Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-02-18
MAPS PLAY HUGE
PART IN BIC war
Germans Began Charting Sur.
face a Century Ago.
ALL NATIONS ADOPT SYSTEM

Form Basis For All Movements Of
Troops and Must Be Absolutely Cor
rect-Roads and Footpaths Shown.
In modern warfare and especially in
the present world conflict accurate
maps are the greatest auxiliary of the
armies, and they play a far more i'm
portant part In the operations than the
general public knows. Without them
success is impossible.
These maps are worked out with inf
mite care by special departments of the
general staffs of the armies of the diff
ferent countries. Only officers possess
ing special training and knowledge are
assigned to the work.
The first military Typographical bu-
reau was established by the general
ctaff Of the Bavarian army nearly
century ago under the direction of
General Won Naus, who also became
famous as mathematician and daring
mountain climber. Other countries.
however, were slow to follow the ex
ample Of Bavaria. In Prussia an exact
typographical survey Of the country
was not undertaken by the general
staff until 1862. About the same time
the leaders of the Austro- Hungarian
army became convinced that the maps
then in existence We're not sufficient
for war.
The Austrian typographical bureau
was organized in 1868 under the direc
ton Of Captain julius Won Payer, who
later became famous as an arctic ex-
plorer. France waited still longer and
as result was badly handicapped in
the war Of 1901 by the lack of accu-
rate maps In this war it Is said the
French officers were supplied with
maps of Germany. but none of France.
All Nations Use System.
During the last forty years all coun-
tries are using the same system in the
production of the general staff maps.
The method seems complicated. but Is
simple enough. First the country is
divided into triangles, the corners Of
which are marked by church steeples.
high poles, trees and other landmarks.
Every one Of these triangles then is
separately and again divided
up into smaller triangles. The corners
of these subdivisions are marked by
small square granite blocks, which are
sunk into the ground SO that only their
tops are visible. AZ
After the subdivisions have been laid
ont and marked the officers Entrusted
with the work draw large maps of
every one of them. These maps show
the minutest details of the landscape
and are then joined and reproduced on
a smaller scale by expert craftsmen.
In this manner an exact Typographical
picture Of the whole country is OBJ
tanned.
The general stafr maps speak Ian
guage Of their own. This language Is
very simple. but must, of course, be
understood. Every object in the terri
tory covered by the maps is shown by
certain signs. Pine woods are marked
by little sharp cones, other woods and
trees by groups of small circles and
dots, elevations by curves which show
the heights Of the hills. roads by dou-
BILE and foot paths by single lines.
There are also certain signs for
church steeples, mills, ponds, brooks
and isolated farmhouses. Nothing is
missing, and man looking at one of
these maps and understanding 1t has
the impression Of flying over the terri
tory and looking down upon it from IL
height.
All maps Of the general staff have to
be absolutely correct. They not only
form the basis for movements Of
troops, but also have to be used by the
artillery in ascertaining the distances
and finding the range Of the positions
Of the enemy. In this respect the Ger
man maps have become world famous,
as they are drawn with proverbial Ger
man thOroughness.