The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-19

/ July tbs nature OF the work at
| fanarnH, ts now ketrg carried ifiEJ
! effect. ExaCtNsnrveys nave been n4Ade
With the Lest Instruments which en-
gtneering science possesses, the Tea
( lures OF the canal Itself have been
charted by the best engineers avail
I able, and now the maker of relief
maps is engaged in completing the
8ofk.
The map of the Canal Zone is being
made in Washington. while that of
! the Gatun Dam will be completed IN
Panama under the direct superin-s
I tendence OF Colonel Coethals. On the
whole 1t will be the most graphic
( representation, OF the gigantic water.
way that tan be imagined One win
: sec the whole canal zone III miniature,
+ its peaks. its rivers. its plateaus, it's
valleys, all drawn to scale I'm their
dimensions. 10 will be recalled that
there was relief map of the canal
at the jamestown Exposition, but this
/ will be far better example of the
map-sculptoF's art.
( Uncle Sam is one of the greatest
/ of the map-makers. He has a num-
her of agencies at work. and II one
+-.,aHt,e~e lied more Important than
another that one Is the big map of
I the United States being made by the
1 Geological Survey. 1t is made entire
~ from new and patient surveys. and
gives about all the data concerning
4 the national domain that map sheets
may contain. This map Is in sections
a certain piece of territory is sur
veyed. and from these surveys,
wrought with infinite patience. the
! government map-makers make the
sheets. This big map Is being pre-
pa1<i on a scale that makes one inch
on the map represent sixteen miles of
territory. About one-third of the
country has been surveyed, and the
work is being carried forward at the
I rate of about $4,000 square miles
year. II costs about ten dollars a
/ square mile to do the work. AS there
are more than 100000 square miles
1 of territory In the United States. the
ultimate cost of this big map will be
more than 100000 900.
| While the big map of the United
I States ts being carried 10 completion,
an even greater project is on foot.
/ IL Is the making of great map of
! the World drawn to the scale of one
! inch to one million, 1t will of course
/ be made in sections. each section
1 representing plat Of land one de-
gree long and one degree wide, If il
I were possible II, assem- BIZ. at the Sec
! tions into one big map Ii would be
about 1872 feet square About one-
/ third of the earth is now Included In
/ the matured plans. and il liz believed
| that In the course of the next decade
all of the civilized nations will unite
IN completing this big map of the
world. This map would be large
enough to show every important fea-
/ ture of the topography of the earth,
: the scale being approximately six
! teen miles to the inch Prussia and
/ France have been the leading nations
- T. H. 40 ~
Some one has made the statement.
that England has better maps of the
I United States than the United States
itself possesses, maps showing all the
post roads and all topography favor
a bic to military strategy. While Eng
land and Germany both excel the
4 United States in the art of map max
ing, il Is not believed that either of
them possesses as accurate surveys
of American territory as Uncle Sam
holds. The Geological Survey and
+, the Coast and Geodettc Survey maps
are thorough. SO far as they go. IL
must be remembered, too, that the
government possesses all of the mill
tary maps of the Civil War period,
fand that they are perhaps as~detaiied
! in the portrayal of topographic feat
ures as military maps usually are.
1t Is believed that the Library of
Congress possesses the best collection
4 of maps in tine world 1t has over
ace, 900 of them While the British
Museum collection may possess many
of the ancient maps that are not to be
found in Washington. every modern
and useful map In the world Is tos-be
found there. Great care is taken OF
the maps, the fling cases being so ar
ranged that every sheet may be Kept
without damage. 1t is said that the
finest collection of maps in private
hands belongs to a German flrm or
map-makers They never turn out a
map on the strength of surveys made
by others. While they keep copy
of every important map that makes
its appearance in any part OF the
world using them to verify their own
maps. each map they put out mas
been made after surveys of their own.
No matter what remote territory they
arc mapping. or how tritiing seems the
chance of error in the maps OF other
makers. no work goes out except II
be the result OF their own surveys,
calculations and engraving.
Map-making originated with the
wandering tribes OF Asia. The sons
of Ishmaei We're probably the nrst TO
use the idea. 1t became necessary Tor
them To mark their routes and TO To-
cate tnG laHuiitdtnS Alttt saw NhSAA
guidance and out of this sprang the
art OF the map. Eveh to this day
one may behold the difference in races
in this respect. The negro tribe that
dwells through generations in one
locality in Africa comprehends moth
ing from the map. On the other
hand the Eskimo is quick to under
stand the meaning OF map and to
grasp the idea Of location through
H. The statement of commander
Pcary that the Eskimos showed him
on the map where Dr. Cook had gone
may have sounded improbable cine
uninitiated. but to the informed Nyiwas
not en- unreasonable statement. II
is said, indeed, that a rough man
drawn by an Eskimo woman enabled
Sir Edward Parry to discover Fury
and Heeia Straits Many of the early
American explorers declared that they
found the Indians good map makers
tn a rudimentary way; that their
drawings and representations as TO
rivers mountains and either topo-
graphic character sites We're notable
fo- -hcir accuract-
References are found in ancient lit
erstrre TO mans or wood In the time
of Parac~es II end the Babylonians
carried the arr Of Topographic repre-
sentatt,n 80 n considera BILE degree Of
perfee.to~. II was the Eabvfontans
whc divided the circle into $50 de-
grees ara the hour into sixty min
ptes. Irpon these divisions is based
tie ~-1eae,- idea of latitude and Ian
A..~ - 1-..A