88 



ENGINEERING ON THE FARM 



^ 



°0 



y> 



the discrepancies due to curvature. Since those were 

 practically all provided for in 1881, the rectangular system 

 has been uniform since that date. 



Initial point. After the adoption of the rectangular 

 system, when it was necessary to survey a tract of land 



widely separated 

 -Two. eoN. ' from any other sur- 



veyed lands an initial 

 point was selected 

 and approved by the 

 Commissioner of the 

 Land Office. This 

 point was carefully 

 monumented and its 

 position located by 

 astronomical obser- 

 vations (Figs. 10 1, 

 102). 



Base line. From 

 the initial point a 

 line, known as the 

 base line, was run 

 due east or west or 

 both east and west, 

 the length of this 

 line being deter- 

 mined by the extent of the lands to be surveyed. 

 Principal meridian. From the initial point a line was run 

 due north or due south or both north and south, known as 

 the principal meridian, the length of this line also being 

 determined by the area of the land to be surveyed. In the 

 beginning a start was made to number the principal merid- 

 ians from east to west, but it was found that it was not 

 feasible to keep them in consecutive order, and the system 

 was abandoned after six numbers had been used. The 

 method of giving the principal meridian a proper name was 



8 



B^f£ 



<^ 



<v 



L/NE 



Showing the same information as 



fnft/a/J 



Point 



\ 



I- 



< ^ 



Fig. 102 



Fig. 10 1, but the principal meridian and 



base line have been run in only one 



direction from the initial point 



