Evening star., 1924-11-28

The annual report of the Coast and
Geodetfc Survey a branch or the De-
partment of Commerce), issued yester-
day, Is filled with record OF ac-
tivities in the study and definition OF
the surface of the earth. both land
and water, so that navigation OF the
seas shall be safe, and the plotting
Of the land, for deeds and for high
WAYS. may be reliable. Few compre-
hend how much the exact knowledge
of sea level and the altitude in rela-
ton to sea level has to do with their
peace of mind, when they buy a home
or survey the right Of way for rail-
road or highway This report Of
Col. e. Lester Jones. head of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey. instead
of being as lifeless a. many Pub.
Doc" Is full of human interest and
practical information along lines un-
familiar to the public.
+ !:
When the Government, in Jeffer-
sons administration. placed a stone
marker In, the rear of the White
House 1where Zero Stone now stands)
II was announced that from that spot
all land surveys should be made. AS
the country expanded, 1t became de-
strable to have more difiused knowl-
edge of accurate locations. and the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, for many
years, has been locating thousands OF
similar points all over the country.
marking them with metal disks set
In concrete. Eventually It Is planned
that ono such marker shall be fixed
every fifty miles, based upon Official,
eccurats surveys Of latitude, longi
tude and altitude. From any one OF
these markers q surveyor may make
a base for triangulation. relying
upon its accuracy, for It has been To-
Gated with long distance instruments
and with a skill impossible to the
II
In sarlv days, when land was cheap
and before these hxed points had
been established as starting points hor
trianeulation, IL was the custom to
take any prominent points In . land
scape as markers for the base upon
which to make the survey. This
practice led to much inaccuracy and
litigation. For example, . dispute
arose a few years ago in New York
City, wherein the city claimed that
the line Of Broadway was inches
fAftn6f W08C tu0n lh0 ~ iS0OhS hAOf
erty line. The Equitable Life Insurance
Building was one Of many alleged to
be encroachins 8 inches upon city
nroperty--an encroachnent liable to
cost millions Of dollars, II not con-
demnation and removal OF front walls
of buildings all along the street. The
Equitable Company's deed rested upofl
an old survey. Fortunately, reference
to the fixed bronze plate OF the Coast
and Geodetic Survey established the
fact that the city's map was inac-
curate, But similarly happy entan-
Elements do not always come in such
disputsA Many farm titles lap farms
over each other. It IL pointed out
that the Alaska Railroad was built
without reference to an accurate geo.
detic survey; In consequence. when
cities ana fAfnb develop along the
right Of way much confusion may
arise over boundaries.
&&* 4
Fer examples oans wS rely upon. the
eternal immobility Of tho zero stone
SUCCESSOR to the original Jefferson
Stone? It was located by tho Coast
and Gsodstio Survey, yet there come
notifications At times. When the
San Francisco earthquake jostled the
land many OF the survey markers
were thrown 36 to 30 feet out Of place,
because the land not only shifted
lattnxlv hnf roAA ar nrhatdnd The