UNITED STATES PUBLIC LAND SURVEYS 65 
thirty-six square miles or 23,040 acres, neglecting the nar¬ 
rowing effect of the convergence of the meridians. These 
relations are indicated clearly in the diagrams. 
As the township lines are run, corner marks are left each 
mile, and the township is divided into thirty-six sections by 
beginning on the south side at each mile mark and running 
north, marking each mile or section comer, also each half 
mile or quarter-section corner. At the north end these 
lines are made to close on the mile marks left in surveying 
the north line of the township, with the exception of those 
on a standard parallel. Here the section lines are run 
straight out to the parallel, which thus serves as a “cor¬ 
rection-line” for the sections as well as for the townships. 
N 
G 
5 
4 
3 
2 
1 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
18 
17 
16 
15 
14 
13 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
30 
29 
28 
27 
26 
25 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
N. w. 
N. E. 
H 
160 acres 
160 acres 
w. 
of S.W. 
E. K 
of S.W. 
N.W. % 
ofS.E. 
H 
40 acres 
H 
80 acres 
H 
80 acres 
40 acres 
S.E.J* 
of S.E. 
H 
S 
Sections in a Township Subdivision of a Section 
The east and west section lines are run between corre¬ 
sponding corners on the north and south lines, always 
marking the half-mile or quarter-section point. The 
effect on area of convergence of meridians is localized in 
the case of sections, in the first place by chaining the 
latitudinal township lines always from the east end, thus 
confining any deficiency of width to the westerly board 
of sections; in the second place by running the north and 
south lines not due north exactly, but with a westerly 
bearing sufficient at one, two, three, four, and five miles 
from the east line to keep them at equal distances apart 
throughout their length. Short area is thus confined to 
