The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-29
NO CORNERS FOR SURVEYORS.
City Engineer Calls Attention to Lnck
of Definite Lines.

Indianapolis has no set lines or monu-
ments from which surveys can be made.
Ali Of the surveying done here is by APP
Proclamation. The result has been to cause
a great deal of complaint from surveyors
and property owners Pittsburg, until re-
Gently, was in much the same fix. The alb
sence there of set beginning places was the
cause of vast amount of litigation, which
has cost thousands of dollars. When land
becomes very valuable the possession of
a few inches is worth contention. In this
city it is not known that the property lines
are properly fixed is it known that
many of the downtown business blocks are
constructed upon ground all of which proper
ly belongs to the owner of the building.
AS matters now stand an engineer in set
ting the stakes for a building takes as a
starting point the lines laid by some other
engineer in the erection of neighboring
building As all property increases in value
the consequent confusion is likely to grow
greater.
City Engineer Brown, in his annual report
which was not fully completed until yes
terday calls attention to this subject and
recommends that an appropriation be made
for the putting in of monuments which
shall serve as starting places for surveys.
He says in his report: MANY complaints
are made by surveyors and by property
owners of the difficulty of finding lines and
exactly locating lots. The employees of this
office are also often at loss to know
the exact location of street or alley: Plats
are sometimes wrong in important details,
and nearly every plat fails in some degree
to fit the ground. proper system of monu-
ments and reference points locating streets
and alleys and property lines where neces-
sary, all thoroughly located with reference
to each other and to the original land
marks will in a very few years reduce the
me
of streets, alleys, lots and property lines,
to the exact location of the same. AS lots
become more valuable the necessity of this
definite location becomes more evident and
the cost of such survey will not exceed
over disputed lines. There is at present not
a reliable map of the city and cannot be
until such a survey is made"
The engineer also calls attention to
naming and REMEMBERING of the streets.
He says the present numbers mislead-
ing and that houses should be remembered
with some relation to their distance from
Washington Meridian streets
The substance of his report upon improve
ments was contained in the report of the
Board of Works. He reviews his trip East
which resulted in the reduction of asphalt
pal item of expense. and after giving the
amount of sewers built and the cost, Mr.
Brown says:
Under the method of receiving bids per
Ineal foot including all items, it is diff
cult to make comparisons in cost, but COM
parsons of sewers nearly equal in size and
conditions indicate a reduction in cost in
1894 of nearly 80 per cent. for brick sewers
and over Is per cent for pipe sewers. as
compared with prices of 1893. The break in
prices began shortly before the year
opened. Assuming average reduction in
price of about % per cent. the saving on
sewers begun under the present administers
ton. and carried to completion in 1894 is
nearly $4,000. Some notifications in speci-
fcations were made in 1894 to improve the
quality of details of the work. but no
change of Importance was made. The work
has been done as well it has ever been
done. General reduction in prices OF ma
terial and labor. and the increase in COM
petition by the entrance of firms from other
cities accounts for the reduction in prices.'
l.. N. Sullivan Will Resign.
1t is announced that L. n. Sullivan one
of the inspectors employed by the city,
. whose name was brought up in connection
with the recent Council investigation in
tends to tender his resignation Mr. Sulli-
van has a position offered him with the
new contracting firm of Wilding Hines
Backus & Marshall and it is said his res
ignation is not the result of the inyesti-
CATION. The firm mentioned has recently
been awarded the contract for construct
ing seventy miles of sewers in San An
tonic Tex. and Mr.. Sullivan, who is an
engineer will superintend a portion OF the
work.
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