UNITED STATES PUBLIC LAND SURVEYS 69 
iished on opposite sides of the corner point, and at the mutual in¬ 
tersections of the lines limiting the roads or streets, as the case 
may be. 
94. When the true point for any corner described in these 
instructions falls where prevailing conditions would insure its 
destruction by natural causes, a witness corner will be established 
in a secure position, on a surveyed line if possible, and within 
twenty chains of the corner point thus witnessed. 
95. A witness corner will bear the same marks that would be 
placed upon the corner for which it is a witness, and in addition, 
will have the letters W C (for witness corner) conspicuously dis¬ 
played above the regular markings on the NE. face when witness¬ 
ing in township or section corner; such witness corners will be 
established, in all other respects, like a regular corner, marking 
bearing trees with the proper numbers for the sections in which 
they stand. 
W C will also be cut into the wood of each bearing tree above 
the other markings. 
98. Witness points will be perpetuated by corners similar to 
those described for quarter-section corners, with the marking W P 
(for witness point), m place of or £ S, as the case may be. 
If bearing trees are available as accessories to witness points, 
each tree will be marked W P B T. 
4. Fractional Sections , Lots, etc. 
A section or quarter-section made of less than full size by 
water is called “fractional,” and in some cases is subdivided 
according to special rules laid down by the Land Office. 
The sections on the westerly board of a township, into 
which, under the plan of survey, shrinkage of area due to 
convergence of township lines toward the north is crowded, 
are called fractional as well. Within these sections again, 
the westerly quarters and forties will be fractional for the 
same reason. The final subdivisions of irregular area — 
the system is followed next the north as well as the west 
line of the townships — are called “lots.” In a regular 
township there are four to each section, numbered from 
1 to 4 for each, beginning with the east or north, with seven 
lots for Section 6. In timbered country, however, they 
are seldom run out on the ground. 
While the above are usual features of the public land 
surveys, numerous exceptions were made, as for instance 
in case of a defective east or south boundary in a township, 
