The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-02-05

ing to his experience, with the system of our
public surveys; the most simple and COM
plete method of surveying and describing
land that has ever been devised. BY Ii the
smallest portions of land are easily and accu-
rately designated, and the boundaries thereof
may, with equal certainty, be fixed upon the
ground.
The state of Michigan was surveyed by
the government, and the lands that have
been sold, have been conveyed in accordance
with these surveys; deeds subsequently
made invariably conform to the original de-
scription, so that it is safe to say that the
conveyance of every farm in Michigan (or
other body of land, aside from city or viii
lage lots) is made in accordance with the
United States survey. Every mans title TO
his land traces back to the original measure
ments, monuments and descriptions, and he
should be strictly governed thereby. In
these government surveys, the land, as every
intelligent person is aware, was "run out
into townships of, theoretically, six miles
square in the boundary lines of each of
these townships, monuments were placed at
each half mile of distance; and the interior
of each was therefore subdivided into sec
tons of, theoretically, ones mile square, and
monuments were made at the corners and
midway between the corners of all these Sec
tions. In making the subdivisions the sur
veyor proceeded to the north and west, that
is, they began Mt the south east corner of
the township and surveyed first, from the
south line, the east tier of sections. Thence
returning to the south line of the township,
the adjoining range of sections was IN like
manner '.run off, proceeding from the south
to the north and terminating in the north
line of the township. In like manner each
range of sections in the township was sur
veyed, the final one being the most westerly,
and the sections III this final range are linn
tied to the strip of land lying between the
last determined range of sections and the
previously established township line. II
thus follows, by this method of procedure,
owing to inaccuracies of mesurementan ann the
conveyance of meridians, that an excess
or deficiency of land is liable to be obtained
in the subdivisions which are made adjacent
to the north and west lines of the township.
In point of fact such fractional portions al
ways do exist in all surveyed townships, and,
as the law provides, they are the final subdi-
visions on the north and west margins of the
township. Complete returns comprised in
notes and plats, were made of these surveys,
and copies are found in every organized
county, of the original surveys of all the
lands in such county, usually so placed as to
be accessible to every one. The complete
returns of these surveys contain full descrip-
tons of every monument-section corner,
quarter post etc.-and the measured distan-
ces between these corners are also given, as
are the computed areas of all fractional sub
divisions, together with many other facts OF
interest and value. 1t was the purpose of
the government in making these surveys to
establish the corners and trace the lines so
plainly and well that they could be readily
recognized and easily followed, and at the
same time to obtain and record sufficient
data so that thereafter these lines could be
replaced and all lines and monuments that
may have become obliterated, could be re-
determined and fixed in their original posi-
tions. sN
We thus have complete system, fixed
and immutable, whereby the boundaries of
every parcel of land in the state which is
subdivision of the Z. S. survey, can be def
nitely determined. IL becomes simply a
matter of measurement, to find the original
corners, and to measure the distance between
them and divide accordingly. All the lands
in any section in which the conveyancos fol-
low the U. S. survey can be equally deter
mined by competent surveyor, so that no
dispute could properly arise over the bound
aries. 1t is matter of surveying and not of
courts. A strict adherence TO the original
system must obyiate nearly every occasion
for litigation. The laws of the general gov
eminent and the rulings of the general land
office, directing the public surveys, provide
as TO the manner of proceeding in making
subdivisions of land. i'll re-establishing lost
A.
uncertainty of method is eliminated and
uniformity of practice may be insured.
venture to say that every government corner
In this county can be fixed, within reason
able certainty, precisely in its original posi-
ton, and thus the lines of section and the
subdivision lines forming the boundaries of
the several farms contained therein, can DO
accurately determined in accordance with
the original survey, original and subsequent
conveyances.
Under such circumstances, TO ignore the
determined boundaries or to give precedence
to some other lines not according with them,
but which rest upon statute of limitations,
alleged agreement between parties, pe6ceable
possession. arising through ignorance of par
ties as to the true line, ETC., is worse than
absurd it is utterly contrary to public pol
ny IL 10 AAeAOOuOi4iS VIC ticAuCulo vi llllSd-
ton and discord where before was certainty
and security. Two adjoining parcels of land,
each conveyed in accordance with the y. S.
survey, should be separated by a line traced
III accordance with this same description
and survey adhering to this, each party has
his full legal rights, and all basis for litiga-
ton is obviated.
In the original states of the Union, as in
New York for example, in which the lands
We're never held or surveyed by the govern
ment, but were mainly owned by large corpo-
rations, like the Holland Land Co.. who de-
rived them by grant froni the King, and
who subsequently sold them out in parcels
to settlers. by boundaries crudely traced by
surveyors with compass and chain. every ele-
ment of uncertainty exists regarding bound
aries. No system in making these surveys,
at all comparable 10 that devised and fol-
lowed by the general government, was ever
pursued. Such monuments as were origi-
nally marked have long since disappeared.
There is now little left for guidance but the
contained in the deeds. These
are given in terms of ''nieads
and bounds"-thc bearings and distances Of
by compass and chain--a very
data where accuracy Is re-
CURED. II very frequently happens that the
record of the same boundary, found in differ
ent deeds, owing to mistakes or inaccuracies
of suryeyOrs mistakes i'm convino couvev-