Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-21
Discoveries of Parkway Sur
veyors Affect Several Prop
critics in City.
SOME HAVE LESS GROUND
THAN DEEDS CALL FOR
Other Property Owners Have More
Than They Should-Controver-
sizes Are Expected.

Another instance of the wide scale on
which Washington is affected by the re-
Gently enacted park connecting law.
which provides for the joining Of Rock
Creek. Geological and Potomac Parks.
turned up today when II became known
that the surveyors who have been engag
ed In the Woodley Park section of the
city in making the map for the condem-
nation of land required to connect the
parks have determined that many of the
original surveys in that section are
wrong.
This means that many owners OF prop
erty in the neighborhood of Belmont
road woodley road and 18th street.
whose land is to be taken to make the
proposed park connection Improvement.
purchased in some cases less than their
deeds and surveys call for. and in other
instances it means that such owners pur-
chased and are in possession OF more
land than their deeds and surveys call
for.
The following instances of such discrep-
ancies are given today at the District
building:
Instances Are Cited.
Lot 81 square 2136. has just been cor
rectly surveyed. and found to contain
surveys on file in the District building it
is recorded as containing 47,2I1 square
feet. The lot. therefore, contains 1.SOO
feet less than the old surveys gave it.
Lot Is. square 2136 has just been cor
rectly surveyed. and found to contain
~. 1893 square feet. whereas 1t is recorded
as containing 1899 square feet, dis
crepancy of 494 feet more than the old
survey.
Lot IL. square 2136 is said now to con-
tain 80, 25S square feet. whereas the old
surveys say it contains 34e35 square feet.
1t is. therefore. said to contain 1893 feet
more than is recorded.
Lot q, square 2l36. under the present
survey. contains 81 ,J45 square feet. which
is 1.441 square feet more than the old
survey.
Other Discrepancies.
There are many other discrepancies in
the surveys. ranging from 600 feet down
to 800 feet and less
These facts are shown at the District
building, in the surveyors Office, by a
big map being prepared there. measuring
twelve feet by six feet, showing all the
parcels Of ground in detail which are to
be acquired by the government for the
park connecting improvement This
large detail map Is being made to hang
in the Office OF the cOndemning jury
which Is to fix the prices to be paid for
the land.
These old surveys. which our present
corps of engineers find to be wrong" 1T
was stated by Mr.. Hazen today. were
prepared in the term of office OF B. ID.
Carpenter. now dead, who was county
then known as Washington county con-
stituted the land between Florida ave-
nue.. then the boundary line Of the city.
and the District line.
Mistakes Were Natural.
"It is natural. modern engineers find.
to come across discrepancies in these old
surveys, because they were made with
theodolites, and the transits were not
UP TO date. as they are at the present
time In the old days surveyors did not
measure accurately. In the present day.
we use every modern device. Large
measurements are made with scale bal
ance and steel tapes. The latter do not
yield. as the old cloth tapes did, and in
addition our present steel tapes are con-
stantly tested at a place near Kendall
established a testing point on a stone
which does not expand or contract. as
steel tapes expand and contract frac-
ton in winter and summer. and such ex
pansion and contraction make such a lot
of difference in the results that We have
TO be most careful in testing the tapes.
Controversies Expected.
81 presume" Mr.. Hazen continued.
that there will be a number of con-
troversies as to ownerships of parcels
and pieces of parcels. as soon our new
survey is turned over to the park con-
Meeting condemnation jury. These most
likely will result in suits by persons who
have been paying taxes on more land
than they actually acquired. or by those
who may set up the claim that they
ought not pay taxes now on parcels we
declare TO be larger and more valuable.
Persons who bought property on the old
surveys. on basis OF purchasing 5000
Sxet for instance. and who only got 5000
vi. say certainly seem entitled to make