The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-06-11
Retention Of n. l.. whiting, E.e
PRESENTATION OF MAPS TO THE CITY OF
PORTLAND.


Yesterday afternoon a large number of citi-
zens together with the Mayor and City Gov
ernment, assembled in the Aldermen's Room
in the City Building to meet Mr.. Fl. L. Whit
ing of the United States Coast Survey. who
had arrived in this city for the purpose of pre-
senting to the City Government the maps of
TINS city that had been prepared by that branch
of the service.
LII may not be embarrassing to our readers to
state the circumstances in relation to these
maps. On March 9th, 1868, during the ad-
ministration of Mayor Mcclellan, a commission
was appointed, consisting of five experienced
| engineers and three citizens, to recommend q
plan of permanent grades for Munjoy Hill,
and to recommend some plan by which the
territory, with the shore, could be best devel-
oped for commercial advantages. This COM
mission consisted of Major Casey, U. S. En-
| gineers, d. G. Houston, Major of Engineers
| Z. L. Patterson, Inspector of Coast Survey,
Hons. George F. Shepley, Phinehas Barnes,
and Nathan Webb. Henry L. Whiting and j.
l.. Sullivan, Assistants to the United States
Coast Survey, acted as committee on plans.
May 4th, 1868, an order was passed appropriate
| ing $1,000 for the expenses of the committee
and for furnishing the surveys and maps for
| their use. September 9Th, 1868, the petition of
George W. Woodman and others was present.
ed for continuation and extension of the tOpo-
graphical survey of the city then in progress
| on Mupjoy, and in response to this petition, at
the next meeting of the City Government,
Sept. Slh, 1868, an order was adopted urging
Hons. w. Pitt Fessenden and John Lynch to
endeavor to obtain from the authorities the
order to extend the Typographical surveys then
being made, to the whole city, and the execut-
ing of a map of the same on the same terms as
the present work was being done. According
ly an order was passed September 10Th, 1858,
appropriating the sum of $10,302 to meet the
expenses of such survey, according to the plans
and estimates of the Coast Survey Bureau.
Mr.. j. A. Sullivan and Mr.. Horace Anderson
made the survey of Munjoy Hill. The survey
of the city commenced in the fall of 1868, Su-
perintendent Benjamin Pierce sending large
force, and that survey was made by II. L.
Whiting, Assistant Superintendent and Chief
Topographer, assisted by Messrs. Sullivan, An
dersOn, Downe, Hosmer and Lindenhall. The
surveys were all finished that tall, and from
The assemblage was called to order by His
Honor Mayor Kingsbury, who called upon
Hon. Phinehas Barnes to introduce TIE SUBJ
ject. Mr.. Barnes said that these maps were
the result of movement started in regard to
improvements proposed, or opposed, on the
hill at the eastern part of the city. He spoke
of the special commission appointed in regard
to the subject, and stated that when the people
saw the elaborateness with which these sur
veys had been made and the maps constructed,
they would recognize their value. For them
we are indebted to the chief and officers of the
Coast Survey. The work has been going on
quietly before our eyes for the past two years,
and will be worth to us many times their cost.
We have now the most complete map of any
city in the United States. Formerly you never
could rely on any of the maps of the city,
especially in court of law, but on this map
the length, breadth and lines of every street
are laid down correctly to the fraction of an
inch, and you can observe the grade to the
fraction of foot. They are so perfect that the
services of city engineer will be almost un-
necessary in the future. He hoped the Mayor
and City Government would take measures to
have the maps duplicated. The gentlemen
principally interested in this matter gave their
time and labor otherwise the maps would have
cost $40 900.
Mayor Kingsbury next introduced Mr.. III. l..
Whiting. Mr.. Whiting said he thought Mr.
Barnes had covered all the ground in his re-
marks, so that there was nothing remaining
for him to do but to present the maps to the
city. He would say in this connection that
Prof Pierce had been called upon, since these
maps were made, by other cities, such as New
port, New York and others, for like surveys
and maps, but it was not probable that they
could be accomplished, as the force could not
be spared for that purpose. Boston was trying
hard, and might succeed. These maps have
their base established upon geodetc points, so
that any point can be reproduced without re-
ference to anything else. In case of change or
destruction of any place in the city, its position
Can be Immediately determined on the map.
Mayor Kingsbury then accepted the maps on
behalf of the city, and said he would call the at
tention of the City Government to them at the
next meeting, when they would take the proper
action.
Mr.. Nathan Webb WAS called upon, but said
he thought the gentlemen would rather in
spect the maps. Mr.. Barnes alluded to Gen.
Francis Fessenden, to whom, with ex-Mayor
Mcclellan, the city was much indebted for the
work Just accomplished.
The maps were then taken to the Mayors
Office and spread on the floor, where they were
inspected by all. They are magnificent speci-
mems of accuracy in surveying, on four sheets,
which, put together, make a map about 7x15
feet in size. The scale differs from 100 to 1000
to the inch.