REPORTS OF GEOLOGISTS. XC111 



old shaft about three miles northwest of Eagle Flat Station, from where we 

 began to work the Carboniferous strata and underlying older rocks of this 

 part outlaying from the Carboniferous cliffs of the Sierra Diabolo. 



After Mr. Wyschetzki had finished the topography of the Quitman Moun- 

 tains through the pass, I directed his camp to Allamore, at the northeast slope 

 of the Carrizo Mountains, where we connected the topographical work already 

 done with the 1 05th meridian and began the topography of this mountain group. 

 After this I joined Mr. Taff, whom 1 had directed to go to camp at the pass 

 through the Carrizo towards the Hazel mine and the cliffs of the Sierra Dia- 

 bolo, to compare the metamorphic rocks and brecciatic conglomerations with 

 those farther west, near Eagle Flat. 



Moving the camp farther towards the Diabolo Cliffs, and thence passing the 

 Hazel mine to the Van Horn Pass, intending to take in the east side of the 

 mountains south of the Sierra Diabolo proper. Here the wagon broke down on 

 the rough road. I left Mr. Taff in charge of the camp and went to Toyah, 

 where I took the old wagon left there by Mr. Tarr and sent the same, after 

 some hasty repairs and makeshifts, for Mr. Taff, and being instructed to quit 

 field work I hastened to make arrangements for the storage of instruments 

 and camp outfit at the railway depot at Sierra Blanca, as the safest place in 

 reach, and turned the animals loose at " Uncle Charley's" ranch, where I ex- 

 pect they will find enough water and grass to winter through. 



Having put up rock piles on the level of many horizontal curves at the 

 points at which we left off work, the topographical work (the indispensable 

 base for geological observations in Trans-Pecos Texas) can easily be resumed. 



There are many difficulties to be overcome besides the want of reliable 

 maps; as for instance, the excessive metamorphoses of older deposits, destroy- 

 ing and obliterating all organic remains — metamorphoses evidently due to 

 forces and influences of varied character, acting at different periods and un- 

 der different conditions. Another difficulty is that even if we could neglect 

 the work referring to the economic features, the observations can only be made 

 by sacrificing much time in hunting or waiting for grass and water in one 

 or the other locality, or by putting in the field more expensive outfits for 

 carrying water, etc., than I had at my disposal. Some of the difficultien will 

 be removed by the triangulation of the country along the Rio Grande, which 

 will be started this winter by a United States Coast Survey party, and which 

 will establish a number of points connected with our Texas base and with 

 each other, enabling the geologist for west Texas to work at such points where 

 at different seasons of the year water can be found. We can therefore leave 

 out temporarily the large flats without losing the connections, and study the 

 relations of the mountain ranges and groups closer to the Rio Grande inde- 

 pendently from each other. 



