The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-05-17
JERSEY UPS AND DOWNS
How the Face of the State Is
Examined by the U. S.
Geodesy Sharps.
SOME HIGH AND LOW SPOTS.
An Explanation of Certain Enig-
NAUTICAL Marks on Door
steps and Monuments.
SOME HIGH AND LOW SPOTS.

two doors in the Newark avenue front Of
the Hudson County Jail that has been
the subject of much speculation. Only a
few people know what it signifies, yet it is
of much Importance 1t was placed there
by the United States Geodetic Survey and
is intended as bench mark of that de-
partment and which has taken the elev a.
ton of that spot above the level of the
sea. The record of the department show s
that it is so 65 feet.
There are other buildings in Jersey City
that are marked the same way, and for
| the purpose of fixing the elevation.
This geodetic survey is still being con-
Quoted by the United States in South
| Jersey and there is still some work to do
in the extreme upper part of the State.
The work Is being done for the purpose
of determining with precision the lati-
tudes and longtitudes as we'll as the
elevations of every part of New Jersey.
Mountain tops, church spires, bridge
4 piers, shafts and tree tops are used TO
establish the points. Imaginary lines
are drawn SO that the State becomes a
] net work of triangles. The work of so
describing the State is tedious and expen-
sive. 1t IS almost an lmpossibility to tell
all the why's aud wherefores which en- ter
into the study. Tall towers are cree ted
1 and from the top of these the engineers
do their sighting. There are number of
! these still to be seen scattered through
the New Jersey pines.
The transit used is the same as en-
ployed In railway surveys It rests on a
tripod forty TO fifty feet high, which is
constructed of heavy timbers well braced,
so that the ordinary winds do not move it.
Around it is constructed a round tower
with cupalo in which the engineer has
hts den There is a SPACE between the
frira Nd mn ha fraf drl cfAf fut hn
walking of the engineers and work men
does not interfere with the setting of the
transit. The work Is mostly accom-
plished in the summer season and must
be abandoned when the wind gets high
! The angles can only be measured when
the air is clear and nearly of a uniform
temperature. Days, aud sometimes
weeks, are spent without any work being
accomplished The money appropriated
for the survey has become small, and on
that account It progresses slowly. The
cost is paid by the United States and it is
under the direction of the State Geolo-
gist. who operates under the supervision
of the United states Geodetic Survey
SLOW WORK.
The reconnaissance for ascertaining and
selecting the point is accessively tedious
and laborious on account OF the areat
uniformity of the pine country. 1t re-
quires the climbing of trees, the erecting
o f signals and the marking of other high
isfa ctorily done the angles of all the tri-
angl es have to be measured and the
| measurements repeated until extreme
acc uracy is obtained. The object is 10 see
th height above the main sea level and
re cord is then made. BY this means any
uture elevation or depression of the
ca rth's crust may be detected. The data
secured by the survey is used in the
geodetic maps now being made by the
State. The points of desig nation are
called bench marks. They are generally
small crosses or arrow heads cut on the
doors and window-sills of public struct-
ures. Where it is impossible to locate a
structure monuments are set up for this
distinct purpose The total number of
points SO far utilized is over five hun
dred.
All over the State these curious marks
and the tell-tale letters U. S. G. S. can be
seen. A record is kept of these marks so
that they can easily be found There is
one on the Monmouth battlefield monu-
ment at Freehold another on the door sill
of the Hall of Science of Princeton Col
lege ground; the window of the Uuited
States Government building at Trenton
has an arrow CUT on it; the corner stone
of the First NJ e. Church at Asbury
Park is also utilized. There are monu-
ments on the Schooley Mountains and
upon the bald peak of Ramapo Mountains
There is still some work to do up near
the New York linz. There is a section
that has not yet been surveyed, and there
is also some general work yet to be ac-
complished in the way Of connecting the
triangles.
HIGHEST AND LOWEST POINTS.
The highest point III Hudson County is
the summit of the hill at Gutenberg,
(which Is 263 feet above the mean sea
level, while the lowest Is INDICATED by a
cross marx on the rail of the New Jersey
Northern Railroad at the crossing at
Hampstead Station. The hill just west of
the terminus of the West Shore at Wee
hawken is 1873 feet Stevens Castle Hill is
recorded at 100 feet, and the penitentiary
at Snake Hill Is 203 feet above the level.
There are six crosses in .iessey City.
The one cut on the sand stone water
taule of the Hudson County Court House
records an elevation of 100.63 feet A
cross cut on the north end and near the
outer edge of the sill OF the main front
door Of the First Baptist Church, on Sum
. NIT avenue shows that the elevation of
! that point is 104 so feet. There is cross
cut on the south corner of the upper large
square stone step at the main entranc g,
on Summit avenue, OF the Westminster
Presbyterian Church, at the east corner
or summit and Magnolia avenues, which
marks an elevation of "a 93 feet. The ele-
walton Of the south end OF the sill of the
front door of the postoffice, on Washing
ton street, is recorded by cross mark
which indicates FL % feet. The lowest
bOtA" Al rUiocy lily ~ Aa0iChsS1 Wy u
cross mark on the outside of the top of
tbs. south wall at the west corner of the
lock wall, of the Morris Canal lock No.
~. The elevation is 500 feet.
AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
Sussex county has the highest point In
! the State. 1t is High Point, In the X itta-
tinny Mountains, which is 1,S04 feet above
tue sea level. The highest point of the
Highlands, three miles south Of Vernon,
is !. 496 It. Lake Marcia, near High Point,
Sussex county, is recorded at l $40 feet
The summit Of the Ham burg Mountains
IN the same county, is 1896 feet. Other
high points in the county are the summit
OF the Port Jervis tur npike on the Blue
Mountains. which is 1891 feet. Round
Pond kittatinny Mountain, 1859 feet.
SAND Pond, which is situated just west OF
ColeviIle, is l.3C0 feet, the summit of the
Ailamuchy Mountains is Ley feet.
The Summit of Bowling Green Noun
tain in Morris county is 1851 feet above
the level, while the United State Survey
station on Mount Olive IS 1851 ieet. The
summit OF Bearfoot Mountain IN Passaic