The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-06-26
PRICE 81 A YEAR, WHEN PAID In ADVANCE Sc.
GJUNE26

through them upon the officers in charge,
their interest in the progress Of the work.
In view OF this fact it becomes matter
for wonder that the government has done as
much as 1t has done in the way Of mapping
Maine. Up to the close Of last year about
1000 square miles Of the area Of the State had
been mapped. During the three years that
the surveyors have been at work within our
borders but a single citizen Of the State has
approached them to bid them welcome, and
this one citizen was personally interested In
the work. II the people Of Maine are anx-
ious to have the government authorities
work among them, they must make practi-
cal showing Of their interest in the work.
The calls to other portions Of the country
are too loud to remain long unheeded
Maine must call as loudly as the South and
West If it desires its cry to be heard. 1t
must not only shout appreciation Of what
has already been done, but II should utter
with the shout note Of invitation.
In several OF the Eastern States the invita-
tion to the national survey has been a most
emphatic one. The people of New Jersey,
of Massachusetts,. of Rhode Island and of
Connecticut agreed to pay one Ealf OF the
expense of surveys of their respective
States, provided the United States survey at
once inaugurated the preparation Of maps in
these States, and promised to prosecute the
work until the maps are completed. The
great advantages acquired 90 the State by
this agreement are first, the early completion
Of the mapping Of the entire State, and
second, the publication of these maps.
The organic law of the survey, while
pvaraiteing the preparation Of maps,
makes no provision for their pupli-
cation. Only enough imprints OF the
various map plates are taken to supply the
officers Of the survey. By agreeing to as
sumo half the expense Of the map-making
the States may arrange to pay for publea-
tion and to share other expenses incurred In
the field work. Copies Of the engraved
plates may be obtained by the State, and
when so obtained may be used for variety
Of purposes. The advantage Of an eally
completion Of the maps is too evident to re-
quire comment. At the rate at which the
government can do the work, when unaided
by State appropriations, 1t will probably
take fifty yeaas to complete the map Of
Maine.
But there is no probability that the rats at
which the work has been going on in this
State will be kept up. The policy of the sur
vey is to help those who help themselves.
Connecticut is half mapped. Nearly all the
money that can be spared for New England
will be required to complete the mapping Of
this State during the present year. Vermont
is moving to have map Of her territory
made. II this Is done the chances are that all
the money appropriated for typographical
maps in New England during the next three
years will be absorbed in this work. II New
York decides to ask the government to aid
her in mapping her dominions, five or per-
haps ten years appropriations for the North
Atlantic States will be required for the pur-
pose. Since both New York and Vermont
are moving In the matter 1t behooVes the peo-
pie of Maine to be up and doing, unless they
are content to remain fer an indefinite pc
riod, as they are now more poorly supplied
with maps Of their own lands, than are the
citizens of any other commonwealth in our
great union Of commonwealth.
New Jersey, the pioneer State in the work,
has just completed and published her map
which is at the present time the finest map
of any State extant. The entire cost of the
work was about S55,O00. of which the United
States survey paid one half. In speaking of
the manner in which the results have been
received by the people the late Prof. G. Fl.
Cook in his annual report for 1887 writes.
"Some of the results have now been several
years before the public, and as it covers
fVuh ioh fc lv tod nd
haps more carefully worked over by civil en-
giDeers, in designing and executing public
works, by geologists and other close obserY-
ers, many of whom have borne testimony as
to its practical value, we have the pleasant
assurance that the survey has fully accom-
plished its object, and in some directions
even more than 1t was originally expected to
do"
The total cost of the survey of Massaehu-
sets, the second State to inaugurate the
preparation Of an exact typographical map,
has been S115,4O0 of which the State paid
$4,000. The area Of Massachusetts Is 5000
square miles, so that the average cost per
square mile to the citizens Of that State was
$3.50, "a result unparalleled in the history of
such work" Although this cost is far be-
meath the average cost of similar work
abroad the commissioners appointed by the
State to watch the interests of the common
wealth report that an error of three feet in
the location Of any given point is outside the
limits of probability.
There Is no question, then, as to the accur-
acy of the maps manufactured by the United
States geological survey There is no doubt,
eithers as to the economy of cooperation Of
State and national authorities in the plose-
cution Of map making. There ought to be
no doubt as to the value Of good map, nor
should there be doubt as to the advisabllity
Of procuring one as soon as possible III
steps are not taken at once to secure the CO.
operation of the national survey, there is
every probability that no hope need be en-
tertained Of securing map of Maine within
the next twenty-five years. unless the State
decides to bear the entire expense of the
work. w. S. BAYLEY.
p. S. As has been mentioned above, 1000
square miles Of Maine have been covered by
the United States topographers. All Of this
is in the southwestern part Of the State, be-
ginning to the west at the boundary between
Maine and New Hampshire, and extending
eastward as far as Portland. No plates of
these maps have yet been made, so that no
engraved sheets have been struck. A photo
graphic copy Of one of the plates, however,
may, be seen at the Press office. 1t has