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THE TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGIC SURVEY
COMMISSION ISSUES ITS BIENNIAL RE­
PORT.
The biennial report of the topographic and geologic
survey commission of Pennsylvania recently
has been issued. It briefly recounts the progress
of the topographic and geologic work in the state
during the years 1910-1912, and contains some
short papers of great interest.
The area of Pennsylvania is 45,126 square
miles, and for the purposes of the topographicmap
it is divided into quadrangles of 15 minutes
on each side. The state lines do not coincide
with the quadrangle lines, and the completed
map will be composed of about 240 quadrangles, a
portion of some of them being in adjoining states.
Already 137 quadrangles have been mapped, comprising
an area of 23,322 square miles, or 51.7 per
cent of the area of the state. These maps are
printed by the United States geological survey in
three colors, black representing the culture, blue
the water, and brown the surface relief, by contours
with an interval of 20 feet.
A list of the publications of the second geological
survey of Pennsylvania is included in the
report. While these old reports are not now
available for distribution, yet the list is of value
as showing in what reports of that survey information
is to be found regarding any particular
portion of the state. This is followed by a list
of the publications of the present survey and a
list of the publications of the United States geological
survey relating to Pennsylvania geology.
While these lists are by no means a bibliography
of Pennsylvania geology, they quite fully cover
the official publications relating to the state.
A preliminary report on the York valley limestone
belt, by M. L. Jandorf, which is well illustrated,
gives in nontechnical language a description
of this area. Included in the report are descriptions
of the several quarries and the character
of the products of each. Numerous analyses
add to the value of the report.
A paper by Dr. A. E. Ortman, on the geological
origin of the fresh water fauna of Pennsylvania,
shows the relation of geology to zoology. Dr.
Ortman traces the life history of a number of
our fresh water forms of life and the character
and extent of their distribution, and shows that
the distribution was in preglacial times, from the
upper Ohio river region through a preglacial St.
Lawrence river into the Atlantic waters, thus
confirming the other lines of evidence regarding
the direction of the flow of the rivers preceding
the great ice age.
A short paper by Lloyd B. Smith described the
occurrence of a peridotite dike in Fayette and
Greene counties. This occurrence is unique,
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 41
being the second of the kind in the Appalachian
region. While this dike has been known for
many years, nothing has been recorded as to its
extent, indeed it was not mentioned in the Folio
of the United States geological survey covering
this area.
The report closes with a short review of the
mineral production of the state. Both the quantity
and value of the output of minerals is steadly
increasing. The output of anthracite coal in-
NEW MANAGER OF VESTA MINES J
MR. H. B. N. LOUTTIT.
He gets around on the job as may be seen in the picture.
Mr. Louttit has taken charge as general manager of the
Vesta Coal Company, California, Pa.
creased from 66,613,454 tons in 1903 to 75,503,124
tons in 1910, or 13 per cent, while the value rose
from $152,000,000 in 1903 to $160,000,000 in 1910,
or slightly over 5 per cent, the average price per
ton in 1903 being $2.27, and in 1910 but $2.13 per
gross ton.
In 1903 the output of bituminous coal was 103,-
000,000 tons, yvhich increased to 150,000,000
tons in 1910, over 45 per cent., but the
value of the same rose from $121,000,000 in 1903
to $153,000,000 in 1910, or 26 per cent, a decline
in the average price of 16 cents per net ton.