The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-07

Remaining OF the boundary line be-
tween the two states gives now Interest
TO the famous Mason m Dixon line.
which has Mayed an important part
In the history OF the country. The
work OF remarking this ancient boun-
dairy Was carried on under the direction
of DR.. william II. Clark OF the Mary
land geological bureau n the secre-
tary OF internal affairs OF Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania legislature In 1858
appropriated 81 900 TO repair % reset
the monuments on the boundary line
between this commonwealth and the
adjacent state OF Maryland ON the
south" In 1900 the legislature Of
maryland made n like appropriation OF
$1,000 to carry on Its share Of the work.
Surveying parties were sent into tho
field In 1898 and h major part OF the
work was don some five years ago,
hut the commission unex-
pected d~ificultics In h search for
some OF the original marking stones
and the task was not completed and
reported TO the governors OF the Two
states until this year.
Mason and Dixon's line received It's
name from the original surveyors.
Charles Dixon and Alexander Dixon.
They were sent to America from Lon
don In iTs3 TO lay down the boundary
between the estates OF Lord Cccilus
calvert and William Penn. TO avert
what at one time threatened 10 be- "A
civil war between the low or the
two great land holders
! The surveying was begun I'm 1Isf
and pursued until stopped by the In
dinns nj Dunknrd creek. now in the
state OF West Virginia. In h autumn
of 1897. Through the greater part OF
thc distance from the eastern end OF u
line TO Dunkard creek. 2&t miles west
OF Delaware. the line was marked by
stones one mile apart. In which the
letter ''p"' was cut In the north side
and the letter NJ In the south .de
AZ each hve-mile mark a stone was
placed with the arms OF e engraved
on the north side and those OF Calvert
an n south side. Fortunately Tor
postcrity. the original surveying party
ran the line by the stars and did not
depend upon the fluctuations OF the
magnetic needle. II IL had been SUR
ycyed By n compass In 1900 u would
have shown a deviation OF at least W
miles, and were h line To be run owe
again at the present time with an un-
corrected compass. according TO the
records OF the original survey. the de-
Walton would reach about nineteen
miles south OF where II now II and the
rich coal mines OF the Maryland coun-
ties would belong TO Pennsylvania. The
later surveyors soon discovered the
trick OF their predecessors and followed
h same course.
The agreement which furnished the
basis OF the original survey was made
between the ~colonists OF Penn M
those OF Calvert and was contained In
the charter given by King Charles III.
to William Penn In 1851, A semi circle
with a tweive-mile radius was TO be
drawn around the town OF New Castle.
Del, and beginning ut the Delaware
river and extending north and west. A
right line was TO be run from Cape
Heniopen on the coast OF New Jersey.
due west TO fhc middle point OF h
peninsula between the chesapeake
and Delaware bays. From this point a
meridian line was TO be u u north
30 as to form n tangent with h semi
circle drawn aroun New Castle. From
the point where the tangent touched
the circle the mcriden was TO run due
north until Il reached the latitude OF a
point fifteen miles south of Philadel-
phia. From this point "a line running
due west was To be the boundary be-
tween h two estates.
According TO the record kept by n
original surveyors the work necessary
10 establish these several points was
accomplished with great difficulty
through the forests and marshes across
the intervening rivers. II consumed
three years. beginning with 1850. To es-
tabiish the line across the peninsula
and to tx the tangent poiut. Then the
London surveyors took up the work.
Nearly n year mere was 10
lake sure OF the latitude of the point
iiftccn miles south OF Philadclphia.
FINALLY the point was established where
ihc three corners OF the states OF Dtla-
ware. Pennsylvania and Maryland
meet, and this point was duly marked
b. q suitable stone and tho survey OF
The celebrated Mason N Dixon line
pns begun Ia the sumner of 1894.
That year the line was run ms
partialiy marked TO h Susquehanna
river. The next year IL was continued
10 the Allegheny river and a little fur
ther to the westward. but By a decree
az the indians II was brought abruptly
10 a stop, and the surveyors returned
10 Philadelphia.
In 1870 "A desire to test the survey
took shape and the legislatures OF the
three s.atos interested made ap%propria-
tlons ana appointed commissioners TO
perform the work. The survey was
placed In the hands OF Of Colo, 81 James
II. Graham OF the United States topo-
graphical survey. Colonel Grahars
went over the work and In the main
corroboratcd IL. He found that the
radiuy of twelve miles used To estab-
lIsh tho arc OF the circle was two feet
and four inches short and that the tam
gent Io!nt had been placed t5s feet too
far south. The corner stone of the
three states Mas reset according To this
survey. and Maryland received l.s1
arrca 81 land as the result. Since then
th.r, has been no effort seriously Ia
question the accuracy OF the original
Iuryty.
Thc mile stones used 10 mark tic
bo.a,nry were brought from England,
6rcCg-d and ready for setting up. The
labor q! transporting them over the
traCalesg wilderness was found almost
ansurmountahlc m had TO b. aban-
ao.ci over a part OF the line. Where
T.. .os;s could not be- carried piles of
seonc four fcCt square and eight feet
l.!:h were bullt la their place. and In
Ec:..e instances bod posts Were used
On como OF the inaccessible hills of
western Maryland. The marking posts
were about twelve inches squar" and
varied In length from three TO Ave feet.
''hA stones are oolitc and are supposed
to have been guarded near Portsmouth.
England.
T'ne work OF restoring the old mark
tn..r. and. where they Could not be
recovered. OF setting up iron posts. was
iuIrustei to W. &. HoGgkins of the
coast and geological survey. Mr.. Hodg-
Eins and his assistants had many
strange experiences In their recovery OF
some OF the missing mile stones. Two
Of tho Crowns,oncs. ~ the iivc-milc
markers were called. were u serv-
luz az door steps OF the Mutual Rights
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