The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-06-27
YHEL4kES.
THE WORK OF FORTY YEARS IN SURVEY
ING THEN ABOUT FINISHED.


parativaIy speaking, nearly finished.
This work was begun III a small way as
far back as 1910, when the government
commenced to make insignificant appro-
priations for the survey of special har-
bors here and there about the coasts.
About thirty years ago, however. the
United States commenced the work of
surveying the northern and northwestern
lakes IN earnest, and since that time large
sums have been expended in this work
50 vital to the interests of navigation
and commerce. From Fond du Lac
to where the noble st. Lawrence "lets
Superior to the sea- every nile of the
ground, or, to speak more correctly the
water, has been accurately surveyed.
And all this work has been done as min
uteIy as a gardener would mark ont his
flower beds. Since 1870 the work has
been in charge OF Ger. c. j. Comstock,
major of engineers and brevet brigadier
general, U. S. y The Office is located
at the corner OF Grand River avenue and
Park place in this city, and yesterday a
reporter Of the Post G12d Tribune called
on the general to learn some facts in re
gard to the closing mp of the great work.
The general stated that but little field
work remains to lie done, and this con-
sists chiefly Of the triangulations con-
Meeting Lake Erie and Lake Michigan.
The sundry civil service bill, which pass
. ed IN the closing hours Of congress, makes
an appropriation for this years work,
but the officer III charge has not yet been
apprised of the amount. Last year the
appropriation was $4,000, and Of this
$25, eco was expended in surveying the
Mississippi from Memphis down. At
present only about half score Of men
are engaged in the service, whereas in
1872 Gen. Comstock had $50 men EN-
ployed in the lake survey. When Gen.
Comstock took charge of the work he
succeeded Gen. Reynolds, and the to-
biography of Lake Superior, all of Lake
Michigan south of Beaver Islands, the
st. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Mag
ara and Detroit rivers had yet to be de-
/ tcrmined. This, as before stated, has all
been finished, and there yet remains the
completion Of triangulations between
Cleveland and Chicago, the Office work
and the making OF the maps to close mp
the business. This will require at least
two years yet, without taking into ac-
count the survey Of the Mississippi river
Although the government will undoubt-
edly maintain department of this kind
/ as the action of the waves continually
change the soundings, the steamers Ada,
! Search and Surveyor, which have been
engaged in the work of sounding for
many years past, were sold in this city
the other day at considerable sacrifice
The Seach is now well known as the ex-
! cursion steamer Grace Grummond. The
| Ada is now running between Mackinac
and the Sault. She was captured from
| the rebels off Charleston during the war
and brought around through the ST.
Lawrence for the lake survey work. The
Ada was fine boat and a fast sailer and
went for the surprisingly low sum Of
/ $4,000.
Few people have any idea of the scope
Of these lake surveys, and it required
the combined efforts of two engineers,
who We're triangulating in Lenawee
county, to explain to a farmer the neces-
sity Of the work. He made it quite nee
essary to explain, and it took them Just
half day. First, then, there is the to-
Biography ana inshoro photography, and
then the offshore photography. For the
shore work the parties are stationed
about II miles apart, and each party is
required to extend It's work six miles on
each side. This work is developed only
about mile inland, except where TRAN
guiations TO connect lakes are being
made. Iriangulation is used to ascer-
tain distances precisely, and by this kind
Of measurement line 200 miles long
would be found to be within ten feet Of
positive correctness. SO precise and ac-
curate are these engineers that they talk
about the millionth part Of an inch The
triangulaticn stations are located with
great care, and when far in shore il is
often the work of many weeks before a
perfect triangle can be located, owing to
the intervening forests and hills. In
these predicaments, the engineers are
obliged to take numberless observations,
and last fall, while locating primary sta
tons in Leaawee county, Assistant En-
glneer Mari sent one of his assistants to
climb a tall black walnut tree at the edge
OF piece Of woods. Their movements
had been watched by the owner of the
farm upon which they had been trespass-
ing, who didn't at all like the sus-
plcious-looking instruments which the
party carried. When he saw a man with
climbers on making his way up one of
his fayorite trees, he hurried into the
house, seized a musket, and, rushing to
where the men were, wrathfplly demand
ell their business, declaring that nobody
should ''mark bee trees" on his place.
and at the same time pointing his musket
into the black walnut. The situation
was decidedly unpleasant for the young
man up the tree, and Mr.. Mari felt called
upon to explain.
The IN shore photography consists of
sonndings which extend into the lake
half mile or a mile. Where the depth
of water does not exceed so feet, the
soundings are made every 200 feet, and
the character of the bottom Is ascertained
at every sounding, The soundings in
Shnal ,-a4.,, w., moot