National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-02-17
REFINED METHODS IN SURVEYING
A New and Prodigious Piece OF Extrava-
gance.

gance.
[St. Paul Pioneer Press.
We do not know but Congress has gone clean
daft upon the subject of gigantic expenditures.
Coming into power under the plea of economy,
it has done more to open the hoodgates of
reckless expenditure than any of its predeces-
sors. 1t has higgled over n reduction of clerks
salaries Topped off a few supernumerary con-
sulships, squeezed down the paltry pittance of
the hard.worked mail carriers, and dried up
some frontier mail routes but when it comes
to enormous expenditures, It tosscs millions
about as freely as if they were last years au-
tumn leaves. The pension business may be
set down at not less than $50.000,000. Behind
this rears the bold front of the equalization of
bounties' scheme, estimated by the auditor in
charge of those accounts at $l00O00,OOO
Then there is the Southern Pacific Rail.
way and the Mississippi levce, both rum
ming away into the millions, till one is dazed
with the figures. The general principles Of the
new economy are niggardless in small things
and swashing extravaganza in large eXpendi.
lures. And now comes new and prOdigious
piece of extravagance in the shape of more re-
fined methods of surveying. 1t appears that
the whole subject of the methods and expense
of the numerous scientific and land Office sur.
yeys, was referred, at the last session of Con-
gress, to the National Academy of Sciences
who were required to report plan which
should combine the best system and least pos
sible cost. Tho whole question was referred by
the academy TO committee of seven, five of
whom are professors in geology in eastern col
leges, and not one Of the entire committee lad
any practical knowledge of the great subject
under consideration. Now it further appears
that this august body of impracticable scientists
made report favorng consolidation of all
the different surveys, and radically changing
the methods of surveying and parceling the
public lands, by applying to them the geodotic
and triangulating methods of the Coast Survey.
They insisted that the present land-parceling
| system should be handicapped with the rigid
| exactitude of the geodetic system of the ocean
shore and lake methods of survey.
| They propose to interwcave with our present
simple economic surveys geological, geodetic,
| and Geographical features, aud also to funda.
mentally change the entire methods of divid'
| ing the public lands by the old rectangular To
a new and untricd system of triangulation,
| The plan of the academy was Immediately and
| blindly adopted by the Committee on Appro.
priations, and to-day is made n part oil the
legislative, executive, and judicial appropra
| tiOn bill and Congress stands wholly committed
| TO the plan. The question Of cost, and the re
lations of methods to expense, never entered
into the report Of the Academy of Sciences
| The country will be surprised TO learn the eX
pense of the new methods. 1t appears that il
| occurred to some member Of the Senate TO havI
the whole question Of cost reported upon by
| experts in the corps of engineers, and repor
has Just boon submitted by the Secretary o
War covering the whole ground. The start
ling fact is exhibited that the system recon
mended in full by the Academy of Sciences
will cost the snug sum of over $S00000,000
and that it will take an indefinite mum
ber of years ia which to execute il
To understand practically the relative cost be
tween the two systems of surveys, take the 10
cal example of our own State, The survey
in Minnesota for the past two years, timber
and prairie, have averaged Sl57l per squar
mile, Apply the coast and geodetic" survey
as recommended by the academy, and it vii
cost 1854 per square mile If we eliminat
the purely scientific features from the plan 0
the academy, and retain only tho new metho'
of mensuration by triangulation, that will still
cost 1925 per square mile, To survey tn
whole State with tho new methods Of tn
academy would cost SlS,7S2,l 2,l0ii or by triar
gulation, Sl0,4il 80 or by the presen
rectangular system, Sl,3l2,272, IL would C. 4
more to survey the unsurvcyed portions {
this State by the methods Of the academy tina
tho lands would sell for in the market. Iher
are l7.l23 square miles yet to survey, whic
would cost by tho academy's method $4,000
600 by the triaugulating system, So l40,375
and by the present system, S269,OOO. tn
best lands of our State have been surveyed an
the title passed under the old methods, Will