tion Service with the Geological Survey had practically ceased, 

 this service having now become sufficiently established on its own 

 footing. 



Under the subject of General Scientific Investigations is to be 

 noted progress in the preparation of a geologic map of the whole 

 United States on a scale of 1 : 2,500,000, and, in cooperation with 

 the Governments of Canada and Mexico, a geologic map of North 

 America on the scale of 1 : 5,000,000. As in previous years, 

 $8(),()00 were spent in the investigation of Alaskan geology and 

 mineral resources. j. b. 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Fourth Series, Yol. XXIII, No. 185. — March, 1907. 

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