BUREAU OF MINES AND MINING. Dr. David T. Day, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. Superintendent. The Report of the very able and affable chief of the Bureau of Mines and Mining, was as below Hon. E. E. Bruce, Manager of the Department of Exhibits, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition. Mr. Dear Sir: I have pleasure in submitting the following report of the administration of the mining department of the Exposition. Organization. When appointed special commissioner in charge of this department on March 5, 1898, the mining building was completed and ready for the reception of exhibits. The work of securing exhibits had been well advanced by the energetic work of your representative, Mr. H. B. Hardt. The floor plan was laid off to show the arrangement of aisles and exhibit spaces. Much of the space had already been paid for and allotted to various states and private exhibitors. Arrangement with women of the principal state exhibitors had been made by which a certain style of staff front for the exhibits facing on the main court had been stipulated by Mr. Hardt. By this an unusually handsome court in the center of the building was made possible. One exhibit, anthracite from Pennsylvania, - had reached the building. Much of the work collecting the minerals for the various states was in the hands of the state commissioners. My first work, therefore, was to visit these commissioners and see that their collections were in such actual progress as would yield the best results. For this purpose a journey was made including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri and the Black Hills of South Dakota. In San Francisco, Mr. Richardson was already actively at work. By my advice, and after conference with Mr. M. DeYoung, Mr. Richardson prevailed upon the Governor of California to appoint Mr. DeYoung Chairman of the State Commission to which were added several good workers, including for mining, Mr. Tirey L. Ford and Mr. Charles G. Yale. After Mr. DeYoung had duly received his title of Chief Commissioner, a few meetings were held and then the work was promptly abandoned. In Oregon the work was found to be well in hand. By the vigorous campaign of the secretary of the commission, Mr. J.F. Batchelder of Portland, money had been raised by private subscription and Mr. H.E. Dosch had been associated most successfully in collecting exhibit material. On arriving at Spokane Falls, Mr. H.C. Thompson, Chairman of the Mining Commission of that state, stated that he was on the point of resigning from lack of local support. He was not only induced to continue, but the interest of the mayor of Rosslands, British Columbia, was also aroused, and good exhibits resulted. In Idaho the assurances were good, but the commission abandoned the work later and without warning, too late for a new campaign. In Wyoming and Colorado, much apathy was successfully contended with, and the exhibits obtained. The same conditions were encountered in the Black Hills and with the same fortunate result. On returning, my office in the United States Geological Survey sent out about five thousand requests for exhibits to mine operators, in states where no commission was at work and where, as in Colorado, the need of an extra stimulus was very evident. The aim of the mining exhibits as a whole was to show uniformly and systematically, the underground assets of the entire region west of the Mississippi River. Also such additional exhibits from states farther east as would show principle achievements in mining and metallurgy attained since the Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Further exhibits were obtained which served to familiarize western producers with such mineral products of the East as may be reasonably sought further west. Results obtained. The extent to which the above aims were accomplished, is perhaps well indicated by the reports of the Jury of Awards given on a later page, not because the judgment of these experts is especially commendatory, but because it furnishes the most exact method of measuring the results. Thus, it may be taken that a gold medal is evidence that the exhibit was either better than the corresponding exhibit at Chicago, for example the state exhibit of Utah, or that the material exhibited represents a marked achievement beyond the development at that exposition, such as the exhibit of New Mexican Turquoise. Other examples of recent achievements were: the cross section of the largest electric furnace known, in which the charge of coal, sand, etc. had been converted by the power generated at Niagara Falls, into the new abrasive carborundum. Another metallurgical exhibit of great importance, which was first shown at Omaha, was a large piece of artificial graphite made in the same electric furnace. While this discovery is very recent, nevertheless, useful industrial articles were shown made from this new form of graphite. The display of gold nuggets from every known camp in the Klondike Country, also represented a new development. The very complete collection of all varieties of crude petroleum included a specimen from a field in Alaska, discovered fourteen months ago. Other exhibits of materials not known at the time of the Columbian Exposition, included a large collection of the rich telluride gold ores from Cripple Creek, Colorado; the development of the Cyanide Process, as carried out in Utah; the new deposits of onyx from the same state; the new iron ores of the Mesabi region in Minnesota; the new and important siliceous gold ores of the Black Hills, where the gold contents of an acre can be measured with greater accuracy than anywhere except in South Africa. The state of Washington showed the achievement of successfully using the cyanide process to some fine gold in the peculiar gold ore of the Republic mine. They also brought a good representation of the ores of the newly discovered British Columbia. A cement plaster company showed the progress in that art by which the cheapest of all raw plaster materials can be made into an efficient substitute for a tiled wall, at a small expense. Even Arizona, without any state commission, exceeded past records for beautiful displays of copper carbonated. Another private exhibitor from Arizona excelled the exhibit of silicified wood at Chicago, and beautified the building with more than one hundred polished specimens of polished sections of silicified tree trunks. Montana's contribution also excelled the remarkable exhibit at the World's Fair. Another exhibit of unusual educational value was the column of forty eight pure silver ingots, worth $40,000 and showing one day's product of the Omaha & Grant Smelting Company. The gold medals in California's column are due to a second trip to that state made as soon as possible after the opening of the Exposition. By this trip, private firms were induced partially to make up for the short comings of the commission. These exhibits were supplemented by such gold nuggets and other interesting and characteristic specimens as I could purchase on my own account. Among these exhibits was the verd-antique from Santa Catalina Island, the beautiful result of a revival of the ancient fashion of the cutting vases, bowls, etc., out of solid rock and polishing them to translucent thinness. The most instructive achievement was the collection by various states, railroad companies and private individuals of the coals of the west, shown by full sized sections of coal veins, and by which the fuel assets of the west could be seen at a glance. A significant detail of this exhibit was the advance in coal mining methods, by which the harder varieties of western coals could be sized by "breakers" according to the Pennsylvania anthracite methods. Installation. Past experience has shown two prominent faults in installing collections of ores, and by strenuous efforts these were remedied. First,- there is a tendency of the exhibitor to pile the ore in indiscriminate heaps, by which the individuality of the specimen counts for nothing. The result is only a trophy for the aggrandizement of some mining camp for the education of none. Second, Up to this time no mining exhibits had ever been carefully and efficiently labeled. To correct the first fault, the free loan of more than forty show cases was obtained from the United States National Museum through the Hon. Charles D. Walcott, Director of the Geological Survey of the United States, and at that time, also acting in charge of the National Museum. The exhibitors were prevailed upon to use these and abandon the fashion of ore heaps to a sufficient extent. Labeling. After much effort, the Remington Company was induced to construct a special typewriting machine, which would hold cards of any size, and for which a special type was cut of large size and distinct outlines. The exhibitors were so encouraged to use this form of label that the descriptions of specimens were thorough and complete. Decorations. The mining industry has many features which cannot be brought into an exposition, and can only be shown in picture. It was therefore determined to to use the large sized water-color reproductions of mines, smelting works, and other important items which otherwise could not have been illustrated at all. This idea originated with Mr. R.T. Browne, color expert of the Exposition Company. It was so efficiently carried out by Decorator Allen that the exhibitors have been induced to contribute a part of the expense. Further decorations of the interior roof was simplified by the loan of the large United States flag, 150 by 87 feet, which was made by the ladies of Utah at the time of her admission to the union of states. A continuation of the picture decoration was attempted by obtaining from the Government photographer large photographs on glass. But the experiment proved of great cost and highly unsatisfactory, except where the pictures were hung in the windows over the ends of the aisles. This was because the principal light came from the roof. The effort to induce state commissioners to obtain and display more of these costly glass pictures was successful as to getting the orders, but seldom in getting them to pay their bills, much to the photographer's loss. Maintenance. In so far as my experience goes, the mining building is the best that has ever been built for the display of mineral exhibits. It afforded the great amount of light necessary for inspecting minerals. The floor was exceptionally well constructed and required no bracing for even the heaviest objects. Certain features, however, rendered it difficult to maintain the exhibit in good condition. The building leaked in two ways. The roof was bad and the locks on the doors were a farce. They were forced repeatedly. In first taking charge of the building, early in March, over forty leaks were found and these increased to the proportion of a seive during the heavy rains of May and June. On June 15th I secured the services of Mr. John B. Goodman as an assistant. He had become an expert in the maintenance of exposition buildings at the World's Fair and at the Field Columbian Museum, where he had occupied a similar position. His work left little to be desired, as concerns the work of maintaining the building in good condition. The cleaning of the building by force of night janitors under the control of the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, has been exceptionally well done, and too much cannot be said for the good work by which the toilet rooms have been kept in far better condition than ever before at an Exposition. In spite of the size and character of the crowds, they were normally in better condition than in good hotels. Awards. The system adopted by the Bureau of Awards for the selection of jurors and the methods of work, were enforced exactly in the Mining Building. The jurors selected mutually by the Exposition company and the exhibitors, were Prof. F.W. Clark, Chief Chemist of the U.S. Geological Survey and Representative of the Interior Department on the Government Board, Prof. J.A. Holmes, State Geologist of North Carolina, and Mr. Walter Page, Superintendent of the Omaha and Grant Smelting Works. It is a pleasure to testify not only to the expert character of their work, but to the fidelity with which they worked in spite of severe weather. The system devised by the Bureau, having each judge record his own opinion separately and of having these opinions reviewed by the Superintendent of the Department, was new to the jurors, but they unanimously agreed that the innovation was a marked advance in jury work. The following table shows the awards given for mining. AWARDS FOR MINING, ARRANGED BY STATES Gold : Silver : Bronze : Hon. Men. Total Alabama, 1 : 1 : 2 : 4 Arizona, 1 : 4 : 6 : :11 British : : : : Columbia, 1 : 3 : 3 : :4 California, 1 : : 1 : 1 :3 Colorado, 4 : 12 : 11 : :27 Arkansas, : 1 : : :1 Georgia, 2 : 1 : 3 : :6 Illinois, 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 :4 Indian : : : : Territory, : : : 1 :1 Iowa, : 2 : : :2 Michigan, 1 : : : :1 Kansas, : 9 : 5 : 2 :16 Minnesota, 1 : 1 : 2 : :4 Missouri, 3 : 16 : 8 : 3 :30 Nebraska, 2 : 1 : 1 : 1 :5 Nevada, : 1 : 6 : 10 :17 New York, 1 : 3 : : :4 Mexico, 1 : : : :1 Pennsylvania, 1 : 1 : 1 : :3 New Mexico, 2 : 1 : 1 : 2 :6 Utah, 2 : 5 : 10 : 4 :21 Oregon, 1 : 1 : 6 : 12 :20 Wyoming, 2 : 5 : : :8 Washington, : : : : D.C., 1 : : : :1 Washington, : 1 : 2 : 2 :5 27 69 70 39 205