Show EXHIBIT OF + MINERAL Proposition to Establish a National Museum at Washington 4 WOULD BENEFIT MINERS DIRECTOR WAICOTTS PLAN TO EL THE INDUSTRY Pronoses a Stuseum of Practical Geology Ge-ology For a Complete Display of Economic iIinerals Mission of the Geological Survey Explained To Aid Prospectors and Engineers 4 Special Correspondence Washington Jan 11 Director Wal cott of the geological S hey favors the establishment by the government of a museum of practical geology In a le ter to Chairman William M Stewart o the senate commlttee on mines and mining which has been issued as a senate document he says The geological survey has some 40 000 correspondents who furnish information infor-mation in relation to the mineral resources re-sources of the United States There is little doubt that a plan for a museum of practical geology would meet with the hearty cooperation of the mineral producers of the country and that prduce ot te a collection of a representative display of economic minerals and quarry products could be obtained at a cost very little in excess of the actual necessary correspondence cor-respondence freight charge on specimens too heavy for transportation through the mail In a majority of cases producers would be willing to incur all expenses necessary to have their products exhibited in such a museum mu-seum for the simple privilege of having hav-ing their names as donors attached Such a collection would be quite useful use-ful in the work of the survey and would possess great educational value for visitors I is desirable in view of the large outlay which is being made by the government for geological surveys sur-veys and the collection of mineral statistics sta-tistics that any person interested in any mineral product should be able to secure statistical information and sat s-at the seat of government specimens o all products pertaining to the special line in Which he is interested For example ex-ample a person wishing to obtain information In-formation in relation to marble either a a produce or consumer should be able to personally examine specimens of marble from the principal quarries of the United States and by inquiry to i learn all that Is known of any particular partic-ular marble In which he may be interested inter-ested In addition to the series of rocks and fossils illustrating stratigraphy in succession suc-cession of the sedimentary rocks and the systematic collection o minerals and ores an exhibit showing how geologic geo-logic work benefits the daily life of the people should be developed An illustration illus-tration of this would be a representation representa-tion of the artesian water supply of the semiarid region showing the strati graphy and structure o the sedimentary sedimen-tary rocks and how hydraulic and geologic ge-ologic investigations clearly indicate I the regions in which artesian water development i de-velopment may be carried on successfully success-fully Mining and aral geology should also be Illustrated in such a manner as to place before the student and intelligent intel-ligent observer the import and value I I of such work For the proper exhibition of the collections col-lections of practical geology there should be provided in connection with I the national museum according to a rough estimate at least 30000 square I i feet of floor space The collection would I include in addition to what has just i ircuce been ds usS l the collection of rocks i and minerals and synoptic series of the fossils now included in the national museum collections I colectons There exists at the present time at j the national museum a geological col j lection of great value but it is not a j I complete as it Is desirable to have i I and it cannot be kept up to date with I the present force and space There j should be provided within a few years j a building that could accommodate all j the geological collections of the gaY crnment I is not proposed that these collections should be removed from the custody of the national museum but i that they should be properly Installed and cared for independently of the j general collections of the museum I MINING GEOLOGY I The director also submits extended comments on economic and mining ge economic ax I ology in the course ot wnicii ne says In creating the United States geological creatng al survey congress and the people whom conbress it represents expected that its energies would b largely > devoted to the development devel-opment of the mineral resources of the country How this method should be accomplished is left to the director and his principal assistants who by scientific scien-tific training and long practical experience I i exper-ience were the best qualified to judge I what could and what could not be done I by such a corps of specialists as the survey must necessarily cOst of men whose whole life is devoted to the abstract side of geology and whom neither the regulations of the survev a defined by law 1 nor the exigencies of their official duties would permit to participate in the practical or commercial commer-cial develonment of these resources cal was evident that these specialists could not take the place of either the prospector or the mining engineer asa as-a somewhat superficial view of the subject sub-ject had led some to think they might They should of course understand the I principles that underlie the work of either of these classes of men hut they I cannot be expected to possess that expertness ex-pertness of Instinctive second sense in each of these professions which can be I acquired only by lifelong practice I The survey should furnish an accurate accu-rate basis upon which the work of each I rte of these experts so indispensable if the development of the mineral resources sources of the country may be founded found-ed The survey stands so 10 speak between be-tween them and nature I should endeavor en-deavor to tell the prospector where he not to may and where he may prospect advantage for this or that valuable mineral bu i cannot be expected to actually find the mineral for him I should aim to discover for the mining engineer first of all the general laws which govern the occurrence of the different dif-ferent useful minerals and to show the special application of these laws in the particular mining regions that come under survey but It cannot undertake to direct the workings of individua mines or ouariles nor guarantee that every mining engineer will make a correct cor-rect application of the laws that have been discovered |