94 ENGINEERING ON THE FARM 



Limit of errors. Random lines must intersect township 

 exteriors within 3 chains north or south of the required 

 comer. The north lines are 80 chains in length except on 

 the north side of the township, where they must be within 

 160 links of the theoretic length. The north random line 

 must fall 50 links east or west of the corner on the north 

 township line. East random section lines must intersect 

 50 links north or south of the required corner. 



Instruments. In the beginning practically all lines were 

 run with a magnetic compass, but the law of 188 1 limits 

 the use of the compass to section lines and requires the use 

 of solar instruments on all other lines, and also requires a 

 frequent checking of these instruments by polar observa- 

 tions. All measurements are kept and recorded in units 

 of the 66-foot chain. 



Irregular sections. In the mountainous regions of 

 Nevada, California, and Oregon the Secretary of the Inte- 

 rior may vary the shape of the section somewhat from the 

 rectangular to suit the country. 



Meandering. The surveying of waters is known as 

 meandering and the line as a meander line. A river or lake 

 that is navigable is surveyed by an irregular line which is 

 supposed to follow the high-water line along either shore 

 or around the lake. The distance and direction of each 

 course in the line is given, and wherever the line intersects 

 a section line a meander corner is established. Rivers that 

 are navigable or 3 chains in width and tidewater streams are 

 meandered. Shallow streams without permanent banks are 

 not meandered. Navigable lakes or deep ponds contain- 

 ing 25 acres or more are meandered. The determination 

 of whether or not the water is navigable and the location 

 of the high-water line are left to the judgment of the 

 surveyor. In wet seasons many streams and lakes are 

 improperly meandered, and in dry seasons many meander 

 lines are omitted which should be run. These errors are 

 due to lack of information at the time the country is 



