PART XII.

THE PUBLIC LANDS

OF THE UNITED STATES."

(560) General system. The Public Lands of the United States of America are generally divided and laid out into squares, the sides of which run truly North and South, or East and West.

This is effected by means of Meridian lines and Parallels of Latitude, established six miles apart. The principal meridians and base lines are established astronomically, and the intermediate ones are run with chain and compass. The squares thus formed are called TOWNSHIPS. They contain 36 square miles, or 23040 acres, "as nearly as may be." The map on the opposite page represents a portion of the Territory of Oregon thus laid out. The scale is 10 miles to 1 inch = 1:633600. On it will be seen the "Willamette Meridian," running truly North and South, and a "Base line," which is a "Parallel of Latitude," running truly East and West. Parallel to these, and six miles from them, are other lines, forming Townships. All the Townships, situated North or South of each other, form a RANGE. The Ranges are named by their number East or West of the principal Meridian. In the figure are seen three Ranges East and West of the Willamette Meridian. They are noted as R. I. E., R. I. W., &c. The Townships in each Range are named by their number North or South of the Base line. In

* The substance of this Part is mainly taken from "Instructions to the Surveyor General of Oregon, being a Manual for Field Operations," prepared, in March, 1851, by John M. Moore, "Principal Clerk of Surveys," by direction of Hon. J. Butterfield, "Commissioner of the General Land Office," and communicated to the author by Hon. John Wilson, the present Commissioner. The aim of the "Instructions" is stated to be "simplicity, uniformity and permanency." They seem admirably adapted for these objects, and the lasting importance of the subject in this country has led the author to reproduce about half of them in this place. They were subsequently directed to be adopted for the Surveying service in Minnesota and California.

the figure along the principal Meridian are seen four North and five South of the Base line. They are noted as T. 1 N., T. 2 N., T. 1 S., &c.*

W

N

6 5 4 3 2 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 18 17 16 15 14 13

E

19 20 21 22 23 24 30 29 28 27 26 25 31 32 33 34 35 36 S

Each Township is divided into 36 SECTIONS, each 1 mile square, and therefore containing, "as nearly as may be," 640 acres. The sections in each Township are numbered, as in the margin, from 1 to 36, beginning at the North-east angle of the Township, and going West from 1 to 6, then East from 7 to 12, and so on alternately to Section 36, which will be in the South-east angle of the Township. The Sections are sub-divided into Quarter-sections, half-a-mile square, and containing 160 acres, and sometimes into halfquarter-sections of 80 acres, and quarter-quarter-sections of 40 acres.

By this beautiful system, the smallest subdivision of land can be at once designated; such as the North-east quarter of Section 31, in Township two South, in range two East of Willamette Meridian.

(561) Difficulty. "The law requires that the lines of the public surveys shall be governed by the true meridian, and that the townships shall be six miles square,—two things involving in connection a mathematical impossibility-for, strictly to conform to the meridian, necessarily throws the township out of square, by reason of the convergency of meridians; hence, adhering to the true meridian renders it necessary to depart from the strict requirements of law as respects the precise area of townships, and the subdivisional parts thereof, the township assuming something of a trapezoidal form, which inequality developes itself, more and more as such, the higher the latitude of the surveys. In view of these circumstances, the law provides that the sections of a mile square shall contain the quantity of 640 acres, as nearly as may be; and, moreover, provides that In all cases where the exterior lines of the townships, thus to be subdivided into sections or half-sections, shall exceed, or shall not extend, six miles, the excess or deficiency

The marks O,+ and A, merely refer to the dates of the surveys. They are sometimes used to point out lands offered for sale, or reserved, &c.

shall be specially noted, and added to or deducted from the western or northern ranges of sections or half-sections in such township, according as the error may be in running the lines from east to west, or from south to north.'

999

"In order to throw the excesses or deficiencies, as the case may be, on the north and on the west sides of a township, according to law, it is necessary to survey the section lines from south to north on a true meridian, leaving the result in the northern line of the township to be governed by the convexity of the earth and the convergency of meridians."

=

Thus, suppose the land to be surveyed lies between 46° and 47° of North Latitude. The length of a degree of Longitude in Lat. 46° N. is taken as 48.0705 statute miles, and in Lat. 47° N. as 47.1944. The difference, or convergency per square degree 0.8761 70.08 chains. The convergency per Range (8 per degree of Longitude) equals one-eighth of this, or 8.76 chains; and per Township (11 per degree of Latitude) equals the above divided by 11, i. e. 0.76 chain. We therefore know that the width of the Townships along their Northern line is 76 links less than on their Southern line. The townships North of the base line therefore become narrower and narrower than the six mile width with which they start, by that amount; and those South of it as much wider than six miles.

"STANDARD PARALLELS (usually called correction lines), are established at stated intervals (24 or 30 miles) to provide for or counteract the error that otherwise would result from the convergency of meridians; and, because the public surveys have to be governed by the true meridian, such lines serve also to arrest error arising from inaccuracies in measurements. Such lines, when lying north of the principal base, themselves constitute a base to the surveys on the north of them; and where lying south of the principal base, they constitute the base for the surveys south of them."

The convergency or divergency above noticed is taken up on these Correction lines, from which the townships start again with their proper widths. On these therefore there are found Double Corners, both for Townships and Sections, one set being the Closing Corners of the surveys ending there, and the other set being the Standard Corners for the surveys starting there.

(562) Running Township lines. "The principal meridian, the base line, and the standard parallels having been first astronomically run, measured, and marked, according to instructions, on true meridians, and true parallels of latitude, the process of running, measuring, and marking the exterior lines of townships will be as follows.

Townships situated NORTH of the base line, and WEST of the principal meridian.* Commence at No. 1, being the southwest corner of T. 1 N.-R. 1 W., as established on the base line; thence run north, on a true meridian line, four hundred and eighty chains, establishing the mile and half-mile corners thereon, as per instructions, to No. 2, (the northwest corner of the same township), whereat establish the corner of Tps. 1 and 2 N.-Rs. 1 and 2 W.; thence east, on a random or trial line, setting temporary mile and half-mile stakes to No. 3, (the northeast corner of the same township), where measure and note the distance at which the line intersects the eastern boundary, north or south of the true or established corner. Run and measure westward, on the true line, (taking care to note all the land and water crossings, &c., as per instructions), to No. 4, which is identical with No. 2, establishing the mile and half-mile PERMANENT CORNERS on said line, the last half-mile of which will fall short of being forty chains, by about the amount of the calculated convergency per township, 76 links in the case above supposed. Should it ever happen, however, that such random line materially falls short, or overruns in length, or intersects the eastern boundary of the township at any considerable distance from the true corner thereon, (either of which would indicate an important error in the surveying), the lines must be retraced, even if found necessary to remeasure the meridional boundaries of the township (especially the western boundary), so as to discover and correct the error; in doing which, the true corners must be established and marked, and the false ones destroyed and obliterated, to prevent confusion in future; and all the facts must be distinctly set forth in the notes. Thence proceed in a similar manner north, from No. 4 to No. 5, (the N. W. corner of T. 2 N. -R. 1 W.), east from No. 5 to No. 6, (the N. E. corner of the same township), west from No. 6 to No. 7, (the same as No. 5), north from No. 7 to No. 8, (the N. W. corner of T. 3 N., R. 1 W.), east from No. 8 to No. 9, (the N. E. corner of same township), and thence west to No. 10, (the same as No. 8), or the southwest corner T. 4 N.-R. 1 W. Thence north, still on a true meridian line, establishing the mile and half-mile corners, until reaching the STANDARD PARALLEL or correction line, (which is here four town

*The Surveyor should prepare a diagram of the townships, with the uumbers here referred to, in their proper places, as here indicated