The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-31
Topeka the Center of Govern.
ment Military Survey.
Lieutenant Glass Is Preparing
kthe Typographical Record.
SKETCHES OF COUNTRY
Drawings Made of Highways.
Bridges and Streams.
800 Square Miles Is Covered ON
Horseback.

Campaign maps of the countrv
around Topeka are being made bv off,
GERS of the regular army for the war
department
Ih1s IS work of which the govern
ment has never undertaken before. If
consists of making accurate and mi
mute maps of all this Missouri valley
region, giving in detail the roads, rail-
ways, contours, bridges, streams, towns
ana villages. For the past week an
army officer has been making Topeka
his headquarters in sketching the area
surrounding Topeka and vicinity. 1t
all there are some nine officers of the
regular army engaged in this work in
the Missouri valley region, three OF
whom come from Fort Leavenworth.
Maps which the war department re-
lied upon and which in a manner con-
tanned the necessary information were
drawn in 1885 and the department.
had nothing later than that date. Nu-
merous changes have taken place since
that time. Railroads have been con-
structed, new roads built and it has
been found absolutely imperative to Sc
cure uD to date and accurate maps.
Lieutenant r. R. Glass of the Eigh-
teenth infantry is the officer in charge
of the district surrounding Topeka and
vicinity. He has something like 900
square miles in his territory. extending
from Holton southwark and taking in
all of Shawnee county.
Each day he goes out on horseback
to sketch in the bridges and other
features of military Importance, using
a United States geological survey map
as basis. Rough sketches are made
and later from this material the per-
fected map is made from which Iitho-
graphed copies are printed.
The maps which are now being COM
piled will form the nucleus of a val
liable collection which the war de-
partment will be able to utilize in the
fall military maneuVers which are
coming to be more extensive each
year, and in actual campaigns should
the country be so unfortunate as to
warfare. For quick mobilization of
troops the possession of maps of this
character are absolutely necessary.
Lieutenant Glass, who was reluctant
said: s'All of the foreign countries,
| like Germany and France, have elab-
crate maps of this kind and are well
equipped but the United States has
not paid so much attention to this
character of work. The people in the
United States do not think SO highly of
the army as they do in foreign coun-
tries and this contributed to delaying
this very necessary work of mapping
the countryfor campaign purposes. Just
as an instance of its worth; in making
the marches between Fort Riley and
Fort Leavenworth the troops are well
acquainted with the character of road
in that direction because they have
travelled it frequently but let them
start across country from Leavenworth
to some other point off that beaten
road and Immediately they are up
against it. They don't know what sort
of territory they are going into or
what they will strike next. The maps
that we have now in our possession
we're made in 1885 and numerous
changes have taken place since that
time so they are not reliable. We are
using the geological survey maps as a
basis but they show merely the con-
tour lines, the towns and the railroads
without showing the bridges and other
items of military Importance. ex-
pect to have this district mapped out
completely in a short time"