The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-08
FROM TEXAS TO
The BOUNDARY
COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY
AT WORK IN NORTH DAKOTA. .
Queer Towers Of Great Height Which
Mark the Landscape and Arouse the
Curiosity of the People-Exact
Measurement of Distances in the
Interest of Science,
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Wahpeton, N. D., July 8.-For some
time local curiosity has bee< aroused by
the erection here and there turnout the
country of looking frames of
towers of great height. One of these is
standing one and half miles southeast
of Wahpeton, another near Hankinson
one near Mooreton, a fourth near Childs
and still another Is at Western postoffice.
No one has seemed to know what thew
could be for, but the general guess has
been that they were the work Of the
weather bureau.
However, today Assistant William III.
Burger of the United States coast and
geodetic survey is making observations
from the Wahpeton tower, looking toward
final measurement to the greatest pos
sible exactitude of the distance from San
Antonio, Texas, to Canada Similar work
was done some years, ago between the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans, resulting in
a reduction Of the probable error, reduced
to sea level, in the computed distance
across the United States of about a hun
dred feet. @
The method adopted in measurements
is that of triangulation, as follows:, From
| towers which, in this level locality, are
sixty feet high, an observer, with the5
odolite. computes the angle to neighbor-
ing towers, which here are placed about
twelve miles apart. This is done at night,
keepers at outlying towe1< displaying
lights Of about the strength of bicycle
lamps The observer has to make sixteen
double sets Of calculations of the exact
angle of which his instrument is the YER
tex and the various tower lights the other
determining points.
| When the operator has completed the
required calculations at one vert|x, he
goes to the next tower, and proceeds as
before. The entire party consists, first
Of all, Of a building cre~, who secure
permission from land owners and erect
towers wherever desirable. At the foun-
dalton of each tower is placed a concrete
stone, about four or five feet deep and
flush with the surface Of the ground.
! This is to be landmark for all time.
The tower after the observations are
completed, is made a gift to the land
owner. Other sections Of the party have
to attend at other towers to display lights.
About twenty men are employed in the
group under the direction Of Assistant
Burger.
This work calls for numerous baselines,
which are gagged with the greatest accu-
racy. Such baseline would be- for in
stance, the distance between two towers.
BY trigonometry the distance then to a
third tower can be computed with as
much correctness as tho measured with a
| rod. This was the plan adopted for meas
van NAN'
line being the distance between a point in
| England and the Cape of Good Hope and
| two observers noting particular feature
| OF the moon at the same time, also not
Ing the angle SO formed. Knowing then
! the miles apart which they We're, the dis
| lance to the moon was found after few
| hours Of figuring.
Taking newly acquired lengths as new
baselines the survey goes on across the
/ o1ySr
angles wherever 1t goes. Afterwards al
loWances are made for changes in the
height of land and all estimates are re-
duced to sea level. Then we have the
most accurate measurement attainable of
| the sea level distance from boundary to
boundary.
| Assistant Burger is working south hay-
Ing Little Falls as his objective point for
| the season. He expects to arrive there
about Oct 20. The completion of the
measurements north is scheduled for 1906
at which time one may hope to know the
exact distance north and south thru the
United States, reduced to sea level. Mean
While similar work will be carried on II
the vicinity Of the Great Lakes. s.
Many fail to see the practical benefit tt
be derived, but, like large part o,
scientific work. it is an accommodating OF
accurate information which sometime II
the advance Of science, may prove abso.
lutely necessary. Such work as this mani.
testify could not be carried out by private
enterprise. %
From Wahpeton the party goes tt
| Western, Campbell and Elbow Lake
leaving nothing but deserted towers, anc
a certain tautness in the minds of som,
over the thought Of the fearfully straigh
imaginary lines which have been run
spider-like, over the country.