The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05
RW MASON AND DTXON'S Line
WORK or REMARkING THE B0UN-
DAMP NEARING AN END.
Pepular Errors About It-ThorouEhness OF
The Original Work-Niany Stone Markers
0tnl Intact--Somo Carried Away
and Found After Long Searches.

oenl IntAct-SOmo Carrhd Away
and Found After Long searches
CUMBERLAND. Md. April A.-The work
a. rsmarling Mason and Dixon's line ID
rapidly nearing completion under the
xs-ytion Of Joint commission of Maryland
and Pennsylvania. Each State appropri-
ated IS 300 for the restor alton OF the line.
Tho work was startee. as the result Of an
lnvestigafion by the Pennsylvania De-
partment Of Internal Affairs. There was
no trouble about the location OF the bound
any and 1t was simply on account Of its
historical interest that Maryland lent her
cooperation to the enterprise. which began
IN April, 1901, and has been pursued at
irregular intervals ever since. The placing
o. the markers Is In charge Of Edward
y. Martin, while Capt. W. c. Hodgkins Of
- United States Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey 10 In active charge OF the field work.
Gen. James w. Latta, Secretary OF Internal
Affairs, Ia commissioner on the part Of
Psnpsylvania. and DR.. william b. Clark Of
Johns Hopkins University. chief Of the
Maryland Geological Survey. on the part
81 Maryland.
One OF the erroneous impressions re-
eArciing the Mason and Dixon line 10 that
& was marked altogether with stone.
Markers OF stone were used wherever pos
dble BY Mason and Dixon. but at points al
most Inaccessible they were obliged to
resort to mounds Of earth or rock. and speci-
mems Of both can be seen yet intact after
100 years on high mountain points to which
in those days of inferior transportation
the stones could not be carried.
Another idea generally entertained Is
that the line Is thirty feet wide. Recently
Q farmer asked one Of the engineers If he
could not have a section OF the line for
private use, as 1t was used by neither State
and be could profit from il by putting out
CROPS. The line is simply an imaginary
one, and the impression that IL is thirty feet
comes from the fact that in making the
survey Mason and Dixon cut gap thirty
Sest Wide through the wilderness. traces OF
The survey OF this line was no trivial en-
cheering feat, as some persons suppose.
The work cost In the nelghborhood OF
900, 900 and at one time Mason and Dixon
bad In their employ as many as 100 aIemen.
stance of William Penn and Lord Baltimore
and tho surveyors were three years in
GETTING from the northeast corner to the
loot Of Savage Mountain. In 1867 the work
was finished from the latter point to Vir-
Gipia, now West Virginia.
EpR1neers now at work on the line marvel
It the thoroughnees of the work Of Mason
and Dixon who. despite the lack Of means
Of transportation and the danger from
indiana, accomplished task which this
dsy the surveyors at some points find 1t
dilhcult to initiate. In 1919 a revision was
made Of the line by commissioners ap-
pointed by the States of Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Delaware So accurate was
tbs work Of Mason and Dixon that the
change involved by the correction amounted
TO le6s than two acres added to the area Of
Maryland.
Tho original stone markers, many Of
which are yet intact. were transported
from England. They are Of a light greyish-
brown color being a peculiar mixture Of
0and and limestone and are distlnguishable
by Q peculiar odor, not unlike sulphur.
When . stone II broken this odor 10 quite
fresh.
The stones which were planted east Of
8idellng Hill were landed at New Castle,
Del, and transported across the country.
Those for points west Of Sideling Hill were
brought up the Potomac River on fat
hosts.
The stones weigh In the neighborhood
Of 500 pounds and are ~ feet long by foot
Ouuare. II was no easy matter to trans
sort them through the wilderness.
IL has been neoeesaryto substitute about
ssventy-hve new stones 10 replace those
carried away or broken up. The new
stones arc all Of white marble, ~ feet long
and 10 inches square. Every fifth stone
n Q crown stone with the GOAT OF arms Of
Penn on one side and the escutcheon Of
lord Baltimore on the other The other