Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-06

spotted leopard sharks, hideous ham
'merheads, threshers or swingle-tails,
and the immense but lazy basking
sharks, which often grow so large that
they have been mistaken for whales
New York Sun.
MASON AND DIXON LINE.
Historic Boundary 10 Being Resurvey-
cd.
The engineers who are making the
new survey Of the Mason and Dixon
line, under the direction Of the United
States coast and geodetic survey, are
progressing rapidly with the work.
The commission directing the survey
includes the superintendent Of the
coast survey and representative from
Maryland and Pennsylvania. The ori-
ginal running Of the line was done ac-
cording to the terms Of the final agree
ment concluded in 1850. after protract-
ed negotiations. There was a con-
flict of grants Of Maryland and Penn
sylvania, and other complications af-
fecting the titles. The Penns had a
friend at court, and the Calverts were
finally coerced into conceding every
thing demanded. It is the belief Of
many that the line formed the dividing
line between the slave and anti-slave
states. This is erroneous, although 1t
was generally understood to be the
division during the civil war and was
frequently spoken Of as separating the
north and south.
Dixon line is the boundary between
Maryland on one side and Pennslyva-
mia and Delaware on the other side.
It formed the northern and eastern
boundary Of Maryland, so far as limi-
ted by contiguous states. At the time
of its survey Delaware was part of
Pennsylvania, and was known as the
three lower counties on the river Del
aware" The term is, however, often
extended to cover the whole south
ern boundary Of Pennsylvania, and not
without good reason, as Mason and
Dixon had received instructions to
complete the whole Of that line and
had actually progressed some thirty
miles to the westward Of Maryland,
then unmarked and unknown, when
their operations were stopped by the
Indians, who were then all-powerful
west Of the Alleghanies. This was In
1853, and was the final act Of long,
maintained and rancorous dispute be-
tween the lords proprietors Of Mary
land and Pennsylvania, which had its
birth In the grant Of King Charles l OF
England to Caecilius Calvert, Baron
Baltimore. of the province Of Mary
land, carved from the parent province
of Virginia, and extending on the north
to the 4Oth parallel Of latitude. This
included the whole Of Delaware and
about fifteen miles width along the
southern border Of Pennsylvania.
When, many years later, William Penn
obtained from King Charles II the
grant Of the province Of Pennsylvania
and established his town Of Philadel-
phia, he found to his dismay that the
4Oth parallel would pass through that
town, and he therefore refused to ac-
cept that charter limit as his boundary.
It was only after nearly century OF
controversy, Of litigation, almost OF
civil war, that Penn's descendants fl
nally acquired the fruition Of his
schemes. After several years abor-
tive attempts by local surveyors to
carry out the mandates Of the English
courts Of law, the proprietors employ
ed two noted English mathematicians
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon
to come to this country and mark out
the boundary on the ground. They
brought the best instruments of the
day, and entirely discarding the COM
pass needle, so generally and unfor-
tunately< employed in similar work,
they made a survey that Is really
monumental in its way and undoubt-
edly the best of all the provincial
boundary surveys. Arriving at Phil
adelphia in the fall Of 1853, they began
active operations the following spring
and continued the work until the fall
Of 1853, when they were discharged.
The object Of the present survey is
to restore the old monuments, many OF
which have been destroyed or re-
moved and to erect additional monu-
ments for the better definition Of the
line. Owing to the fact Of Maryland
being a slave state, while Pennsylvania
was a free state, this line was fire.
ouently mentioned In the long discus
sion over that burning question and
many confound it with the Missouri
compromise" line. 1t was also gener-
ally forgotten that the boundary be-
tween Maryland and Delaware was
part of the Mason and Dixon line.
These were both slaves states, and
there was, therefore, no distinction to
be drawn. Since the appointment OF
the survey commission under acts OF
the legislatures Of Pennsylvania and
Maryland, in 1899 and 1900, the engin-
eers have run across many Of the
stones used by Mason and Dixon to
mark the line. 1t has long been the
desire of the government to have
correct division, and the commission
ers were appointed for this purpose
Baltimore American.
KEEP Your Top CooL."-It Is re-
ported Of Artemas Ward that he once
offered his flask Of whisky to the dri-
yer Of the stage on which he was rid
ing through mountainous section.
The stage driver refused the flask in