The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-04-30
Lessons Learned lover There"
to Be Used in Making
of Maps.
WORK NOW WELL UNDER WAY
Pla Worked Out by Which Various
Government Boards Will Coop
crate in Making Large Scale
Map Of Country.

New York.-While drawing up a
summary Of intelligence for q corps Of
maneuver in France last winter the
officer in charge found himself in need
OF a little outside information. Turn
ing to his sergeant, be said Sergeant,
where is he island of st. Helena? 2"
Sir said the sergeant, Il do not
know; but if the colonel will furnish
me with a car and i hachured map
I'll find it."
Our three armies went to the front
with a supply Of maps which contrib
uted nightly to our success. Last
July, says the New York Post, the en-
Sineering council called President Will
sons attention to the lack of co-Ordina-
tion in the ~map-making agencies Of
thlS country. The matter was not
pigeon-holed various bureaus were re-
quested TO confer and decide upon a
general plan by which the work could
be carried on most eXpeditiously and
without overlapping or duplication.
To Map 100000 Square Miles.
TO make large-scale maps Of over
three million square miles Of territory
is a gigantic task. But it is hoped and
believed that it will be achieved. One
danger lies in REORGANIZATION. There
are at present no fewer than eleven
map-making and three map-uSing
boards operating under government
control. 1t will readily be seen that
the bureau of soils needs one kind of
map, the bureau of Indian affairs an,
other. But, except for highly special
lied work, the United States geological
survey would seem to be the Logical
body to prepare the standard topo
graphic maps. 1t has its own photo.
photographic and engraving plants, and
the maps il has already produced have
been declared by experts TO be the
equal of any.
1t is safe 10 assume that it was the
excellence of detail of the maps fur
niShed us by the allies that led the
conference to feel that to do the work
for the whole country as France Oh
Germany had done it would take too
IIlu'l Alllit. lDtllCI al map Will lew
details now than one with all in the
distant future. Onc-third Of the area
of continental United States, exclusive
Of Alaska, has already been mapped in
this fashion. The establishment OF
basic horizontal and vertical controls
is about half completed. And a plan
has been worked out by which the vari
Gus boards will cooperate. Making the
personnel permanent will do much &c
StandardiZe the work.
Aerial Surveying.
ReviSiOns are to be made as fast as
changes due to development occur
There is to be n central information of
flee, not simply for the benefit of the
bureaus concerned, but for the genera.
public as well. The general scale rec
commended is l go 500; where larger,ol
smaller scales are desirable q specia
corps will be appointed. Aerial survey
ing is to play an important part
Graphic scales in English and metric
units will be printed on all maps pre-
pared for general use, as well as Il dia
gram of the control on which the maj
is based, together with date of Survey
and location Of all permanent marks
That each map will explain the sym
bOls used hardly needs to be pointed
out.
In modern warfare the map is NOR,
powerful than the sword. German!
knew this. Prisoners captured from
the Germans could locate any object