The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-30


 | United States government, in the course of the typographical survey that will eventually cover the whole country, finishes the details of that corner repre-
 sented by the state of Maine. it will in- clude many small bits of territory, scat tered along the coast between the Ken nebunk river and the little town of East
 port, already surveyed with equal exact
 ness by students and instructors of the
 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 During some three weeks of the present summer the town of East Machias has been added to the various other sections
 thus surveyed and mapped by students, the results of whose summer labors are afterward turned over to the U. s. Geolog
 ical Survey at Washington, pending the final government surveys Although at first glance chiefly interesting as
 unique type of modern summer instruc- tion, in that it actually surveys and lays
 out a new region every summer, these stu
 dent surveys produce results of real and
 permanent value to the town chosen as the base of operations and to the regular
 government surveyors. As they are con- ducted yearly and are connected with points already established by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, the
 work accomplished is q practical continu-
 alton of what the government experts have already done in the same district, and the results are accepted as a real ad-
 dition to exact geographical knowledge.
 Naturally, moreover the large party of student surveyors cover a given district quickly as well as efficiently. During the three weeks that the students of the
 "Tech" were busiy mapping and measur- ing at East Machias, for example, about as much work was accomplished as would have been done by an ordinary, but natu-
 rally much smaller body of surveyors in
 three or four months. The men. of course, were all advanced students young men who are almost ready to take up their profession on their own account, and so
 much interested in the success of their work that in three weeks not single man reported late for duty: and time was | found not only for completing the work l of the survey, but for attending several
 dances. organized by the hospitable towns people for the entertainment of their visl- tors, and even for the development of an incidental ball nine. The idea that all
 men who give up part of their vacation to further pursuit of knowledge cannot find time to combine business and pleas
 ure would hardly be admitted by the |
 Few persons outside of the modern tech nical schools realize the direct bearing | of these summer excursions on practical | problems. East Machias, for example, 1 had never been actually surveyed. except | directly along the water front. where the l United States Coast and Geodetic Survey | had already examined the coast line and l established certain points as a basis for
 future measurements Starting from these 1 points and continuing the work inland, eX-
 actly as the government surveyors will
 some day continue it. the work of the 'Tech" summer school has added some l inches--which means several miles of ac- 1 tual country-to the government map ac- l curately defining the elevation of different
 points. the working power of the water courses, the geological character of the country and it's more detailed geographi- cal features Maps. as we usually know 1 them. are exact enough for ordinary pur-
 poses, but are far from being the accu-
 rately detailed statements of fact that
 can only be based upon close observation
 of small section of territory taken quite
 by itself And the value of the maps
 made on these summer outings" as
 many persons might imagine them. to | other than students has resulted directly | from the care with which the surveys
 have been made in the course of them.
 | The survey made this summer at East 1 Machias, like those that have preceded it | at other points along the Maine coast as
 well as in the Adirondack and Catsslil | mountains. had four main objects: the
 making of large typographical map on | the scale of one foot to a mile of the dis l trict immediately around the town the | making of smaller map covering larger
 area therefore emitting many of the less | important details: an investigation of the water power represented by the East 1 Machias river; and a general examination | of the geology of the region. Measurement | of the large areas of land are made by | an arithmetica calculation. taking one | carefully measured line as a starting point, and with that line as a base and the surveyors instruments as a means of locating and mapping other points vis- ible from the ends of it, constructing a se-