20 SECOND REPORT OF U. S. BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES. 
nent in each case, sifts them, weighs them, and decides what the name 
is and how the Executive Departments are to spell it. Its decisions 
are the "standard authority" for these departments. If they are fol- 
lowed by the newspapers, the schools, the publishers, dictionary 
makers, and private map makers, a long step has been taken toward 
securing the uniformity so much to be desired. 
There are three counties in the United States bearing the Indian 
name Pottawatomie, one each in Kansas and Oklahoma written Pot- 
tawatomie, and one in Iowa spelled Pottawattamie. The Board deems 
it desirable that the spelling of these names should be uniform, but it 
finds here "no unsettled question concerning geographic names" to be 
considered. 
Similarly, five counties, a large city, a river, a mountain range, and 
various minor features bear the name Allegany. The word is spelled 
in three ways, each well established and thus not coming within the 
scope of the Board's functions. In New York State and in Maryland 
there is an Allegany County; in North Carolina and Virginia an Alle- 
ghany County, and in Pennsylvania an Allegheny County. As to 
these respective counties the Board finds no diversity of usage and 
accepts the forms it finds. In the case of the river and mountains it 
finds diverse usage, and for these has adopted the form Allegheny. 
Three counties and ten post-offices in the United States bear the 
name Vermilion. The Board in this case spells the name uniformly 
Vermilion, irrespective of local usage, which is in some cases Ver- 
million, deeming the change so trifling and the gain in uniformit}^ so 
great as to warrant this course. 
The dropping of the " h" at the end of the termination "burg" has 
been uniformly followed by the Board, even where, as in some cases, 
this decision has conflicted with local usage. Thus it writes Lunen- 
burg, Mecklenburg, Orangeburg, Spartanburg, Vanderburg, and 
Williamsburg as the names of counties in Virginia, Indiana, North 
Carolina, and South Carolina. 
Puerto Rico, meaning rich port, is the Spanish name of one of the 
West India islands acquired by the United States in 1898. In 1891 
the Board adopted this form, conforming to the invariable local usage 
of that time and also to the practice of the country having jurisdiction. 
An act of Congress approved April 12, 1900, has established the form 
Porto Rico as the name of the island. 
HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE. 
Cases brought to the Board for decision are at once referred to the 
executive committee for examination and report. This committee 
examines each case, consulting printed authorities, such as mother 
maps, gazetteers, local historians, atlases, etc. Especially does it seek 
after, and it generally obtains, the local usage, to which it attaches 
great importance. Local usage is usually obtained by correspond. 
