Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-27
FIXING STATE LINES.
News for Lovers, Fighters and
Politicians.
Where Pennsylvania Ends and Ohio and
West Virginia Begin-The Geo.
dstic Survey At Smiths
Fefry. :,

For some time past says the Pittsburgh
Commercial, Nj. O. d. Sinclair, OF the
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey,
has been supervising the erection OF the
monuments that mark the end of Pennsyl-
vsnia and the beginning of West Virginia
The three States, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
West Virginia, have had q craze for line
monuments for some time. There was no
doubt that these monuments were needed.
Each State suspected the other Of q sneak
ing intention to steal a few townships some
dark night; besides there were other rea-
sons which demanded monuments. The
Jaws governing marriage in Ohio and West
Virginia insist rpon q license, and the
giddy youths from those States in the act
of setting parental authority at defiance
want to know when they are in Pennsyl'
vapis, where I wilt and she wilted, is all the
license required.
TIE DENAN FOR MONUMENTS.
A slip In this is very important and so
the young people were monumental sup
porters. Behind them was q class which
has been slandered by being termed the
short haired" when every n
that half OF them lost their hair years ago,
and the other half have hair as long as
a~nybody's. These gentlemen, whose ideas
Of men, dogs and chickens are based on
their fighting qualities, wanted the monu'
ments. When q party OF gents" had tray-
eled q long distance to see two men pound
each other and q West Virginia Sher-
i'll got excited and wanted TO interfere, 1t
was q nice thing to know whether Ohio
and Pennsylvania soil was under foot, and
the rule held good when the foolish Sher-
if happeRed to have "P' or an 80
branded bet Heen his shoulders.
So between the fear of losing more town
ships than a man could earn in a month oil
Sundays, the young people who wanted to
be piucked before they were ripe, and the
fighting element, the monuments were
ordered and the greater part Of them have
been erected. Those along the Pennsylvs-
mia and West Virginia lines were set up
under Mr.. Sinclair's direction, and in h2-
ishing his work il became necessary to
ascertain the exact longitude, taking Smiths
Ferry, where Pennsylvania, Ohio and West
Virginia shake hands, as the point OF OBJ.
s~ervation. This was the most interesting
part of the work. On the bank on the Ohie
river, in front OF the Western Hotel, q
stone was sunk and set in cement On
this a telescope, hanging north and south,
U CANNANNs - 80 "N
AN OBSERVATORY BUILDING
and within its walls the work has been
done. 1t takes more machinery and trouble
TO get the longitude with the exactness the
United States demands. than a layman
would imagine. The tent was hoored with
boards touching the ground only at the
edges Of the walls, and hanging clear OF
the stones upon which the instrument is
mounted. 4 football on the low ground
would affect the instrument; the
tie boards prevent this within the tent
while the small boy who wants to loiter
about The inside is driven away during 90
seryatiCns. In one corner OF the tent ls q
teIegrapher's outfit and in another a com.
p~licated machine connected with the wires.
This machine is run by a chronometer.
A big cylinder upon which a queer shaped
pen presses, is revolyed by clock work and
as it turns the pen leaks its mark upon q
paper stretched upon the cylinder. Every
two seconds the c~hronometer makes a
break in the pens course, leaving a gap on
the paper.
While Mr.. Sinclair is working in his wall
tent at Smiths Ferry another attache OF
the U. S. C. and G! s. is keeping pace with
him at Louisville, Ky. The longitude at
Louisville is known, n while 1t would
have been possible to have taken a closer
point. Allegheny for instance where Pro,
fessor Langley has settled all such points
THE SURVEY
had all office at Louisville and it is being
utilized. The Western Union wires RAJ
INTO the Smiths Ferry tent and the Louis
vile office, and an operator sits in each
place while the observations are being
AIKEN. The break made by the chronome.
ter in the mention of the pen in the register
is sent thrOuph TO Louisville automatically,
and at both points the operators are watch.
ing the same stars. At each observation
twenty stars are noted. As one OF these
stars crosses the wire in the telescope the
observer at Smiths Ferry touches a tele-
graph key he holds in his hand aud this
throws in q break between the two seconds
intervals Ey the chronometer. Louisville
records the time and when the same star
crosses the line there the difference is
noted. From q mass Of these observations
the calculations are made. Allowance is
made for the time of transmission by
telegraph and for personal differences in
observation. No two men see a star in ex-
actly the same time, their eyesight vary
ing in power as we'll as the variations in
the rapidity of their motions. Mr.. Sinclair
has worked with the observer In louisville
and their personal difference in these points
is known, thus enabling them to get Ii
down fine. The weather and the trouble
in telegraph circles have interfered with
the work and caused delay, but it will be
settled in a few days now.
twill the station be permanent a Com.
merciGl Gazette reporter asked Nj. Sinclair
yesterday.
Permanent" he repeated with a smile
"Oh, yes; when | get through I'll take tn
instruments away, but IN not gong 'osdi ;
thai slime nm puRSS i'm 81 ~ thp-a.