ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE I. Map of United States, showing areas covered by topographic surveys. II. Map of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control Page. 30 32 III. Map of Florida, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control.. 32 IV. Map of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control V. Map of Kentucky and Tennessee, showing progress of topographic 34 VI. Map of Minnesota, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control. 36 VII. Map of Nebraska and Kansas, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control... VIII. Map of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control IX. Map of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control X. Map of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, showing prog- 40 XI. Map of Michigan and Wisconsin, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control.. 42 XII. Map of North Dakota and South Dakota, showing progress of topo graphic surveying and primary control 46 XIII. Map of Arizona and New Mexico, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control.... 46 XIV. Map of northern California, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control........ 46 XV. Map of southern California, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control............. 46 XVI. Map of Colorado, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control.. 48 XVII. Map of Idaho, showing progress of topographic surveying and pri mary control... 48 XVIII. Map of Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and northern Texas, showing XX. Map of southern Texas, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control.. 48 48 48 5 Page. PLATE XXI. Map of Nevada and Utah, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control 50 XXII. Map of Washington and Oregon, showing progress of topo- 50 XXIII. Map of Wyoming, showing progress of topographic surveying and primary control XXIV. Map of United States, showing location of principal river stations maintained during 1903-4. TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. CHARLES D. WALCOTT, Director. INTRODUCTION. During the last fiscal year the character of the work and the organization of the force remained substantially the same as described in the Twenty-sixth Annual Report. Accounts of the work performed in geology and paleontology, chemistry and physics, topography and geography, and hydrography, hydrology, and hydro-economics, as well as in the lines of publication and administration, will be found on later pages. Appropriations and allotments.—A plan of operations, including an itemized statement of the appropriations, amounting to $1,513,482.30, and the allotments thereof, was approved by the Secretary of the Interior on May 15, 1905. The work of the year conformed to this plan, copies of which are on file at the Department and the Survey. State cooperation.-Many of the States, following a well-established policy, cooperated with the National Survey in geologic, topographic, and hydrographic work; details are given on pages 12, 29, 72, and 74. INVESTIGATION OF FUELS AND STRUCTURAL MATERIALS. The special investigation of the fuel resources of the United States, authorized by Congress in 1904, was continued during the last fiscal year on the same site in Forest Park, at St. Louis, with an allotment of $202,000. The general purpose of these investigations is the making of a series of comparative tests of representative coals and lignites from the important fields of the United States, the same equipment and methods of procedure being used in all cases except when modifications seem necessary in order to ascertain the highest efficiency in the utilization of special fuels. The equipment includes 2 boilers, 1 steam engine, 2 electric generators, 2 gas producers, 1 gas engine, all 7 on an approximated 250-horsepower basis; a coal-washing and briquetting plant, a drier, a battery of 3 beehive coke ovens, and a wellequipped chemical laboratory. The samples of coal and lignite are collected by trained men employed for this work and are brought to the testing plant in lots of from 50 to 100 tons. The larger tests are supplemented by an elaborate series of chemical examinations of smaller samples from both the car shipments and the coal beds in the mine, the complete history of each of these samples being known. To June 30, 1906, the number of coals, lignites, and peats examined was 2,400; the number of boiler tests, 401; producer-gas tests, 119; coking tests, 218; washing tests, 102; briquetting tests, 54; chemical determinations, 12,878; miscellaneous tests, a considerable number. The investigation of structural materials was conducted under the same supervision and at the same location as the fuel testing, the station supplying the necessary heat, light, and power for both. The allotment being small ($12,500), the work was necessarily confined to the completion of tests already begun and the beginning of limited additional tests of cement, concrete, and other constituent materials. In addition to this testing work, a general inquiry was instituted, at the request of a number of architects and engineers, into the present state of knowledge relative to the strength and other properties of building materials available for use in the United States. During May and June, with the cooperation of the War Department and the committee of engineers representing the American Society of Civil Engineers and associated organizations, an investigation was made of the effect of the earthquake and fire at San Francisco on buildings and building material. A report on these investigations will be published soon. NEED FOR INCREASE OF APPROPRIATIONS. Geology. While the demands for geologic work in many localities and along many lines are increasing more rapidly than they can be met with present appropriations, they are specially urgent in two directions, for which an increase in the appropriation for geology of $50,000 is recommended. The known iron-ore deposits in the United States are being rapidly absorbed, and there is keen competition on the part of the large iron companies in increasing their ore reserves. Such companies are fully aware of the value of expert geologic advice and are able to pay for it, but in order that any fair return may be received by present owners of ore lands reliable information regarding the occurrence and value of iron-ore deposits should be acquired and disseminated. The Government itself is directly interested, since extensive deposits of iron ore occur upon the public lands. These are being investigated as rapidly as possible, but the force employed for this purpose should be at least doubled. |