The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-05


Interesting to IN readers, but especially for the
benefit Of our young friends who are studying
Of map making. from The New York Mercantile
In this go.shead country q ous map made q
one time Is almost worthless TWO or three years
re ctions must continually be looked out for and
periodically made. Getting up new map and
correcting sn old one does not, however, pracu-
cally vary the method OF gathering Information.
When silsss or .tovsship map h to be made
appointed, Who 90 over he ground thoroughly,
the neighborhood being a. The same time ieAnrr
vassed Tor the names Of resdents and their sub
scpiptons. This work = done BY nrms which
make specially thereof. These maps are usu.
ally published altogether BY subscription. and but
one edition Is printed. The basis Of information
is the United States surveys, which are procured
from Washington !; the drawings Of State and
town engineers are also Obtained, ana nnsm ;y
works. sharp lookout is kept always for new .
surveys all over the country, and the mappings !.
for new roads and everything Of that kind arc
procured at the earliest moment. These are pro- :
old map by skillful drsughtsmen. 70 .qolc-idt.W
The next process Is that Of engraving. In old |,
times all this was done on steel plates, 90 more
durable, but at present copper Y altogether used
Of an inch thick, are stHorouahly smoothed,
cleaned and polished upon one aide, and are now
ready for the successive engravers. First comes
the plan engraver, who sketches with his grsvsr
the outlines, boundaries, river courses, etc. The
meridianal and sectional lining b done usually By
another hand. Then comes the typographical
sngIaser ShS puts in The places %UGn , .nS
to denote this in all maps have to be engraved BY 2
Q fouth workman, the most skillful, perhaps. Of
all: Lastly, the lettering is done by the letterer
own departmeut and for man work musi be verv
skilful serving a long apprenticeship and earning
in the endfrom. SIS to SIS per week. Some Of the
plates ere magnificent. over three feet square, and
needs Correcting, merely ia one small part, ali the
engraving is polished out in that part the metal
pushed out from the back. q new surface polished
down.to the original level and that especial part
is re-engrsyed without hurting the rest Of the
plate. ...--....--t ilFia
From these plates an impression IL taken on
" transfer. papern In :" transfer ink ~ and this
impression il transferred to the lithographic
stone. Transfer paper L. kind which Yields the
the Stone. Formerly ali The printing was done
Sirectv from fbe sfeel plates which was yerv ex-1
pensiye. and in A large edition of maps wore
swav an as IN make 'the last verv imperfect- Nov
the CONFER plate Is used for only one IMPRESSION
10 the edition and il then slowed awav until the
nublc demand a new edition To combine mans.
70 oive them new border. or TO make any other
ehanua tha atool plafa muat he polished off and
entirely re-enrrayed: now they transfer the
mans. and emit On the paper wherever or however
tbev please so that thew NAV combine a dozen
mans together. or print new borders in endless
VARIETY. 80 80 ~ rs,
The variety of stone used ia very pure white
limestone. Imported from Germany and packed as
carefully "A though IL were Bohemian glass Good
sized slabs are worth about thirty cents pound,
90 that piece which we saw. about thirty inches
souare would cost about $3.50 II weighing nearly
500 pounds. This stone is polished down to :
perfeetlv even surface and cleaned with acids.
The transfer paper is then applied to il, and the
man IL left OF, the stone fac sipile Of the COD
per plate, and like 1t, Of course, entirely
When q sufficient edition OF one map has been
printed the stone Is polished of and cleaned, and
Is then ready for new one. A dozen different
maps may thus be printed from q single slab.
The stone Is now fastened into the bed of large
hand PRESS The transfer ink contains great
deal of oil the stone is wested thoroughly. the
water of course not touching the oil. Then sroler
full of engraver's ink ID over the whole stone.
Were 1t not for the water, ths whole sheet would
black as i s, the ink only adheres where the oil
is, on the lines of the map. The map paper Ia
spread carefully over the stone, and the whole
bed run under the press rollers which bear heavily
upon the plate, making the imprint. The paper
IL then carefully peeled OF and we have the grayo-
lithographic map finished. The thin paper for this
purpose is made only at one mill In this country
that one in Massachusetts. L1l, .9i,
hand, ana quite an army OF women were tnus Gun
poyed.l But II was slow work, so that the de-
mand was almost over before an edition OF maps
could be got out, 6nd inaccurate at that. Neces-
sify YVES the mother OF invenuon. Large sneeu
OF card board were obtained. and OUT OF these
were carefully cut. as IN stencil plates, the parts
to be designated on the map by the respective
colors. One person taxes eacn color, the stencil
card is brushed over with NAT brush and the map
is colored with unvarying accuracy, by passing
under as many stencils Is there are coiors 70 Do
used. The ordinary water coiors, very thin. are
used for this purpose Boundary lines, ETC., where
there Is shading. are still done by hand:
The muslin IL stretched smooth on frames and
| the paper carefully put on with simple starch
| The map Is then varnished and mounted on
| wooden rollers.
| A first rate map OF q city, neatly bound, In
| pocket form, costs only hfty cents. Inc county
maps OF tne etates cost ~ 70 70 ~, ana SO up, ~
is imposeioie 70 iorm any oeln'e esums'1 vi nov
many maps are mace snn1sny. Ossr nsn MI
non maps are msue annSsnyioy one LOUISE s.on a.
me iatest nap y one 81 tIs aP'ess nou.es ~
wnch tne on ~, ~ us
are s, nsriss rnn 70 a sba niscs ~