The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-02
THE GEODETIC SURVEY.
Pains and Pleasures of Camp Life-Queef
Notions as to the Purpose Of the Work.

Correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal
CAMP NEAR NEW ALBANY, July 3l.-One wha
has pictured to himself camp life, with the usual
accomplishments of fresh air, camp fires, cease
less tobacco rollicking songs and good stories,
has probably never ''camped out" in Southern
Indiana during such clustering weather as this
summer has brought. Let US substitute for
this fancy sketch a smothering heat ceaseless
sun, endless dust 'jiggers," and hard work. and
the picture of life in this particular camp will
be more correctly drawn. The best cook who
ever catered to the appettes of hungry mon,
good tobacco smoked we'll, and novels, furnish
the bright side of an otherwise gloomy picture.
AS the object is not to kill time, but to work,
the prvations are much more endurable, as il
has been long since discovered that day DELHI
erately devoted to being comfortable is the most
uncomfortable of days This country of the
knobs" is one of very poor land, very small
farms, very little rain, very high hills,
and very beautiful scenery. This last
character is great surprise to the
stranger, for no more beautiful views
are to be found anywhere in this country than
those to be had from the heights Of the knobs
II one could live upon scenery he would fatten
here enormously; but the natives seem to appre-
ciate it but little and it may be stated as gem
eral truth that it is far better to live in fat
land with no scenery, for thus both money and
taste may be cultivated to visit and enioy it.
One who has few hours to spare in Louis.
vile or New Albany, can do no better than to
take buggy to Sixmile switch, upon the Louis
vile. New Albany & Chicago railway, and then
climb to the top of the knob, which overhangs
it. to clearing made for a eeodetic stations
The whole plain within the broad embrace of the
Indiana knobs and Kentucky hills is thus laid at
ones feet; the river, the bridge, the cities, the
villages, the forests, and fields, and hills, all
contributing their share to complete and COM
posite picture This composite character makes
the view more charming than those from the
more distant knobs, where an endless range OF
forests give monotonv to the outlook and i'm
presses one only with distance But the unwary
visitor is warned that all this means climbing,
and hard climbing. if it is but 400 feet
above the valley level Daily trips up
these weary hills to observing stations will
abundantly testify to this statement, and such
names as tight pinch" lease up slippery
hill, etc. are very suggestive of hard work
With the thermometer registering 100, and a
midday sun beating upon ereezeless over
grown hillside. tight pinches" and slippery
hills are not suggestive of comfort. But in q
comfortable season the climb is nothing and the
view magnificent.
Bathing is one of the luxuries of camp life in
the knobs 1t is always in demand, but he who
searches for it is like one who searches for hid
den treasures. There springs, rain
ever falls, so there is no inducement whatever
for some enterprislng stream to come within
reach. The natives have dim impression that
there are bathing places within three or four
miles, at least their directions are Of the dim
NEST, but the most faithful search has failed to
reveal them If Riley had been raised" in the
knobs his cold Swimmin Hole" would never
have seen the light
In many respects this neighborhood looks very
foreign. No Americon ito the manner born"
could do anything but starve upon such pitiful
handful of poor acres as represents farm"
here. Yet there are men making a living from
| them, by the very hardest work, but, without
ambition and without knowledge, they are con-
tent. The wheat harvests now being 'thrashed,"
and one comfortable farmer yesterday found
that his five acres Of wheat yielded him forty
bushels Of course all this means the knobs for
the fine bottom lands and large farms in the
lime stone regions of Clarke county are well
known.
Politics creates no particular excitement here,
and its creeds are but little thought Of Our
mysterious flags and awenspiring towers and
uncanny tripods are much more in the public
mind, and the awful designs of the government
are frequent food for thought and imagination
Your recent editorial explanation has done much
good to the intelligent, for the loca! papers re-
printed it, but still hear lthat a series of sig.
mails is to be sent from the gulf to the lakes for
some unknown reason; that we are to have
war, and the government is preparing for it; that
the weather is to come under control which
last thing we would for a time consent to.
You mentioned that our stations are perma-
nenty marked, and it might be interesting to
know the details of the matter. There are the
underground and surface marks the latter Of
which may pass away, but the former are not
likely to- the following description will testify:
At the central point of the station hole is dug
three or four feet deep, at the bottom Of which
large glazed tile is set on end and firmly &C.
mented to its place In the center of the tile
very heavy bottle is in its turn cemented, the
bottle filled with gravel and cement, through the
midst of which runs copper wire emerging a
little from the neck of the bottle, all solidly
cemented together. The tip of the wire is ex-
actly set at the trigonometric center, and all
finally buried. The surface marks are four
square cut stones firmly imbcdded, one directly
over the underground marks with the intersec-
ton of its cross lines centered the tip of the
six feet from the central one due north south and
east To facilitate finding the underground
marks, in case the surface ones may at some
time become obliterated, the station is accurately
referred to some section corner of the land sur
veys. 1t may thus be seen that we are building
for some time to come, and when surface marks
have disappeared, and underground marks are
buried beyond all hope of discovery, the world
will probably have learned how to get along
without trigonometrical surveys.
All this may be very warm reading for the
cheated term" but had we glaciers and snow
banks, roaring camp fires and blankets, with
which to reduce your temperature, would
gladly do so. But it must be remembered that
truth, and this is a scientific. not fishing party
U. s. c. s. G. S.
The Inevitable Clock Story.