Apkil 13, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



267 



FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1883. 



THE NEW YORK STATE SUHVEY. 



Some of the readers of Science are doubt- 

 less familiar with the work of the state survej^ 

 of New York, and will be interested in the re- 

 ports of its progress, which will be published 

 from time to time for the information of our 

 readers. But the work has been going on so 

 quietl}- that many are unacquainted with the 

 historj' of the survey, and the scope of its 

 work. It is therefore as an introduction to 

 occasional reports of progress that we publish 

 a short sketch of the surA'e3^ 



Several governors of New York had in vain 

 called the attention of the legislature to the 

 importance of such a survej-. In the autumn 

 of 1875 the matter was taken up by the Amer- 

 ican geographical societj", which caused an 

 investigation to be made into the character of 

 the best existing maps. Having found them 

 grossl}- erroneous, and productive of grave 

 practical evils, the geographical societ}- ap- 

 pointed a committee to secure, if possible, the 

 necessarj- legislation to organize a state sur- 

 vej'. This resulted in the passage of a law, 

 organizing the survey under the direction of 

 commissioners, who appointed Mr. James T. 

 Gardiner, formerly geographer of the U. S. 

 geological survej', to be director. 



The first work of the director was a thor- 

 ough examination of the evils which the state 

 survey was expected to remedj' ; and his plan 

 for the work is based on the results of this 

 inquiry. 



The report for 1876 showed that " although 

 the boundaries of eleven counties, having over 

 sixt^- corners, were examined in whole or part, 

 yet onh- two corners were found marked with 

 any authentic monuments. . . . The north- 

 west corner of Albau}- countj" was originally 

 marked by a dead hemlock-tree. This dis- 

 appeared many years since, and no monu- 

 ment indicates the spot where it stood. A 

 few old blazed trees alone remain as evidence 

 of the western line of Albany countj-. . . . 

 The original north-east corner of Montgom- 

 erj- county was a stake in a cultivated field. 



No. 10.— 1883. 



It has disappeared, and nothing marks the 

 point." 



Concerning local and private survej'S, the 

 observations and recommendations of the re- 

 port are of importance to the whole country. 

 It saj's : " The want of a permanent sj'stem of 

 landmarks, whose distance and direction from 

 one another are exactly known, renders posi- 

 tions of all lines very uncertain. Starting- 

 points from which the surve3'or is expected to 

 begin his work are very often in doubt by 

 man}- feet: he has, therefore, no object in 

 running lines accurately, as it is evident, that, 

 if the initial point of a survey is wrong, all 

 points on the lines will be wrongly located, 

 even when chaining and compass work are 

 absolutely correct. . » . An examination of 

 the present method of survej'ing lands must 

 convince anj' engineer that its necessary imper- 

 fections are the principal sources of those an- 

 noj'ing and expensive quarrels and litigations 

 about boundaries with which all land-owners 

 are painfully familiar. These troubles are b}'- 

 no means peculiar to American experience. 

 Perishable landmarks and imperfect surveying 

 have produced uncertain boundaries in every 

 civilized country. Throughout Europe and 

 India this evil has been perfectly remedied by 

 basing all land-surveys upon a system of per- 

 manent monuments located by accurate tri- 

 angulation. We must continue to waste force 

 and money in quarrels and lawsuits over un- 

 certain lines, until we apply the onlj' cure 

 which civilized Europe has found permanently 

 satisfactoiy." 



The accuracy of the best maps of the state 

 was next tested, and they were found to rep- 

 resent the towns from one to three miles from 

 where they really are. "If the purpose of 

 maps is to describe truthfully boundary-lines, 

 towns, and topographical features, as they 

 actuallj' exist on the earth's surface, then the 

 maps of this state are proved to be false wit- 

 nesses ; and the sooner their character is known 

 and condemned, the earlier may improvement 

 be looked for." 



The report proceeds to show that a sufficient 

 remedy will never be applied through the exer- 



