The herald., 1896-11-23
side will find themselves called upon to

side will find themselves called upon to
help in paying city taxes.
1t has been rather unfortunate that
whenever a city council has determined
to have a survey made 1t has been in
evitably the case that the city was found
somewhere else other than where 1t was
thought to be. Whoever drew up the
boundary lines for incorporation in the
new charter must have been suffering
from nightmare, or possibly was iden-
tical with the ifacetious Gus" Who drew
that wondrous ordinance defining the
official bed of the river. He commences
his definition on the west line of Alameda
street where it intersects the south
boundary of the charter boundary of
1899. If he had examined that charter
boundary very closely he would prob
ably have found himself enveloped inc
maze of doubt, inasmuch as it resem-
bles somewhat the Irishman's flea,
that when you got him, he isn't there"
Then follows a lot of Language"
which, barring being off a couple of
hundred feet in the starting point, does
little harm beyond straining the capa-
bilities of the English tongue Then a
break is made to the southeast corner
of the city charter boundary, which, by
the way, happened to get over onto the
San Antonio ranch for some distance.
Such little thing as that, however.
doesn't amount to much, for If the fell
lows down there want to shoulder the
citys burdens without having a voice
in the city's government, that is their
look out. Thence the line runs north
to the Highland park tract as shown
on the map. The map is all right, but
somehow every searcher of records has
made it point to assume that some
body owned that property. The line
wanders around westerly and south
Westerly-a very good term in the alb
sence of anything better-until it gets
to the Hunter Highland View tract,
when it undertakes to get at some cor
ners, and then the real trouble begins.
HOW A SURVEYOR GOT EVEN.
Some years ago-before the boom days
--one CIV. Morgan and A. H. Judson
were speculating in real estate and
bought the Hunter Highland View tract,
and had it surveyed by one H. ]. Steven
son. Like most surveyors, Stevenson,
albeit good enough surveyor, had 20
have a row with his employers. He
made the survey all right-such as it
was-but the row he had had inspired
him to fearful revenge. When he drew
his map he more than double discounted
anything that Hancock ever did, ami
that is saying a great deal. This map
found its way upon the records, and has
been. perhaps, the direct cause of more
naughtiness of thought and expression
than any other one document on file in
the city archives. The map is good 20
look at it is apparently innocent of Of
fense, but when one settles down to 4
close inspection, 1T is found that the
lines, which look, at first glance, as If
they are due north, south, east or west.
run actually in the most higgledy-pg-
geldy fashion to all points of the COM
pass. A surveyor. to follow the courses
and distances laid down on that map,
would, by starting a t one point, find him.
self before long in Pasadena and start
ing from another corner of the same
lot would wind UP in Santa Monica. The
map is the most fearful aggregation oe
figures ever presented for the befog-
ment of the human understanding. and
reflects infinite credit upon the diaboi-
cal ingenuity of H. J. Stevenson, the
surveyor who drew it.
A city charter, attempting to follow
the lines laid down on that map, would
very soon find the line leading into Ven
tura or San Bernardino county AS
matter of fact, everybody up in THAI
neck of the woods is engaged in deciding
everybody elSe'S property, and no man
living. except he who is endowed with
the Gift of prophecy, can tell where
'they are at" When the charter passes,
however, these same good people can
prove themselves in or out of the city
as pleases them best.
But to resume: The line of demarca-
ton wanders around until it gets lost
at the north charter boundary-where-
ever that is-originally, 1t was anywhere.
but where it was supposed to be, and
considerably south of the patent boun-
dary, as defined on the ground. But on
goes the line to the northwest corner of
the city That particular corner was
never seen but once, and on that occa-
sion Surveyor Stevenson accidentally
ran across a stake. He never could tes-
tify as to the quality of the wood. wheth-
er it would make good beer keg slaves
or not. and has never been able to loca,e
it since. He swore positively. however,
that it was at the foot of a hill in rd
vine. whereas the enc now located as the
corner is out in the open, and no hill Is
anywhere adjacent.
From that corner the line meanders
over the country according to certain
maps. nine out of ten of which don't spe-
city whether the land subdivi6ed is in