New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-27
Efficient Work of Bronx Surveyors
Landmarks Have Been Set Out at All intersections
PRINCIPAL Streets by of the BoroughNorth
ely Boundary Line of City Was Once in Dispute Owing
Apparent of Legislative Acts

If surveying was not an exact science
and the making OF land and city maps
was not N skilful hands, the sale and
improvement of real property in the
greater city would be carried on under
unusually heavy drawbacks. And even
with these indispensable aids to de1n-
ing and recording the boundaries be-
tween parts of the globe, many errors
are likely to be made by careless or in
experienced persons in the work or
laying out dividing lines and then cor
rectly putting the data on paper.
Sometimes mistakes occur in the legal
description of boundary lines, and on
some notable occasions conflicting laws
have been passed relating TO the areas
of townships or cities, which the state
authorities, representing the Will OF
the people, have sought to lessen or IN
crease.
The Bronx is considered by surveyors
of high repute and long experience to
be one Of the largest thickly populated
centres of this country which has been
accurately surveyed and where perma-
nent monuments have been set at most
of the principal points in the borough,
and are carefully guarded. These same
persons also say that il was the first
section of the greater city to establish
Typographical bureau for carrying on
the work of surveying and laying out
street and county lines, the keeping of
streets at the grade prescribed by law
or by the proper authorities, and the
doing of many other things of a sim
liar nature the performance of which
benefits not only real estate men but
every resident of the greater city, as
well as thousands Of persons living in
other places. By some of these, and
other individuals, the Bronx bureau is
called "the father of all similar bu-
reaus in this city" A standard die
tionary says that topography is the de-
scription Of a particular place, city,
town, manor, parish or tract of land,
especially the exact and scientific de-
lineation and description in minute de-
! tail of any place. or region; the science
or art of exact delineation or descrip-
ton, and that, therefore, Typographical
surveying is that branch of surveying
which pertains to the process of ascer-
tanning and representing upon plane
surface the contour or figure of any
portion of the surface of the earth.
One time the boundary line between
the cities of Mount Vernon and New
York was in dispute; a question arose
as 10 HHeIHeI OI HOI TIC HcLIOpOllr
was not emitted 10 a part of Westches-
ter now forming an attractive and i'm
portant section of Mount Vernon. The
dispute was not due to any fault in a
survey made by the Typographical Blu
reau of The Bronx. Nor was it re-
suit of a survey years before the bu-
reau came into existence. 1t was
caused by legislative acts defining or
describing the areas to be incorporated
into the cities of Mount Vernon and
New York.
No angry words passed between the
authorities of Mount Vernon and the
metropolis on account of the dispute.
Little space was given TO the contro-
versy in the newspapers, and 1t IS
| likely that few persons can now recall
the principal details of that dispute.
No question as to the northern boun
Diary line west of the Bronx River has
ever arisen. That line was laid out
or defined about 1877 or 1873 by Henry
W. Vogel. BY Chapter 934, Laws of
! 1895, all the property east of the Bronx
River was annexed by the City of New
York, the law taking effect on June 6,
I 1895. Under this law was annexed all
of the town of West Chester, which, TO
use legal phrase, was erected or dates
back TO 1888, parts OF the town Of
| East Chester and of Pelham, also erect
| ed in 1888. and, furthermore, the viii
| lagos of williamsburg, incorporated
on November 20, 1888, and of South
Mount Vernon, incorporated on Octo-
Der 22, 1889.
! In this annexation law the new north
ern boundary line of New York east
of the Bronx River was described as
a line passing about 200 feet north of
/ the south line Of the city of Mount
Vernon, but the act stated that all of
! the town Of East Chester south of the
line Of the city of Mount Vernon was
to be annexed. Hence no part of the
present city Of Mount Vernon was an
nexed. that city having been incorpo-
rated by Chapter 1872, Laws Of 1892.
On January 1, 1874, the present
! northerly line of the City OF New York
! west of the Bronx River was deter
mined to be the southerly line of the
city of Yonkers by the provisions OF
an act making a legal part Of the me-
/ tropols what was later known for
many years as the annexed district OF
/ New York City. This annexed district
was also called the 23d and Gath wards
of the City of New York, and later 23d
| w ara ana part OIL lne -flu W ara U
/ the Borough of The Bronx.
! Up TO 1873 the city and county Of
! New York had their northerly bound
| airy line at the low W .er line of the
/ Harlem River on the Westchester
, County side. All of The Bronx Bor-
! ough was then in Westchester County,
| the area Of New York City being only
Manhattan Island and the waters sur
rounding.
From the Harlem River to the city
of Yonkers, west OF the Harlem River,
were before this consolidation act of
1878 the old towns of Morrisanis, erect
ed on December z, 1855; West Farms,
erected on May l., 1876, and Kings
bridge, in 1872. The town of Kings
bridge came near being called Field
ston, after the Delafield estate, one of
the largest property owners in that
part of the county. In this annexed
territory were 1900 acres
When the city of Mount Vernon was
Incorporated in 1892, the act described
its boundaries as including within the
city a small portion Of the village of
South Mount Vernon. The old village
Of South Mount Vernon was about all
Of that part of the area in the metrop-
oils between the cit? of Mount Vernon
and the town of West Chester, and ex-
tending from the Bronx River eastward
to about the line of Strang av. But
when the territory east of the Bronx