DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Bulletin 632 SPIRIT LEVELING IN WEST VIRGINIA 1896 TO 1915, INCLUSIVE R. B. MARSHALL, CHIEF GEOGRAPHER Work done in cooperation with the West Virginia State Geological Survey during 1898 to 1315, inclusive I. C. WHITE, State Geologist WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1916 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 10 CENTS PER COPY CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 5 Cooperation............................................................ 5 Previous publication...................:.............................. 5 Personnel............................................................. 5 Classification.......................................................... 5 Bench marks........................................................... 6 Datura............................................................... 6 Topographic maps. ................................................ ^.... 7 Precise leveling............................................................ 8 Blacksville, Fairmont, and Morgantown quadrangles (Marion, Monongalia, and Taylor counties)................................................. 8 Charleston, Hinton, Kanawha Falls, Lewisburg, and Kaleigh 30X quad­ rangles; Charleston Special, Fayetteville, and Montgomery 15' quad­ rangles (Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Raleigh and Summers counties). 9 Big Bend, Bluefield, and Peterstown quadrangles (Mercer and Summers counties)............................................................ 13 Primary leveling........................................................... 16 Flintstone, Frostburg, Hancock, and Pawpaw quadrangles (Berkeley, Mineral, and Morgan counties)....................................... 16 Bruceton, Morgantown, Blacksville, and Mannington quadrangles (Pres­ ton, Monongalia, Marion, and Wetzel counties) ......................... 17 Belington, Kingwood, Parsons, and Thornton 15' (St. George 30') quad­ rangles (Barbour, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, and Tucker counties).... 19 Elkins and Horton 15' (Beverly 30') quadrangles (Barbour and Ran­ dolph counties)...................................................... 23 Clarksburg, Fairmont, Philippi, and Weston quadrangles (Barbour, Har- rison, Lewis, Marion, Taylor, and Upshur counties).................... 25 Centerpoint, Littleton, and West Union quadrangles (Doddridge, Harri- son, Marshall, Ritchie, Tyler, and Wetzel counties)..................... 28 Holbrook and Vadis quadrangles (Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis, and Ritchie counties)........................................................... 31 Burnsville, Crawford, Durbin, Gassaway, Glenville, Hacker Valley, Pickens, Sago, and Sutton Special quadrangles (Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Randolph, Upshur, and Webster counties)................... 32 Elizabeth and Harrisville quadrangles (Ritchie, Wirt, and Wood counties). 45 Arnoldsburg, Ripley, and Spencer quadrangles (Calhoun, Jackson, Roane, and Wirt counties).................................................. 48 Kenna, Otter, Walton, and Winfield quadranges (Calhoun, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Mason, Putnam, and Roane counties)....................... 52 Cowen, Lobelia, Richwood, Summersville, Webster Springs, and Winona 15' (Nicholas and Huntersville 30') quadrangles (Clay, Fayette, Green- brier, and Webster counties)......................................... 56 Big Bend and Meadow Creek quadrangles (Fayette and Summers coun­ ties) ............................................................ i.. 65 3 4 CONTENTS. Primary leveling Continued. Page. Clay, Clendenin, Fayetteviile, and Montgomery 15' (Kanawha Falls 3(K) quadrangles (Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties).......... 68 Charleston special, Madison, Peytona, and St. Albans 15' quadrangles (Boone, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam counties).................... 76 Steubenville and Wellsville quadrangles (Brooke and Hancock counties).. 80 Cameron, New Martinsville, and Wheeling quadrangles (Brooke, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler, and Wetzel counties).................................... 81 , Belleville, Marietta, Parkersburg, and St. Marys quadrangles (Jackson, Pleasants, Bitchie, and Wood counties)................................ 83 Glenwood, Keno, Point Pleasant, and Ravenswood quadrangles (Cabell, Jackson, Mason, and Putnam counties)................................ 86 Ceredo, Guyandot, and Milton 15' (Huntington and Kenova 30') quad­ rangles (Cabell, Lincoln, Putnam, and Wayne counties)............... 89 MidHff and Wayne 15' (Huntington 30') quadrangles. (Lincoln and Wayne counties).......................................................... 91 Bluefield, Bramwell, laeger, Peterstown, Pounding Mill, and Welch . quadrangles (McDowell, Mercer, and Wyoming counties)............... 93 Gilbert, Holden, Logan, Louisa, Matewan, Naugatuck, and Williamson 15' (Kenova, Oceana, and War field 30') quadrangles (Logan, Mingo, Wayne, and Wyoming counties)...................................... 104 Bald Knob, Beckley, Eccles, Flattop, Mullens, and Pineville quadrangles (Boone, Logan, Mercer, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties)............... 118 Antietam, Berryville, Gerrardstown, and Martinsburg quadrangles (Berke­ ley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties).................................. 131 Williamsport quadrangle (Berkeley County).................... ........ 136 Appendix A: Precise leveling by the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Bal­ timore & Ohio R. R........................................J............ 138 Appendix B: Secondary elevations......................................... 155 Index.................................................................... 157 ILLUSTRATION. Page. PLATE I. Geological Survey bench marks.................................... 5 U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 632 PLATE 1 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BENCH MARKS. A, Tablet used in cooperating States. The State name is inserted at G. B and D, Copper temporary bench mark, consisting of a nail and copper washer. A, C, and E, Tablets for stone or concrete structures. F, Iron post used where there is no rock. SPIRIT LEVELING IN WEST VIRGINIA, 1896 TO 1915, INCLUSIVE. R. B. MARSHALL, Chief Geographer. INTRODUCTION. Cooperation. The State of West Virginia contributed financially to the work in this State from 1898 to 1915, inclusive. Previous publication. The results of spirit leveling previously pub­ lished in Bulletins 399 and 477, containing descriptions and eleva­ tions of bench marks established in West Virginia from 1896 to 1910, inclusive, and based on the 1903 adjustment, have been corrected to agree with the 1907 adjustment of precise leveling of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and are here republished, together with all results of spirit leveling by the United States Geological Survey since 1910. The elevations were not changed by the 1912 adjustment and are likely to be changed but slightly by any future adjustment. Personnel. The field work from 1896 to 1906, inclusive, was done under the direction of H. M. Wilson, geographer, and that from 1907 to 1915, inclusive, was done under Frank Sutton, geographer. -The work since January, 1908, was done under the general direction of R. B. Marshall, chief geographer. Credit is given in the heading of each list to the several levelmen. The office work of computation, adjustment, and preparation of lists was done mainly by S. S. Gan­ nett, geographer, under the general direction of E. M. Douglas, geographer. Classification. The elevations are classified as precise or primary, according to the methods employed in their determination. The former are determined by lines of levels run either in both forward and backward directions or by simultaneous double-rodded lines, a high- grade instrument being used and special precautions being taken in observations and reduction to correct errors and make the line con­ tinuously good throughout. The latter or primary levels are deter­ mined with the Y level, precautions being taken against only the principal errors and the levels being run mostly in circuits of single lines. The allowable limit of error observed on the precise work 6 SPIEIT LEVELING IN WEST VIRGINIA, 1896 TO 1915. already done by the Geological Survey in this State is represented in feet by 0.02 -/D and that for the primary work by 0.05 JD, in which D is the length of circuit in miles. Bench marks. The standard bench marks are of two forms. The first form is a circular bronze or aluminum tablet (0 and E, PI. I), 3^ inches in diameter and £ inch thick, having a 3-inch stem, which is cemented in a drill hole in solid rock in the wall of some public building, a bridge abutment, or other substantial masonry structurec The second form (F, PL I), used where masonry or rock is not avail­ able, consists of a hollow wrought-iron post 3£ inches in outer diam­ eter and 4 feet in length. The bottom is spread out to a width of 10 inches in order to give a firm bearing on the earth. A bronze or aluminum-bronze cap is riveted upon the top of the post which is set about 3 feet in the ground. A third style of bench mark, with abbre­ viated lettering (B and D, PI. I), is used for unimportant points. This consists of a special copper nail 1| inches in length driven through a copper washer f- inch in diameter. The tablets as well as the caps on the iron posts are appropriately lettered, and coopera­ tion by States is indicated by