Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-11

able to point out errors hitherto unno-
ticed in the Nautical Almanac"
1t was almost three years after the
District was established by Congress that
the boundary stones were placed. 1t was
January /. 1898, that in a report to the
Commissioners of the District Maj. Eli
colt stated that 1T is with singular salts
faction that announce the completion of
the four lines compromising the Terri
tory of Columbia. These lines are now
opened and cleared forty feet wide-that
is, twenty feet on each side or the lines
limiting the territory-and In order to
perpetuate the work l have set up square
miestones, marked progressively from
the beginning on Jones point to the west
corner thence to the north corner. thence
to the east. thence to the place of begin
ming, except as to few places where
the miles terminated on a declivity or in
the water; in such cases the stones are
placed on the nearest firm ground and
the true distance in miles and poles is
marked on them.
ION the sides facing the territory is
inscribed jurisdiction OF the United
States; on the o. poSite sides the name
of the state-Virginia or Maryland-and
on the fourth side are inscribed the year
and the present position of the magnetic
needle at the place."
X
This last statement Mr.. Woodward
all instances he found the date Of the
year and-the magnetic variations on OPP
posite sides. AS to the stones them
selves, Mr.. Woodward describes them as
being of fine sandstone which was taken
from quarries near Aqua creek. Va,
which had been leased by the United
States government. Each marker is one
foot square and two feet high. not in
In, kt,o
ground. that also being two feet. The
top, beveled on the four sides for four
inches, forms the frustrum Of a pyramid.
It is Mr. Woodward's belief that the
stones were sawed. and not cut, as many
Of them still show the marks Of the saw.
Each stone Is inscribed with the word
mile or miles" and also numbers from
one to ten on each of the four lines or
sides. There are forty stones all told,
twenty-six of which mark the division
between the District and Maryland. and
the remaining fourteen the division be-
tween the District and Virginia.
Those which divide the District from
Maryland Mr.. Woodward has classified
according to both condition and position.
There are fourteen of these stones in
good condition. he said, while, on the
olhcA MANU. S1A al z Al sum q WV SIolC
of preservation as to need others shortly
to replace them. One, for instance, is
worn totally smooth, two lean badly and
one even stands in the waters Of the
Potomac. These stones have come to
their present condition more or less
through the work of the elements, but,
nevertheless, there are ten which show
signs of scars inflicted by the hand of
man. AS for their location, there are
eight which are found in the dense woods
only after a difficult search Eight others
are in cultivated gardens or fields while
four more are in open ground or pasture
land. Three are set In what Is now prac-
tically the roadside, and one of these is
entirely vod Of lettering
While the original ten miles square
included forty markers, sixteen of these
were taken outside of the District when
ii f. q States cede d back to Virgi lia
that portion lying west of the Potomac.
Consequently, only those markers which