The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-18

Nhe luiAAhllNF IN the NtAAlt-E n Z
OF an Old ControverSy-ENtrH
From Several Historic Grants.
/ Surveying parties from Pennsylvania
and Maryland are In the field replacing
with iron posts the old stone markings
establishing Mason and Dixons line This
worl is the outcome Of the recent news
paper controversies in Pennsylvania, Del
/ aware. and Maryland as to the true be
ginning Of the east end Of the famous
/ boundary.
! So e. Of the marSir IS Of the line be
tween Maryland and Pennsylvania had
. been removed or defaced. and IL was din
cut to locate the State line. especially
near its eastern terminus or corner where
. the three States meet The point in con
. troversy was regarding the length Of the
tangent line" which furnished the point
Of departure for the survey Of Mason and
Dixon in 1864
Such interest was awakened in the
matter that the Pennsylvania Legislature
in l,SS appropriated 5000 to re-establish
the boundary and to remark the same
according TO the original survey A year
later the Maryland Legislature appropri-
atod S5.ooo for the same purpose. and the
work Of re-marking the old Mason and
DiNons line is now nearing completion
under the joint direction Of the two
States. J. W. Latta, Secretary Of Inter
nal Affairs Of Pennsylvania. has charge
/ Of the survey for that State and Dr. vii
liam b. Clark, Director of the Geological
Bureau. represents the State Of Maryland.
No other State boundary equals in in
terCSt that which was made famous by
references thereto on the part Of Henry
| Clay and others as the line Of demarka-
/ tion between free and slave States. Great
! interest attaches TO the original sur
vey and the circumstances leading up to
! it. As now, the motive Of the first sur
/ vey. was n land dispute. growing out Of
I conflicting grants from the Crown Of
! England Royal grants given by King
/ James specified the 10th degree Of latitude
( as the boundary line between New Eng
. land and Virginia. These grants given
! by the King in 1905 were revoked in 1924.
/ In 1923 George Calvert received charter
! for lands within the Original grant 10 Vir-
. gina and this was renewed TO Cecilius
/ Calvert in 1852.
The latter charter conveyed TO Calvert
| AL that part Of the peninsula or cherso-
! nese lying in the parts Of America be
/ tween the ocean on the east ana the Bay
! Of Chesapeake on the west, divided from
I the residue thereof by a straight line
/ drawn from the promontory or headland
.
Z the bay afOres said and near the River
/ S.IxhC0 on the west. unto the ocean on
3 the east: and between that boundary on
. the south and that part Of the Bay OF
Delaware on the north which lieth under
the fortieth degree Of latitude where New
l-uglal.. tTTL mates ne calvert cnaI-
rsr ~'~p contained another clause granting
20 him all that tract Of land from the
sful,s-tiG bay Of Delaware In right
/ line. by the degree aforesaid, 70 the true
I meridian Of the frst fountain OF the 70
- 7frfrr nfrvErFT To-
ward the south 10 the further bank Of
said river. and following the west ana
south side Of it 70 the place Of beginning
Under this grant Ceciltus Calvert claimed
the whole peninsula south of the 10Th par
The Dutch had previously settled on the
west shore Of the Delaware. and by right
Of possession resisted the claim OF Cal
/ vert In 1904 the Dutch possessions were
! ceded 70 the Duke Of York, who also re-
/ iected the claims Of Calvert
! From the above IL win be seen that the
north boundary Of these grants was the
Z fprtieth degree Of latitude. the one Doun-
dairy made familiar 70 the authoTIJles m
London by Captain John smith But on
Smith map this degree Of latitude was
incorrectly placed about where Mason and
. Dixon line now IS ~
liam Penn % the territory Of Pennsylva-
/ mia which cedcd. "AIl that tract OF land
iu AIl,-ic with the ISLANDS therein con
Z tanned. as tho same IS bounded on the
I east by the Delaware River, from twelve
miles north 81 New Castle Town. unto the
t44r~e- ard E0Ftiath degree Of north ldu-
{ tuGa # said river doth extend so far
nrrthward -but y not sth'n by meridian
line frpnl the head 81 said river TO said
frrrE--- hf-I degree. a TIL said land To- OK
tend westward five degrees in longitude 20
be computed from said eastern bounds
And tho said lands 10 bc bounded on the
north by the beginning Of tho thr"e and
fartieth degree Of northern latitude. and
on thc south by a circle drawn AT twelve
miles distant from New Castle nOrthW1rd
and westward until the beginning ~ the
f~-ti'fh d'gr,s Of northern latitude and
then by a straight line westward TO the
limits Of longitude above mentioned"
tn. l1nC-ta~a 90 th'sr charters is Quot
ed 20 show the conflicting claims Of the
orlCfu1. ur-n-'' tors I'D TIC circnFmsta noes
which afterward led 20 the establishment
nv actual survey and stone marking OF
tn southern BOUNDARY or Be0UST.F sf TfF
I When William Penn arrived IN America
: with his colrDiete ~ was soon learned bv
/ astronomical observation that the fOrtieth
T degree OF latitude was SO far u0rthward
as o. cut OF his possessions from access
20 the ocean. cEreut through the wind
iugs Of the Delaware or SuSguehauua
Rivers He discovered that his grant eS-
! tabBshed him inland among impenetra-
bic forests HI was excluded from any
portion OF the coast or any territory hor-
deriug upon Delaware Bay Then began
/ negotiations between Penn and Calvert
for the determination Of the boundary.
| which was carried by the UartSaus Of
] each TO the verge Of war. Penn wishing
[ 70 cOmTE nd an outlet 20 the ocean. in
! 1852. bought out the rights Of the Duke
/ Of York 90 the land IN Delaware north OF
/ a line due west from Cape HenIopen
! The contention was CARRIED on with in
| creasiug vig0r until 1732 when the heirs
| Of Penn and Calvert entered into an
/ agreement for the final adjustment Of the
/ boundary. II WIS agreed by them that
| a Semi-ciTCle was 70 be drawn around the
l town Of New Castle with "A tw-lve-rnile
/ radius beginning AZ Tho Delaware River
! the line 20 be drawn north and west A
/ right line was TO be run from Cape Hen