The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-12

vHa Tyn,ted states Coast survey-Onices work
and the Charts.

Having in previous number august 25l presented
synopss Of the general 'nzaen and neid work OF
the Coast Survey, with special view 10 tns
function Of the CoAst Survey Instruments exhibited at
the Crystal Palace n propose 70 describe IN some
detail its obicswork An1 Urgan'zaton the results OF
which are seen in the series Of charts covering
the walls and the gned TO that national
work Al the exhibition THIS will require Us 10 trace the
successive processes which the records of held obser
walton subjected their progress 10 that dgng OF
mature eharhood in which they are presented to me
pubic 80.
or business is Id erIet out the Coast Survey oes
usually experiences quite surprise being dlrec ca TO
rough rusty, rambling or 10 OF brick ouh'lngs
T. hundred yacs down View Je sey avenue south
from the Capitol ANY romantic ngons 81 nsu sacrel
science which Tie inexperienced nophte nay nave
borne with linn up the Cspoi re HUI are issed 20 IN
dsrgo a lively eoap.s IL Threading ne in rcacss of this
office ant hill Ts Cost sur Office il arcstecturaly
fiction While ths depression Of Office rooms is an obyi
Gus drawback the convenience of administration Yet,
Id this unostenistious tcgment, goodiy amount of
work. both Of head AMI oi hand annually accomplished
ans ample proofs vi clear heads and of delicate
artistic dngera are To b. seen in the published
oeics products Doubtless the only why
appropriate spsca building has been erected for the
Coast Survey Office is that This work to be per
manence Yet fifteen years OF rent would
good investment for government AMI at the expira
top Of that period il IL not to have good
for building of the descip, proper for th Office ap
picston2 But leaving Ii this to the wiser heads in
Congress- it is no eur buiness to penetrate beneath
these matters OF ntsgutnent the interior life of the
Coast Survey Once az il nosis
Two quite different and distinct phases of duty appsr
tain 70 the Coast Survey Office. lst 1t is Office of
ing establishment In which he materials of nots-
books, Typographical aud photographic sheets from the
held parties. are wotAed through successive pro
cesses into oh irts for general use.
When the heid operation for any locality completed
when al trigot etrical station the books
latitude Longitude, azimuth magos tic, angle and eeva
ton observations complete; when a Typographical
sheet has been made the pictorial receptscls of all the
hils marshes he ds woods shore line houses roads &c
within its limits when photographic sheet has received
its full complement of soundngs, bottoms, tidal
rent servatons, sailing directions and notes. then all
these become records,
for deposit in the archives So too every note book of
original observations appropriate place the fire.
proof building of the archives Within its pent crcum
ference st ady stored 353 topogra phical Sheets 29)
Autographed sheets each IN special numbered tin
tube 2S0 volumes of trangulaon records; l66 OF as
Economical; DO of magnetic; 277 duplicate volumes;
2S6 volumes of computations l17S volumes of hydro
graphic sounding and angle boot with IS duplicates;
626 de and current original and 500 duplicate vounes
the aggregate being 3sli manuscript volumes of all
kinds. THIS mass Of msteral is undergoing a rapid
augmentation from TO year; but by systematic
rangement all III component elements readily ssh
bic so that the original OF any sounding among the
1850 100 now record be found in short time:
any farm whos fences ded in the 353 Topographic
Cal sheets be at displayed inquirer Sps
cmen topog1al hcal and photographic sheets are ex
libted at the Crystal Palace and win give an
idea of the qusy and original records
But there is another species Of record great mpor
lance which las accumulated IN the office The instrue
tons and reports relating 10 field and Office work, the
business letters accounts and vouchers records OF
cal Investigations projects, reductions fle OF en-
craving proofs, and OF miscellaneous matter
lating 70 the history Details administration and exscu
ton OF every part of the Coast Survey work-a these
records MAKE up aggresa the stubborn dscursvs
OF which system quite suce to tame Personal
memory must also be to bear its part; but alas
now Few ct the swift bonging in crowded Office
life nnemonc Footprints it is sad thought that
ths treasures consgn to memory like sky
tnts vanish with the swift hours tnts and treasures
alike gD beyo nd recall
indeed living mnemonic tablets Better far than the
unstable brain OF is paper, wherein write out
though 9 and facts in orderly progression
We might add much Of possible interest regard to the
record duties of the Office. We might show how mpor
arrangement and charge OF the archives and epstolary
records We might make apparent the intimate relation
between an ehcieh office administration and well d.
rected, energetic prosecution of the field WORK We
should not Lack materials for nent were we at
liberty to exhibit the epistoary oddities which up
ID the thick OF the current of correspondence But
attention must be turned that making base
OF which gives occupation to far tbs greatest por
ton OF the office pesonnel.
Under the direction of the asssan. in charge
me Once and under the special direction of their ap
their laoors in producing the Goa Survey charts-I
the Computing Department.; The Drawing Department.
Rsrment D. The Printing Department. g. The Archives.
The department of instrument making that of car
Hsnry complete the roster of dis nc office subdivisions
we WIN now give details OF the york and
In these several departments
First in order first the intellectual character Of
Us ouues, is the Computing department. This has for
OBJECT the execution Of the second check conpu-
tattons OF al those elements in the trangulson which
are requisite 10 citing the results of feld ober
lion The base anents, the latitude longitude
.zn nth vertical horizontal anse observations af
| :
on Of and the distances between the various observing
md observed sations These computations made
y the obsersS themselves and again Independently by
&c .ince cotsYuIssi 20 'nat comparison OF results
must bring out all error in the form discrepancies and
.ne exact point OF divergence and the requisite
correction. The vast body Of comp atatens in
and tertiary trangulaep done and remaining for csm
Pon be toeraby conceived By inspecting the table
1851 for each Of whch positions latitude and lonsi
tude givsn-as also the azimuth, back azmuth and
length in metres yards and miles, for each line Of the
connecting trangulation. These elements, Axog the
posi stations accurately that the average pro-
babe in the connecting lines distances does not
exceed foot in six miles afford the of plotting
with the greatest the necessary points Of refer
for soundings and pauetabs objects The triapgu-
laon far precedes the other operations to make
these puted data available typographical and
photographic parties, thereby saving them all need of
measuring neal distances and leaving for them only the
of relative positions.
Blu. the computing depaEsment has other and higher
duties On it dsyolves the combination of all the results
by the various Of the survey and the eana
ton OF the great facts of the earh figure by the
nested discussion of of meridians aud OF parallels
geodesy Of the must its definite shape
and mature grard results in the computing depart
msnt and through these labors must be the world
system Of computations for the coast survey the gcodec
formula examined and carried to closer degree
of approximation tested by reference to the msxima of
the functions involved and put into forms more conve
nent for computing The formula for computing All
muths has also been much smplfed. Uniformity of
computations for the entire work has been secured By
the of printed forms
There great variety Of delicate and difficult subjects
connected with the probable of methods and sets
OF observations the character of catalogues and of part
csar Instruments the general physical lements Of OBJ
serving-ike reracion personal equation &c, besides
more abstract nve tgations in pure and applied
all of which demand for their successful treat
msnt clear heads skful MASTERY of mathematical tools,
and quick perception Of the relations between abstract
and physical elements
The computations incident to the study of tidal pheno
for local tide tables and for general discussions
performed either under the superinendents eye
By the Office tidal computers these being not exactly
part Of the computing department but acting under Sc
parate direction.
Next in order is the drawing department In this the
phica and photographic sheets, which
ally made scales Of l-l00 00th and LEO o0oth Of
tus reduced to the scales proper for publication,
and their details prepared for engraving The opo
grapher By the plans, tables AID aux aries determines
the various accidents Of tbs ground in their true posi-
tionz and reAti ms and der eats them in a clear,
strong but unfinished Style proper for his large scale
he represents hills by contour lines level curves,
twenty feet apart vertically while fields marshes houses
koresta &C. Indicated BIZ annronriata conventional