The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-16
TO S0RVHY THE STATE
Geological Board to Prepare
Detailed Topographic
cal Map of New
Jersey.
TEST WORK AT BELLEvILLE
Scheme to Be on a Line With the
Ordinance Survey of
England.
Especial to sThe Jersey city News."]

~ lSDGCldl u 1T ioc ILL 4NtN0s
TRENTON, NOV. 16, 1S97.-The State
Geological Survey has Instituted a new
work in Essex county, which has been in
progress for a month or six weeks, and
may prove to be a more important under
taking than the valuable geographical
maps of the State issued by the board.
The new work is on a line with the So
called ordinance survey of England. To
distinguish it, it is called the economic
survey of the State, and if the expert
mental work now in progress in Essex
county proves successful, and not too ex-
pensive, the new survey win be made to
embrace the entire State, or at least the
more thickly populated sections.
THE scheme is to make a map of the
State, showing not only the topography
Of the country, and the roads, lakes and
watercourses, but a map showing the
number and location Of buildings, means
of drainage, and other important detail.
The work is a very big undertaking, as
can be readily appreciated. As explained
ii has been begun in Essex county merely
for the purpose of ascertaining the feas-
Utility of the scheme, its probable cost,
etc, and it will depend wholly upon the
success made in this experiment whether
it is to be continued.
The work in Essex county is being car
ried on in Belleville. It will cover a
space about two miles square on both
sides of the river. Here is to be ound
a considerable variety i'll the topography,
the thickIy settled part of the town, the
river and the water works of Newark
and Jersey City, and it is thought this
will afford a fair basis upon which the
probable cost of the work can be COM
puted. The surveys will be made and the
drawings given on a scale of about two
feet to the mile. The maps, when COM
pleted, will not be finished on so large
a SCALE probably about one-half of this.
Should the work be c~qJtinued, and made
to embrace the more important sections
of the State, the scale on which the1naps
would be prepared would vary.
In England the ordinance survey is on
a varying scale. Some sections are on a
scale of ten or twelve inches to the mile
and others as high as twenty-five, the
latter the highest. There is nc question
about the usefulness of such a survey.
In determining the important economic
and engineering questions that are to
come up in the future, of water supply,
Z drainage, sewage disposal. and other like
matters, such a series of maps eTnbrac-
ing the more thickly inhabited sections
Of the State would be Invaluable. Take,
for example, the Passaic River drainage
problem. Here is a work, which, when
completed, is certain to cost many mill
ions Of dollars. No one doubts but that
it must be undertaken at some time. A
carefully prepared series OF maps drawn
to the scale of twenty or twenty-five
inches to the mile, showing the topo-
graphy of the entire drainage area, the
location of the w~atercourses, the exist
ing means of drainage, and the location
of all buildings, would be OF the greatest
value.
survey, now being made. will be COM
pleted so as to lay the maps and diagrams
before the Board of Managers of the State
Geological Survey during the eoming
winter. The matter will then be taken
up and thoroughly considered. tn en-
gineer of the board, Mr.. C. c. Vermeule,
has the matter in hand. He is very de-
sirous of making it a success. The field
work is being lone by Engineer Peter D.
Stotts of Newark, who was engaged on
the survey incident to the preparation OF
tho valuable Typographical maps OF the
State. In the work of preparing the topo-
graphical maps, New Jersey was in the
lead of all the other States of the Union.
No one will question the Importance or
value of that work. I typographical
maps of most recent date are now eight
or ten years old, and as applied to some
of the more important sections of the
State, especially the more thickly popu-
lated, and most rapidly growing sections,
they are already Anticipated. That work
was in progress ten years, and cost the
State less than $50, 600; in fact. only 10000,
for one-half the cost was refunded to the
State by the United States Geological
Survey. The typographical surve was
begun much as in the way the new survey
is being made. The northeastern section
Of the State was first finished, and the
character of that work Immediately rec
commended the completion of the entire
work to the Board of Managers.