Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-03-16

and acurate as might be supposed.
In preparing to survey the land in 2
territory, government surveyor se-
lects some point naturally immeveable
and from 1t runs q line by the compass
due north, extended indefinitely. This
lis a principal. meridian, because sur
veys are reckoned upon and from IT.
He then selects some other naturally
fixed point and from it extends due
east and west line indefinitely, but
crossing the medrian. This is . base
line. Starting at the point where the
meridian and the base line intersect.
the territory is run off into blocks six
miles square, called townships. These
are numbered north or south on the
meridian from the base line. The
ranges or rows of townships are num-
bered on the base line east or west Of
the meridian. Thus if we say township
thirty-four. north, range one east. it Is
meant that the north line of that town
ship is thirty-four times six, or two
hundred and four miles north of the
base line, and that the principal me-
ridian is the west line of that township.
In establishing principal meridians no
attention is paid to the distance from
Greenwich or Washington. So much
on the general subject of principal me-
ridians and base lines.
The fifth principal meridian, which
governs the surveys in Missouri and
Arkansas, starts on the east side OF the
mouth of the Arkansas River and runs
north. From point on the Mississippi
River north of the mouth of the Arkan-
sas another line is run due west, cross
ing the state of Arkansas about ten
miles south of Little Rock. This is the
base line.
4 It SO happens that the fifth principal
meridian is just one mile west OF the
91st degree of longitude west from
Greenwich and fourteen from Washing
ton.
B The line last named bounds the east
side of the town plat of Centreville, il
Reynolds county.
Hoping that this digresslon may not
be Improbable, the thread Of descrfp
ton will be resumed.
The West End OF iron county saddles
the crest of the Ozark mountains at an
average elevation Of about 1900 feet
above the sea.
The highest land in Missouri has an
elevation Of 1900 feet, and is just out
side of the district, being in township
81, north, range 2 east.
When it is remembered that noun
tain crest divides the district and that
numerous spurs project on each side OF
the crest, it will be understood that the
surface of the district is very much
broken
The southern slope of the district Is
drained by the heads OF the Middle
Fork of Black River, the northern slope
by the waters of the Meramec.
As the Ozark Mountains are the
great Typographical feature OF the dis
trict, will the readers of the REGIsTER
excuse another depression, describing
their relation to the physical geograr
ply of North America.
This range of mountains is framed
in as triangular brace between the
Height of Land, which separates the
Valley of the Mississippi from the
Great Lakes on the north, and the
Rocky Mountains on the west and con-
meets across with the Appalachians In
the east. thus forming the connecting
link between all the mountain systems.
This idea has been reduced to q DEM
onstration.
On the night OF November 18th, 1873,
Southeast Missouri had an earthquake.
The disturbance had one long and one
short axis at right angles with each
other.
4