The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-05
fsp,c.., q 8 -. Fl r,n.. Z, D.,pat 5

" KS Especial 10 The Times. .Dispntch. J
J8s CUMBERLAND, MD..4 April 4.--'There
arc many popular errors regarding the
Mason ana Dixon line, . boundary laid aid
out Ia colonial days which later figured
tprornIn nently Ia the affairs OF the Republic.
This work 81 rernarking OF; restoring as !,
were, this line is rapid 4 nearing COM M
spletion undcrsthe direction OF q Joint com
srnissionH Hof Maryland and Pennsyly'n'n q "a.
proud because Baltimore and Pennsy,l-. Y,
4vana were ins strumental In having Bit II 10 =
Gated Each state appropriated 5000
8 for ths restora tion of the lins. sd
tl yet, the Mason and Dixon line IS known
as the boundary between North and South
and from It comes 4: d Dixie, g cogn omen
for the; South, which has been immor-
Rtalixed Sin song and story 81 .5S "a
b The work OF remarking or3reconstruct-
Ing the line was started as the result q q
{anIjinvesuga tionE by the Pennsylvanlai De-
partIne1,t OF Internal Affairs. There wa
no trouble about the location Of the bonn-
fdarys and 1t was simply 4 to maintain In
}terest In the storical 4 line that Mary
land lent cooperation In the work Of re-
marking, which begap. lively IN April,
1901, and has been pursued al firreg uialr u az
Intervals ever since. he Gpla Gin GOT the
markers Is Ia charge Of dward r. Mar
( Tn. while ca ptains w. !. c. Il gskins, Of
the United states Coast and g oedetic SUR
.yey Is. In active charge OF the field work Of
L Ger ,rai Il James Y ": !: Lat ta;i secretary OF
internal affairs. Isl commlssio ner on Z the
part OF Pennsylya Elas and !. u = e
b. Clark. Of Johns q kins }niyersity.
chief Of the Maryland sGeo Eical survey,
on the part OF Maryla nc. ..5I8 ID
ITsS Ons or q the err oneous &jnp pressl lons . re-
-sasa4rs s,tke Mason and Dixon line is ,ttsGt tnat
5it was rked togetile yyitt \ q stone. q
q Markers dt.stone we're used w her ever pos
ssiblet by, asot, and Dixon, but rat. points
almost inaccessfsle they were obliged te
resort 70 ounds ost earth or rock n and
hundred and forty years, on hig II N oun-
tain points TO which in thos. ays of in.
3ferior transportatio the stones could not
beacarried. " j. Us;
Another Idea generally epter tained "a 4
that the \ line Is thirty Y feet. wide Re,
Gently a farmer ask ed one Of / the 81.
Sthe line for private use. that lit Yas used
BY neither State and he could I. .real ltze 2
from II !, by putting out crops. The Inc
5l.@ simply irnagina ary and the allacious
impression that ut IS thirty feet comes
from the. fact that In making the survey
Mason and Dixon cut lei gap thirty feet
wide through the Utmost I'M mpenetra Bile
,Swildarnes.. traces y Of which remain to
this day. The survey OF this line was no
trivial gineering feat, as som nes are wont
70 believe, II is we'll authenticated
fact that the work cost in the eighbor-
hood $of! $500. 900 and that at one time Ma
son 4 and Dixon had # In their / employ as
many as one hundred axenae 7 he work
Sta rted In 1853 4 at the Instance Of VII
liam Penn and Lord Baltimore and the
surveyors were three years in SURVEYING
sfrom the north east corner to the foot Of
savage Mountain.if I'M 1767 the work was
finished from the latter point to Virginia
now West Virginia Eng lneers now at
work, on7the line marvel q + the thorough
ness OF the work OF Mason sand Dixon.
~ 10, despite the lacks Of means OF trans
portation and being harassed by the IN
dians. accompl plished task Wh'ch f tns a!'