: 127 .B7 N56 lopv 1 STATE OF NEW YORK. No. 100. IN ASSEMBLY, March 31, 1880. REPOKT OF THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY ON THE BOUND- ARY LINES OF THE STATE, AND THE RE-SURVEY OF THE JOINT NEW YORK AND PENNSYLVANIA LINE. University of the State of New York, Office of the Regents, Albany, March 30, 1880. To the Hon. George H. Sharpe, Speaker of the Assembly : Sir — I have the honor to communicate the accompanying report of the Regents of the University as to tlieir proceedings during the year 1879, under the act of May 26, 1875, entitled "An act in regard to the boundary monuments of the State." Very respectfully yours, E. C. BENEDICT, Chancellor of the University. [Assem. Doc. No. 100. J 1 REPORT. To the Honorable the Legislatiire of the State of New York : The R'egents of the University respectfully submit the following continued report of their proceedings, under the act chupter 424 of the Laws of 1875, authorizing and requiring an "■ examination {is to the true location of the monuments which mark the several bounda- ries of tlie State." The execution of this duty has involved, as a preliminary work, the compilation of all official records relating to the original establish- ment of these boundary lines, as particularly required by the Senate resolution of April 19, 1807. The results thus far of this branch of the work, whicla is not yet completed, are embodied in two reports to the Legislature, one being Senate document No. 108 of 1873, and the other Senate document No. •il of 1877. These two volumes, containing nearly 700 pages, are the only collection of the hitherto scattered and fragmentary records of the erection of the boundary lines of the State, and of the changes which have from time to time been made in its territorial extent. This preliminary and general investigation, begun more than ten years ago, supplied the information needed for the field-work already done upon individual lines, and will be equally in demand whenever other lines are retraced. Although this preliminary investigation is of the nature of office work, it cannot be carried on wholly within the office of the Regents, or the State library, but must be extended to the records in the office of the Secretary of State, mostly those in the Historical Record room in the third story of the State Hall, from which they are not allowed to be taken. This work must also be extended, by correspondence or otherwise, to the official records of other localities, including not only the cap- itals of neighboring States, but also Washington and London. While this work does not require, except incidentally, the co-operation of authorities of adjacent States, it must embrace their official records and territorial claims equally with our own ; and must be conducted, not in an ex parte spirit and manner, but with judicial impartialitv. The second part of the work in question is that of causing, in con- nection with authorities of adjacent States, the joint boundary lines to be retraced, with the view of ascertaining where they are and what is the cozidition of the monuments or land-marks ; also, finally, to take such action as will result in the erection of enduring land-marks on the sites where they properly belong, according to the just rights antl inheritances of the respective States. The work of investigation done during the past season has had reference partly to the Connecticut boundary line, for the sake of furnishing the commissioners lately appointed by the two States all 4 [Assembly the information needed for tlie final settlement of points long in dis- pute. The principal work remaining to complete the historic researches is upon the New Jersey line. A large amount of MS. material has been collected, but the same is yet to be completed and printed — pro- vision for the printing liaving already been made by the Legislature. The field-work done during the past year has been upon the Penn- sylvania line, in co-operation with the commissioners of that State, and in continuation and completion of the reconnaissance begun in 1877. Full details of the field-work are given in the annexed reports of the surveyor in charge. The Legislature of Pennsylvania having failed in 1878 to make an appropriation to replace advances made in 1877, by the Regents, and having delayed until June, 1879, to make up the deficiency and pro- vide for further expenses of the work, the resumption of field opera- tions was hindered until mid-summer. For this reason it has not been possible to make an earlier report of the work of the season. As soon as was practicable after the requisite ai^propriation had been made by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, to wit, on the 26th day of June last, a meetmg of the joint commissioners of the two States was held at Clifton Springs. Cols. Worrall and Gere of the Pennsylvania branch of the commission were present, and Regents Leavenworth and Pierson of the Regents' Committee appeared in behalf of this State, accompanied by Assistant Secretary Pratt and Surveyor Clarke. At this meeting, the account current between the two States was set- tled and the plan of operation for the season was substantially ar- ranged. This was to include the reconnaissance of about fifteen miles of line between Cattaraugus and McKean counties, omitted last year, and a review of the work of 1877, between the Delaware and Susque- hanna rivers. At the solicitation of the Pennsylvania commissioners, it was also agreed, in case satisfactory arrangements could be made with the officers of the U. S. Coast Survey, that a number of latitude determinations, additional to those of 1877, should be made for the purpose of showing to what extent the line westward from the Dela- ware river corresponds, or fails to correspond, with its original descrip- tion, as being along the astronomical parallel of forty-two degrees of north latitude. The proposals made by the officers of the Coast Sur- vey were accepted after a careful consideration as to the propriety and importance of these latitude determinations, and the work has been ticcomplished at consid<^n"ably less than the authorized expense. The examination which the Regents were directed, by the Senate resolution of April 19, 1867, to make "as to the condition and true location of monuments which mark the several boundaries of the State, and to ascertain whether any and what action may be needed to preserve or renew them," shows that many of the original monu- ments and land-marks upon several of these lines, and especially upon the borders of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, cannot now be found and that their sites are unknown ; that many others are in a dilapi- dated condition and liable to be destroyed by the elements or by per- sons not knowing or regarding their value ; and that to the full extent to which clearly defined and durably marked boundaries are necessary, it is important that prompt measures be taken, in connection with the No. 100.] 5 authorities of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, respectively, to replace any monuments which have become dilapidated or been removed, on the boundary line of these States," as authorized by chapter 424 of the Laws of "1875. In view of the fact that the original lines fail to correspond with the description by which they were intended to be located, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania commissioners urge that the lines ought to be rectified, under such joint legislation as may be necessary, before the erection of any monuments is undertaken ; but as the Pennsylva- nia Legislature, under the recently adopted system of biennial sessions, does not meet this year, no final joint action of the two States can be taken this year. The Board of Regents regard themselves as having discharged their duty, for the present at least, when they state the facts, leaving the Legislature to determine what, if any, further action should be taken after full and careful consideration of all the ques- tions involved. A statement of receipts and expenditures for the period from Feb- ruary 1, 1.879, to March 1, 1880, is hereto annexed. All of which is respectfully submitted. E. (J. BENEDICT, Chancellor of the University. David Murray, Secretary. Account Current. Regents of the University of the State of New York, in account with appropriation for boundaries {March 1, 1879, to March 1, 1880.) Dr. For balance in the treasury, at date of last report. . 11,116 38 For amount reimbursed by Pennsylvania, on ac- count of advances by the Regents, to June 26, 1879 ' 3,092 99 ,209 37 Cr. By expenditures, as per vouchers, to wit: Salary of H. W. Clarke, surveyor, parts of two years, ^2,150 00 Transportation of surveyor, and expenses of assist- ants, including wages, transportation and supplies, 1,130 48 Expenses of surveyor, including expressage, postage, stationery, telegrams, tools, office rent and miscel- laneous 136 68 Expenses ot Regents' committee and secretary in at- tendance upon meetings of joint commission, and miscellaneous '. . . . MS. copy for vol. II of Report on Boundaries . United States Coast Survey Overpayment to H. W. Clarke, applicable to subse- quent accounts Balance in bank 56 03 67 92 329 84 19 338 23 u ,209 37 SURVEYOR'S REPORTS. REPORT OF PROGRESS FOR 1879. New York axb Pein'nsylvania Boundary Survey, ) Syracuse, 1 January, 1880. ) Dr. S. B. Woolworth, LL.D., Secretary of the Board of Regents of tJie University of the State of New York .• Sir — I have the honor to submit the following report of opera- tions during the past season upon the Boundary. H. W. CLARKE, Civil Engineer, Surveyor on the part of JVew York. REPORT. By the resolution of the Joint Commission, passed 26 June, at the meeting at Clifton Springs,* I was requested, in conjunction with Colonel Gere of the Pennsylvania Commission, to first complete the field-work upon the portion omitted in the season of 1878, and then make such review of the eastern portion as we might consider neces- sary. Although at the date of that meeting, I was ready at once to take the field with my party, I found that Colonel Gere would be unable to join me for some little time ; therefore active field operations were delayed, by agreement with him, until 8 July, when the party assem- bled at Limestone, Cattaraugus county, New York. In the mean- time, I had spent several days at the county seats of Cattaraugus and McKean counties, and at Clean, Bradford and Limestone, in consult- ing records and individuals, to gain all the information practicable, relative to that portion of the Boundary. Very little of practical value was obtained. Tlie only notes upon which any reliance can be placed are the original field-notes of tlie Holland Land Company's surveys in New York, memoranda from wliich I iiad already obtained at Albany and Batavia, New York. Tile day after tlie party assembled at Limestone was taken up in preparations for the continuation of the survey west from where it was suspended 31 August, 1878. Mile-stone 167, which was found in 1878 lying in a mud hole, and temporarily set up, was moved into line between mile-stone 165 and the seventh latitude stone, and more permanently fixed in place. * Resolved, That Colonel Gere and Captain Clarke be requested to continue the work of the reconnaissance, completing first the gap of fifteen miles between Cattaraugus and McKean counties, and then make such review of the work already done as may be desirable nnd necessary in their judgment to enable the Commis- sion to represent the whole matter as perfectly as possible to the l^egislatures of the two States; completing the work l)y the first of October next if possible. [Assembly, No. 100.] 7 As there were no settlements convenient to the line, except at the extremities of the unsarveyed portion, and as there seemed to be no roads by which it could be easily reached, I had made partial arrange- ments for camping out upon the line. Finding, however, that there existed old roads through the woods, and over the various divides, by means of which the work could be reached without a great deal of inconvenience, and being satisfied that to carry out the plan of camping would require a larger party, and for the brief time it would be necessary, there would be no practical saving of time or expense, the idea was abandon(^d, quarters were established at Lime- stone, and a good team engaged; by means of which the party was readily transported to and from the line. The sequel shows that it was fortunate that the other plan was given up. For the first three weeks we were constantly interrupted by showers and hard rains, and camp life in the damp woods would have proved not only disagreeable and nncomfortable, but dangerous to the health of members of the party. Thursday, 10th July, the party proceeded to the point upon the west side- of Tuna Valley at which operations were suspended the year before, and commenced retracing the line westward by prolonging the random transit line upon which I had closed the former survey. This line passed 33 feet north of the mile-stone 168, which was found as described in my report of last winter. The position of this stone with reference to a westward prolongation of a line drawn through mile-stone 165 and the seventh latitude stone, shows a deflection in the original boundary toward the north, at the latitude stone, of nearly 1° 40'. The marked boundary continues in the same general direction about three miles. West of 168 the survey was carried on upon the same plan as dur- ing the previous season, by a series of transit lines, all changes in direction being carefully measured by offsets. No use Avas made of the needle, although an occasional bearing was taken as a matter of information. With this explanation, I will proceed to a description of the condition of this section of the line and the monuments upon it. CON^DITIOfiT OF THE BOUNDARY AND MONUMENTS. Mile-stone 168 stands upon the south side of a cove or recess in the side of a high, sharp ridge, and is evidently undisturbed. About 300 feet west of it the field-notes of the Bingham estate, in possession of R. C. Simpson, Esq., of Wellsboro, Penn., of surveys in Pennsylva- nia (1802), describes a cucumber tree as the north-west corner of the Bingham lands in McKean county. This tree is also mentioned in the Keating field-notes of 1808, as the north-east corner of the Keat- ing lands. The blackened stump and fallen trunk of this tree yet remain. Mile-stone 169 was not found. Its place is upon the south-west side of the summit of a high, steep ridge, on the north side of the valley of Bolivar Brook. There is no mention of this stone in the Holland Land Company's notes. About 1,860 feet west of this point, the south-east witness tree of the 4 1-2 mile-stake of the Holland Land Company's original survey of the 6th range, was identified, as well as the original north-west 8 [Assembly witness to a section corner of the second series of the same company's surveys. Mile-stone 170 was'not found. It was located by the second series of the Holland Land Company's surveys. Its place is in open timber, upon a very steep north-easterly slope, southerly side of the valley of Bolivar brook, and about 600 feet west of the latter whei'e it crosses the line. The side-hill is somewhat wet, and a stone, unless quite firmly set, would hardly remain near its place for 90 years. About 480 feet west of this point, both origiual witness trees of a Holland Land Company's section corner were identified, and the cor- ner stake replaced from the old notes. About 4,000 feet further west, and 548.5 east of mile-stone 171, stands the stone monument which marks the starting point of the " Western Transit Meridian " of the Holland Land Company's Sur- vey. The three original witness trees were undoubtedly identified, and by reference to these the stone, although loosely set, seems to stand where originally placed. It stands with its faces toward the east and west. It is marked, east side: «' HOLLAND LAND C". Southwest Corner Eange N". 6." West side South edge, North edge, and upon the top, "W. & J. WILLINK, li p " N°. 1." " Var 1 W. ''%l\" At this stone there appears to be another abrupt deflection in the monument line, this time toward the right (north) nearly as great as that at the seventh latitude stone. Beyond this point the mon- ument line continues without marked deviations for seven or eight miles. Mile-stone 171 was found standing, firmly embedded in the ground, leaning toward the south. It is a thin trapezoidal stone, of medium size. A discrepancy in the position of this stone appears in the original field- notes. By the original township notes of the Holland Land Com- pany at Albany (1798-9), it was 6.33 chains west from the transit- stone. Bv the Company's original section field-notes, in the hands of David E.'E. Mix, C. E., at Batavia, it was 7.65 chains west of the same point. The distance now measures 8.31 chains. The mile-stone and transit-stone both stand upon a nearly level plateau, upon whicii much of the original timber yet stands. Mile-stone 172 Avas discovered after a considerable search lying upon its south face, with its west edge toward the north. It was set up tem- porarily where found. This stone was noted in the Holland Land Com- No. 100.] 9 pany's section notes (but not in tlie original township notes), as 30 chains west of the soutli-east corner of section 9. The latter corner I was unable to identify. This would make its distance 80.35 chains west of mile- stone 171, and 85.06 chains east of mile-stone 173, whach is also men- tioned in the old notes. The distance between 171 and 173, by my measurement, varies but 24 links ( + ) from the original notes, and 172 was found at a point nearly equi-distant from them. It seems evident that mile-stone 172 has been moved west for some purpose. The dis- tance of the stone east from the south-west corner of the Willink Strip conlirms this idea. The latter coi'uer is indicated by a small, rough, irregular stone. It was found standing upright, loosely supported by a snuill pile of other stones, and completely embedded in loose moss. It is marked, east side, " H. L. C"." West side, " W. & J. W." No witnesses to this corner are given in the field notes of the Hol- land Land Company, and I therefore had no means of verifying its position. Mile-stone 173 stands firmly in the ground, and is evidently undis- turbed in its original position. It is a thick and tolerably regular stone, rudely ins(u-ibed. Distant 4,448 feet west from this I was enal)led to replace the 3-mile post of the original Holland Land Comiiany's survey, bv reference to the original witness trees, all of which were standing and in good con- dition. Mile-stone 174 was found lying upon its south face, top toward the south-east, in a small depression. Two large hemlocks near by bear old witness marks. No mention of this stone is made in the Holland Land Company's notes. It is a large, heavy stone, somewhat irregu- lar in. shape and rudely marked ; it was set up where found. At the distance of 4,260 feet west of this mile-stone, still stand the three witness trees of the 4-mile jiost of the Holland Land Company's survey of range VIL Mile-stone 175 is near the foot of a stecj) south-westerly slope, on the northerly side of the valley of Quaker Run. It is a large stone about 8 inches thick, the bottom being almost a point. It was found in a horizontal position, its foot solidly embedded in the hillside, its top projecting south over the edge of a hummock, and covered with moss. There is no record of this stone in the original field-notes. The corner of the towns of Bradford and Corydon, in McKean county, Penn., is about 1,000 feet west of this stone, but is unmarked. Two of the original witness trees, and the stump of the third, to which the Holland Land Company's 5 mile-post was referred, still remain, about 4,110 feet west of mile-stone 175. Mile-stone 176 was found lying upon its south face, its foot embedded in soil and moss. This stone is mentioned in the second series of the Holland Land Company's field-notes. Its position is upon a southerly sl()i)c, and two large beeches near it bear old witness marks. The stone IS rough and very rudely inscribed. About 1,410 feet west of this stone, upon the bottom land of Quaker Run valley, stand two of the original witness trees of the 5^^ mile- post of the Holland Land Company's survey, and by measurement [Assem. Doc. No. 100.] 3 10 [Assembly from tliese trees I discovered the evident remains of the original white- ash post, in a hole distincMy formed by the roots of trees which had grown around the post before it decayed. Two of the original witness trees of the 6 mile-post are yet standing, about 2,640 feet farther west. Mile-stone 177 was not found, after a thorough search. I was in- formed that it had been seen, but was broken down by a fallen tree. A temporary stake was set in the line of marked tree. A little east, and south of this line, stands a large hemlock with witness marks upon the north side. I am now of the opinion that the stake is con- siderably too far north, and it is possible that the remains of the stone may yet be in existence. No mention is made of this stone in the Holland Land Company's notes. About 140 feet east of this point is the corner of two original land districts in Pennsylvania. In the district east of the corner, the original wari'ant surveys were based upon the State line, and Penn- sylvania surveyors have had no difficulty in finding the Boundary. In the district west, between the district line and the Allegany river, the warrant surveys were based upon a line starting east from the river, sev- eral miles south of the Boundary; and the north tier of warrants, with the exception of a strip along the south side four to eight rods in width, was laid out within the limits of the Holland Land Company's Purchase in New York. The holders of the warrants, upon finding them so nearly absorbed by a prior title, abandoned them, and until within a comparatively few years the real State line seems to have been lost sight of, the wan-ant line just south of it being preserved by the owners of the remaining warrants. In 1873 the McKean and Warren County Line Commission referred to in my last report (p. 13), by dii'ec- tion of the "Pennsylvania Legislature, retraced this portion of the State Boundary and found all the mile-stones, excejit 177 and 184. The gore between the two lines was taken up by the owners of the adjoining warrants by tax title, but the old warrant line still remains, at points more plainly marked than the Boundary. At one point in particular, for a half mile east of mile-stone 179, I found my ran- dom line following — north of— a line of distinctly marked trees which, from having previously passed close upon mile-stone 178, I took for Boundary line-trees. But after finding the former mile-stone con- siderably to the north, and identifying the Holland Land Company's witness trees, east of it, I was satisfied that the line I had unconsciously run across was the old warrant line. The coi-ner between the towns of Eed House and South Valley, Cattaraugus county. New Yoi'k (township 1, ranges VII and VIII II. L. Co. Survey), is marked by a stake surrounded by a large pile of stones, in a deep ravine, about 2,750 feet east of mile-stone 178. Two of the original witness trees still remain. Mile-stone 178 stands upright and firmly held by roots of trees which liave grown around it. This was the last stone found by the County Line Commission. It is at the brow of a steep north-easterly slope, and stands as that Commission found it. The stone is noted in the first series of the Holland Land Company's field-notes. Two of the original witness trees of the Holland Land Company's 5 mile-post on range VIII yet remain, about 2,500 feet west of this No. 100.] 11 mile-stone; and about eighty feet farther west stand both the original witnesses to a section corner of the same company's land. Mile-stone 179 stands firmly and upright, but somewhat askew, as left by the County Ijine Commission. It is upon level ground a short distance east of the east branch of Wolf Run, and just north of a small brook. The upper part of the stone is quite regalar in shape and the inscriptions were more carefully carved than those upon most of the stones upon this section. It is not mentioned in the Holland Land Company's field-notes. Mile-stone 180 stands as left by the County Lino Commission. It is a thin, tolerably regular stone, very rudely marked, and stands upon the steep east side of the deep narrow valley of a branch of Wolf Rnn. No mention is made of it in the Holland Land Company's notes. Near this stone the monument line takes another sharp deflection to the right (north), and follows the new general direction, to the Allegany river, where there is a slight deflection to the left (south). Mile"-stone 181 is a large stone, quite regular in shape and stands firmly upright as left by the County Line Commission. It is mentioned in the Holland Land Company's notes, and was found by the County Line Commission ai)parently in place. West of this, at a distance of 2,224 feet, stands a stone post sur- rounded by a pile of stones, intended to mark a Holland Land Com- pany's section corner.. It does not correspond with the proper point as indicated by the original witness trees, one of which and the stump of the other remain. Mile-stone 182 was found standing upright, well embedded in the ground, and supported by flat stones. It was discovered lying upon the ground in 1873, by the County Line Commission, and was set up by them in line with such old marks as they could identify. The timber upon the surrounding land is nearly all second growth, and fire has run through some portions of it. Old marks are rare, the only well-defined one being upon a large, fire-blackened oak, 188 feet west of the mile- stone, which evidently had been " blocked " to identify the marks. Mile-stone 182 is mentioned in the first series of the Holland Land Company's field-notes. The corner of McKean and Warren counties in Pennsylvania is 297 feet west of mile-stone 182. It is marked by a large stake set in a pile of stones by the County Line Commission. It is considerably north of the line of marked trees, and of the line of the mile-stone and old oak mentioned above Near mile-stone 183 the survey was connected with the work of the previous season west of the wilderness. Mile-stones 183, 184 and 185 were found as left in September, 1878. Early last spring I received information that the iron monuments set by direction of the Commissioner of the U. S. General Land Office, to make the corners of the Allegany Indian Reservation, and which I could not find in 1878 (see Report for 1878, page 16), having been surreptitiously removed, had been returned to their places by some unknown process. I found them on reaching the locality. They are hollow, cylindrical east-iron jwsts, about 5 feet long and 7 inches in diameter, with solid heads and flanged foot. That at the south-east corner is in the wagon track of a highway, and projects but 12 [Assembly three or four inches above the surface. Tluit at the south-west corner stands close beside a large stump, and is set very loosely, uot more than 6 or 8 inches in the ground. The latter monument is, I think, too far north. The inscription upon one side of it is : " 29 U. S. Survey, Act of Congress, Feb. 19, 1875. Grrant, President. U, S. Comrs, Jos. Scattergood, Jno. Mauley, Henry Shanklin ' and upon the opposite side, " Treaty 1794. Washington President. Allegany Indian Eeservation." The inscription upon the others is tiie same, with the exception of the number. When these monuments were replaced I could not learn, but it probably was done as quietly as they were abstracted.* Upon the portion of the Boundary lying between the Tunaunguantf creek and Allegany River, I found an unusnal number of the original witness trees to mile-posts and section corners of the Holland Land Company's surveys. And the reason of this is that very little of the original timber, except the pine, has been disturbed. A few of the hill sides, particularly in the Allegany Valley, were thickly covered with pine trees, some of them of enormous growth, but these have nearly all been cleared off, and instead have grown up thick groves of small trees and bushes, through some of which Ore has run. Farther east are some sections thickly covered. with large hemlocks which are gradually being slashed down for their bark. Upon the, portion of the Boundary retraced by the County Line Com- * I suspect that these; monuments, for some reason which it is unnecessary to specify, may not have originally been set by the government employes, until I had instituted the inijuiries as to their whereabouts. f In the llollaiul Land Company's fiidd-books this name is spelled Tunaunguan. Familiarly it is known as Tuna. In the field-notes of the Keating estate (1801) it is spelled Tunemengwant, Tunonmegont and Tunonmaguont. C. D. Webster, Esq., civil engineer, of Bradford, Penn., found it Ischunuongvvandt in some old notes. On the original boundary map it is spelled Cheueouguaont. A hotel in Limestone is inscribed in bold letters Tunungwant. No. 100.] 13 mission in 1873, extending from the Allegany river east to mile-stone 178, the monuments found are undoubtedly as left by the Commission. Of the contlition in wliich they were found by them, I have very little definite inlormation. 'J'he surveyor, one of the Commissioners, retained no notes, and had to depend u[)on a very poor memory for such infor- mation as he afforded me. The return of the survey, which the law required to be deposited in the Register's office, I was unable to find. It probably would not have enlightened me upon this point. Col. Gere remained vvith the party at Limestone about a week and left for home. He joined us again at Corydon, Warren county, Penn., a few days before this portion of the survey was completed. Having finished tjje survey of this section, upon 14 August, the party was allowed to separate temporarily, and Col. Gere and myself returned home for a little rest, and to await further orders. Eeview of the Eastern Section. At the commencement of the survey in 1877, no one foresaw the eccentricities which were discovered in the Boundary. The original survey was known to have been made with the use of a compass, but from the character of the gentlemen engaged upon it, it was supposed to have been made with care and accuracy, and that all that was required in retracing it would be to follow the line, using the needle where necessary to keep the direction upon portions which were blind, meas- uring the distances by chaining in order to find the successive monu- ments more readily. The east five miles, upon which no monuments were known to remain, and which at many points seemed to be much in doubt, was quite carefully run in 1877, with compass, starting from a known monument, east to the Delaware river, and temporarily mile points placed. No trace of mile-stone 1 could be discovered, nor did we find any satisfactory indication of the old line at the river. The random line was extended to the left bank of the river, and a pier erected above the railroad for the use of the astronomical party. This was afterward found by the latter to be 269 feet north of the parallel of 42°. The variation of the needle, whieli was assumed after consulting good local authority, was after >ard found to be some 20 minutes too small, and the result, in the light of I'urther experiences upon the survey, was far from satisfactory to us, or to other gentlemen with whom we con- sulted. From mile-stone 5 to the site of mile-stone 23, several intervals were left untraced, where the monuments were known, and accepted as in place ; a few intervals were roughly run, the instrument being used mainly as a guide in following the line, while the remainder was quite carefully run in order to replace several lost points. This portion I was quite certain would need to be re-run before any satisfactory con- clusion could be arrived at. The portion between mile-stones 11 and 15 particularly required re-examination on account of the fault men- tioned at page 21 in my report for 1877. The section between mile-stones 23 and 40 was carefully retraced with the compass, but at several intervals the results were so unsatis- factory as to throw doubt upon the whole, and to thoroughly convince us that the needle was a very uncertain guide in such an important 14 [Assembly work. Beyond mile-stone 40 the survey was carried on without the US'' of the needle, except in occasional instances. The results were much more satisfactory, and this proved to be the only method by which the peculiarities of the Boundary could be developed. I was thoroughly convinced that we knew very little about the real condi- tion of the eastern portion of the Boundary. I had myself formed no definite plan as to the extent to which the review should be carried, except as to the section between mile-stones 6 and 19, which it was necessary to resurvey entirely, leaving the amount of further re-examination to depend upon the developments upon this section. Col. Gere had occasionally expressed an opinion during the progress of the survey, the previous season, that the greater part, if not all, of the compass work of 1877 should be re-run in the same manner in which the survey upon the western portion of the Boundary was carried forward. Alter a few days of much-needed rest, I arranged to meet Col. Gere at Lanesboro, Susquehanna county, Penn. , and ordered my party to assemble there, preparatory to resuming active operations in the field. Col. Gere, I found, after reaching the place, was detained at home by business matters, and rather than allow my party to remain idle, upon 2(3 August, I proceeded to the summit of the high ridge between the Susquehanna river and Cascade valley, and projected a random transit line upon offsets north 10 feet from mile-stone 11 and the east Eiver monument (see sketch No. 3, Eeport of 1877), and extended it west of the river. I had the day before received information from Col. Worrall, and the Coast Survey office, that Mr. Edwin Smith, Assistaiit U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, who had been detailed to make another series of observations for latitude, was on his way to the Boundary, and desired to meet us at Waverly. Accordingly, leaving my party upon the line, I went to Susquehanna, where 1 fortunately met Col. Gere, and, ac- comi)anied by him, proceeded to Waverly, where we found Mr. Smith awaiting us. The next day was spent in consultation with him, and a series of stations was fixed upon. I shall refer to them more in de- tail further on. Returning with Col. Gere to Lanesl)oro, after a short consultation with him, I resumed work upon the line. Col. Gere remained with us but a day or two, leaving rather suddenly, and as I supposed and ex- pected, with the intention of returning in the course of a week or more. The transit line I had projected was continued west to the summit of the ridge west of mile-stone 16. Then, returning to mile-stone 11, it was extended eastward beyond mile-stone 5. Offsets were meas- ured to all monuments and corners, and to the stakes set two years before, most of which were found undisturbed. Progress was frequently im- peded by fresh windfalls, and hemlock slashings. These, together with the prolific briars and thick bushes, ren'dered the work more tedious and perplexing than it was two years previously. A comparison of tlie various compass randoms of 1877 with, the new transit line exhibited such peculiarities in the compass work, that I decided, upon my own responsibility. Col. Gere not having yet returned, to extend the re-survey east to the Delaware. No. 100.] 15 Assuming as an initial line a portion of the compass line east of mile-stone 5, about one-fourth mile in length, I projected it rapidly and carefully eastward by transit, measuring ottseis to the various points noted in 1877, and terminating it in the meridian of station " Travis." east of the Dehiware. This random line was carefully con- nected with the preceding one by offsets. Returning to the western termination of the first transit line, a third was j)rojected westward which was pushed rapidly forward to the west side of the Susquehanna valley, below Great Bend. Astronomical stations " Finn " and "Travis" were carefully connected with these lines, and consequently the positions of all the intermediate i)oints, with reference to the parallel of 42°, can be calculated with certainty, a result impossible from the previous survey. I confidently expected to meet Colonel Gere at (Jreat Bend, when I transferred my quarters to that i)lace, and before I reached this point upon the Boundary, but was very much disappointed in his non-arrival. As he had not kept me informed of his movements, I was unable to account for his absence, until just at the closing up of the field-woi-k for the season, nor could I learn any thing of his whereabouts, further than that he had left home for the line, and was supposed to be with me. I found early in October, when nearly througli with the field-work, that he had accompanied the astronomical party westward, and had expressed himself satisfied to leave to my judgment entirely the extent to which the review of the eastern section should be carried. While waiting to hear from Col. Gere I extended the review to the 23 mile-stake, thus covering all the slip-shod work of 1877 with a careful re-survey. Colonel Worrall being absent from Harrisburg, so that I failed to open communications with him, I reluctantly made preparations to suspend the survey and return home. I had become convinced, from the developments of the examination, that the results would be quite incomplete and unsatisfactory unless the remaining 17 miles were thoroughly reviewed, more particularly the section between mile- stones 26 and 33, a portion of which is referred to in mv report for 1877 (page 22). I had previously sent a sketch of the eastern portion — of about 17 miles — to Colonel Worrall, with a full memorandum of the situation, expressing my opinion as to what further should be done, and that the reconnaissance could not be considered comi)lete under the reso- lution of 26 June, without continuing the thorough review to mile- stone 4-0. Just as I was about disbanding my party, a telegram from Colonel Worrall, followed next day by a letter, occasioned a change in my plans, as he coincided in my views, and apparently assented to my proposi- tion. I therefore proceeded to the point at which 1 had suspended opera- tions, and commenced a rapid and careful transit review of the remain- der of the compass wori^, and pushed it forward vigorously; but owing to the various delays, I was unable to complete it until after 1 October. It was unfortunate that these delays occurred (especially that at the start, early in July, although they were unavoidable), as the last week or two the atmosphere was full of smoke, from fires in the woods, rendering the use of the instrument very difficult. 16 [Assembly While awaiting at Little Meadows, near mile-stone 40, the receipt, by mail, ol fnnds to pay off and discharge my party, I spent a few hours upon the line between mile-stones 47 and 50, in reviewing a short section in which we had depended upon needle bearings. The new astro- nomical station at Little Meadows was also carefully connected with my random line. Upon the 7th of October I disbanded my party, and sent the mem- bers home, leaving behind my teamster, who was lying sick with a severe attack of typhoid pneumonia. The remainder of the party and ftiyself were pretty well worn out. The weather (except where the air. was full of smoke) had been so favorable for more than a month, that I had allowed myself or them very little opportunity for rest, except when forced to lie still, but had crowded them to the utmost, in order to complete the field-woi'k as early as possible. Having thus given a brief sketch of my operations upon the eastern section, I will now give more in detail some of its results. In projecting the random transit lines lor the re-examination, tlie compass bearings of 1877 were consulted, and used to some extent, but in most instances these compass randoms proved as wayward as tiie original line. Upon the section on which operations were commenced, the random transit line projected parallel with and 10 feet north of a line drawn through mile-stone 11 and the east River monument, and extending in either direction a total distance of about 11-^ miles, was first run west- ward. By calculation from the compass bearings this line was expected to pass 16 feet north of mile-stone 15. It actually passed 29 feet north of it. And a comparison of the compass lines, with the transit line with which it was connected at various points by offsets, exhibits a considera- ble curvature to the left (south), in the lormer a reverse of the normal curvature. The actual true bearing of the transit line when it crosses the river, I had no o])i)ortunity to take. It is about north 83° west (mag- netic). By comparison with a section of the astronomical parallel deduced from the latitudes of stations " Travis" and "Finn," the appioximato true bearing between mile-stones 11 'and the east River srone is south 89° 50' west. The l)reak in the marked boundary near the 12-mile point, mentioned in my report for 1877 (page 21), was found rather greater than as developed by the compass. The irregularities between the river and mile-stone 15 were found to be more marked, as other old points were discovered, which were not found in 1877. Among them was the stone set at the south-west corner of lot 5 mentioned in the note (Report for 1877, page 21). It is 1008 feet west of the stone found in 1877, and about 17 feet north of it. A sketch of this section is a})pended (Sketch No. 1), as a companion to the sketch at page 20, report for 1877. The general direction of the traditional line is considerably south of west, and it is full of minor irregularities, the greatest of which is just west of mile-stone 19, iind which was probably occasioned by an attempt to run the line east from mile-stone 20 on the river flat, upon a bear- ing true east, which came out over 40 feet south of 19. Mile-stones 17 and 18 are gone, and it would be impossible to re]ilace them in their original (traditional) places by intei-polation between Fold-out Placeholder This fold-out is being digitized, and will be insertec at a future date. No. 100.] 17 mile-stones 16 and 19. The last two stones and the first latitude stone, on the right bank of the Susquehanna river, are very nearly in line, but 18 and 1? would be 12 to 1? feet to the north. From mile-stone 11 east to mile-stone 6, the general direction of ihe indicated boundary is quite uniform. At G there is an apparent bend to the north. It was at this mile-stone that the initial work w;is commencoil in 1877. At that time the line was run out to the Delaware, upon a bearing assumed by running from mile-stone 6 to mile-stone 5. The approxi- mate true bearing between these stones deduced from the astronomical parallel between stations "Travis" and "Finn " is north 89° 42' east. The magnetic bearing in 1877 was south 813° 20' east. The compass line between 6 and 5 was found to be convex (to the south), about 2-2- feet ; the curvature of the parallel is less than two inches for that dis- tance. By comparing the compass line which was run eastward from mile- stone 5, upon the assumed bearing, with the transit line with which it was connected at frequent intervals by carefully measured offsets, the former was found to be a quite regular curve to the left (north) to which the transit line was practically tangent. The versed-sine, or offset from the end of the transit line to the pier at station " Travis," which is at the extremity of the curve, is 97 leet ; the lengtli of the curve being 27,882 feet. The normal curvature of an arc of the paral- lel for the same distance is 16.7 feet. But the most important and satisfactory discovery was in finding mile-stone 1, which had been entirely lost sight of heretofore, and which, after sevei'a! diligent searches m 1877, was given up as lost. It stands 66 feet south of the compass line of 1877, and but 8^ feet north of the transit line. It was standing firmly in the ground, leaning somewhat toward the north, and well supported with stones, which were embedded in the soil. The stone has every appearance of having riMiiained many years undisturbed. The position of this stone indi- cates that the Initial Point at the river must have been very much south of the point at which the line of 1877 crossed the stream. The latter part of March last, I visited- Harrisburg, Penn., and made veiy thorough examinations among the land ]iapers in the office of the Secretary of Internal Affairs. Through the courtesy of (Jol. Worrall and the Deputy Secretary, Mr. Africa, I was afforded every facility for my researciies. The system of recording hind surveys in Pennsylvania is so antiquated and crude that search for any si)ecific object was very difficult, and little of practical value affecting the lk)undary was found. But at Weaversville, Northampton county, Penn., Col. Gere and my- self visited, while on my way to Harrisburg, Mr. Jacob Fatzinger, ,)r., who has in his possession a large collection of valuable papers,* the accumulation of over fifty years, of the notes and surveys of George Palmer, who was deputy surveyor for the Pennsylvania Proprietaries at the time Rittenhouse and Holland fixed the initial monumentbefore the Revolution. He continued to hold the same office for many years under the Commonwealth, and his surveys embraced a large part of * Referred to at page 50, Report of progress for 1877. [Assem.Doc. No. 100.] 3 18 [Assembly the north-eastern portion of tlie State. Among his papers are sev- eral interesting documents directly appertaining to the history of this portion of the Boundary, and which should be compiled for publica- tion in the next volume of the Regents' Boundary Reports. One, a field-book of a survey of the Delaware river, and of warrants bordering upon it in 1773-4, is referred to at page 20 in the Report for 1877.* There are also a field-book, diary and plot of the survey of a line commencing at the monument on the right bank of the Delaware river and extending west to the Susquehanna, a distance of 12 miles 211 perches, f This survey was made in June, 1784. Each mile was marked bv a tree. The 2-miIe tree was a birch. This was undoubtedly the "false line," referred to at page 20, Report for 1877. Mr. F. has also the field-notes ol Mr. Palmer's surveys of warrants in the north part of Wayne 'county, Peun., based upon this line in 1785. These refer to the mile tiees. The survey of the warrant now owned by S. B. Alexander begins at 2-mile birch. I think Mr. Alexander's yellow birch stump may be the remains of this particular tree. I am ([uite well satisfied that the early surveys of several tracts in the soutli-east part of Broome county, New York, were also based u[)on this "false line." As detailed upon pages 19 and 20 (report for 1877), this '' false line " was located from the true line at various points, and at various times, by Gen. James Clinton, Wm. MacOlure and M. R. Hulce. The yellow birch stump is almost exactly in line with these points, and projected eastward this line will strike the Delaware river at a point very nearly in line with mile-stones 1 and 5, and not far from where my transit line intersected it. (See sketch No. 3.) The posi- tion of mile-stone 3 is rather anomalous. It is 23 feet north of a line between mile-stones 1 and 5, and agrees with no corners upon either the true or false line. It was found in 1877 lying upon a steep rocky moun- tain side, above the line. It could hardly have been moved out of line in that direction by natural forces. . Upon the section of the present boundary between the two rivers, and as far west as mile-stone 16, the monuments found in place do not vary much from a' line, less so than I think will be found upon a section of the same length elsewhere along the parallel Boundary. West of 16 there is some considerable curvature, but this and the other deviations upon the first 20 milps are the reverse of the normal * I think Palmer must have accompanied Holland and Rittenhouse up the Delaware, where tliey fixed the Initial Point at Monument Island. His- traverse of the river in this field-book closed 15 November, 1774, at a "beech stump, cut high for ye observation." Holland and Kittenliouse commenced observation.'* at this point 19 November, 1774. (Report, page 248, vol. I, Regents' Boundary Report.) f In his diary he says : "June 1, came to Mr. Rittenhouse and ("apt. Holland's observatory and encamped. I hunted near 1^ hours before I found the corner. 2d, Wednesday, began to run the line N. SO" 20' W." A copy of tlie plot is appended. (See sketch No. 2.) The licld-bnok gives the west end of the line upon the river as a " post between sug"' and hickory." Upon another old map referred to further on, is a memorandum that the western extremity of this line was at " a Small dead Lynn, marked Sam'l Harris, with Red ledd." From a remark in a letter from Jno. Lukens, Surveyor-General of Pennsylva- nia, to Geo. Palmer, dated 20 June, 1784, I judge that this portion of the Bound ary may have been traced before Palmer ran it in 1784. SUftVr.Vx Yi Fold-out Placeholder This fold-out is being digitized, and will be inserted at a future date. Fold-out Placeholder This fold-out is being digitized, and will be inserted at a future date. No. 100.] 19 curvature of the parallel. This is the result of the increase in the declination of the needle to the westward, alluded to in Report for 1877 (p. 47). West of the Susquehanna, near station " Finn," I liave as yet made no attempt to compare the present re-survey with the compass work, further than this, the line of monuments and traditional point (the latter greatly predominate), which looks like a strait line, when plotted from the compass notes, shows from the re-survey co!isiderable crookedness. The series of random transit lines which vvere projected by inspection of the compass bearings of 18r7, varied considerably in two oi' three instances, from where they were expected to strike, especially the last one, which was supposed would come out ^O or 40 feet north of mile- stone 40, struck a point 12 feet south of it. Beyond the abrupt deflection near the river, the general direction of the line is north of west for 10 or 11 miles, crossing the astronomical parallel near the 29-mile point. West of that the bends or breaks in the Boundary are toward the left (south), and it recrossi'S the parallel near the 38-mile point. Mile-stone 33, which was found in 1877 in place, and which had been regarded for years by surveyors and land-owners as an authentic monument, I found, when I reached that point in vSeptember last, had been taken up and entirely removed since my first visit, by whom or when I was unable to learn, nor could I find the stone. The place where it stood was readily identified. I reported the facts to the dis- trict attorney of Broome county. I also discovered that the 38 mile- stake had been removed, and its place entirely obliterated. Among the papers in Mr. Fatzinger's possession, is a large map con- siderably mutilated, which appears to be collated from fragmentary surveys along the Delaware river, made before and during the Eevolu- tion (no date appears upon it), by George Palmer. It exhibits the survey of the line between the Delaware and the Susquehanna, referred to above. It also shows that a line west of the Susquehanna below Great Bend had been surveyed, the miles being numbered froni the west, terminating at the left bank of the river at a birch 36 miles and 206 perches. The west portion of tlie map is torn off, so that the starting point does not appear, but it was undoubtedly at the Susque- hanna river east of Waverly. This line bears the legend " S. 87 E. sup- posed to be at or near the Northern Boundary of Pennsylvania." It was probably a survey of the " Line of Property" or Indian Boundary, according to the Treaty of .1768.* I think it must have been south of the present boundary, as at one point, near mile-stone 26, an old line about a quarter of a mile south of and nearly parallel witii the Boun- dary has long been known as the "old State line." It is possible that the early surveys of some tracts in Broome and Tioga counties. New York, were based upon this line, as they wei'e afterward found to encroach upon Pennsylvania. * See documents relating to the Colonial History of New York, vol. viii, p. 135, etc. Osweg-y, referred to in the treaty, according to the rude map accompa- nying the Indian deed, must have been situated upon the river south-east of Waverly. 30 [Assembly Astronomical Positions. - I am unable at present to give the astronomical position of any of the monuments (excepting upon the first 20 miles), not having yet been furnished with the results of the final office computations of the observations at the various stations occupied the past season. Partial computations have been made upon all the sections of the Boundary, but the final astronomical results will be required before any thing can be completed. Thirteen astronomical stations have been occupied upon the Parallel Boundary. Observations were made in 1817 at four of these, "Tra- vis," "Finn," " Burt," and " Clark," The remainder were observed the past summer. The following is a detailed list of these stations : No. 1. '• Travis," east of Delaware river, near Monument Island, below Hale's Eddv, and 6,827 feet east of mile-stone 1. Latitude 42° 00' 02" .06 ± 0".14-. No. 2. "Finn," between 20-mile stake and Susquehanna river. 1, 152 feet east, and 270 feet north of the first latitude stone. Lati- tude 41° 59' 59".38 ± 0"-ll. No. 3. "Little-Meadows." In the Apalachin valley, north of the village of Little Meadows, 2 feet north of the 39 1-2-mile stake set in 1877, and 2 1-4 feet north, and 2,652 feet east of mile-stone 40. No. 4. " Waverly." In a lumber yard, 105 feet east, and 7-7 feet north of a boundary monument set under my direction in 1877, on the east side of Pennsylvania avenue, in the village of Waverly. The station is 844 feet east and 1-7 south of mile-stone 60. No. 5. "Burt." South of Wellsburg, New York, 4,022 feet west and 394 feet south of mile-stone 69. Latitude 42° 00' 03".59 ± 0".12. No. 6. " Lawrenceville." North of the village of Lawrenceville, Tioga CO., Penn., 8.8 feet north of mile-stone 90. No. 7. " Austinburg." South-westerly side of road from Austin- burg, Penn., to South Troupsburg, New York, and 9-7 feet south of the tiffli latitude stone, which is 3,162 feet west of mile-stone 109. No. 8. "Genesee Valley." About 2 miles south of Shongo, Alle- gany Co., New York, on the west side of the Genesee Valley, 1104-8 feet east, and 62 feet north, of mile-stone 129. No. 9. "Ceres." West of Ceres village, 11-6 feet east, and 56-6 feet north of 149 mile-stake. No. 10. "Tuna Valley." West of Tunaunguant creek, 9 feet north of the seventh latitude stone and 527 feet west of mile-stone 167. No. 11. "Corydon." About 780 feet east of the Allegany river, and 4.25 feet north of mile-stone 184. No. 12. " Sugar Grove," east side of road leading north from Sugar Grove, Penn., 2,080 feet west, and 31.9 feet south of mile-stone 203. No. 13. " Clark," 4,152 feet west of temporary 223 mile-stake. 5,480 feet east of the south-west corner of New York, and about 90 feet south of the apparent boundary. Latitude 42° 00' 80".79 ± 0".09. The position of the Lake Erie monument, upon the Meridian Boundary, has not yet been verified. But this will doubtless be done the coming season by the U. b. Lake Survey. Of the stations occupied the past season, I have visited and located No. 100.] 21 but two, "Little Meadows" and '•' Waverly." The locations of the re- maining seven * I take from memoranda i'urnislied by the observer, Mr. Edwin Smith. I have also been iYirnished with memoranda of the ]"esolt of his field computations of the latitudes of the new stations, but with the request that they should not be used for any public pur- pose. The piers at ''Travis," " Finn," " Waverly," " Burt " and " Clark." are of brick capped with stone. Those at "Travis" and "Clark" are rapidly disintegrating under the action of the weather, and they should at once be replaced with something more permanent. Tiie same suggestion applies with equal force to the piers erected the past season, which are, with one exception, large blocks of wood, mainly hemlock, set up under the direction of Col. Gere. Conclusion". I will reserve such recommendations as I may have to make for a future report, which will be made when my maps and computations are more complete. I will at present but repeat my suggestions of former reports, that the temporary stakes and primitive land- marks should be immediately replaced by more permanent monuments, especially if the old boundary is to be kept up. The latter policy I will not undertake to discuss further than to say, that I find the sentiment of the people adjoining the Boundary, particularly those whose residences would be changed by a correction of the Boundary to the parallel, decidedly adverse to any alteration. Our party at the start was constituted as follows : Mr. Frank C. Ainslie, principal assistant. Mr. Daniel E. Hayden, assistant and clerk. John B. Fuller, C. E., flagman. Dr. A. F. Hamilton and Charles H. Wells, axmen. James Giles, teamster. I have to repeat the acknowledgments heretofore expressed, to our principal assistants, Messrs. Ainslie and Hayden, for their efficiency. The latter gentleman was suddenly called home the last of August, by business matters, and was obliged to sever his connection with the survey, much to my regret. Mr. Fuller, a very efficient young gentle- man, a graduate of La Fayette College, at Easton, Penn., took his place, and the other changes in the composition of the party thus made necessary were filled by temporary supply. The party upon the nsview of the eastern section comprised : Mr. Frank C. Ainslie, princiinxl assistant. Messrs. John B. Fuller, Charles H. Wells, and Jolin F. Stewart, axmen. Charles Curtis, teamster. Respectfully submitted, H. W. CLARKE, Civil Engineer. * Except " Genesee Valley " and " Sugar Grove," which were visited by me since the date of this Report. 22 [Assembly No. 100.] Latitude Of mile points and monuments between the Initial Point and mile- stone 31, dednced from the latitudes of stations " Travis" and "Finn." Distance W. from " Travis," (feet) Station. Pier station '- Travis " 00 ■ *Stake, right bank Delaware river .. 1812 Mile-stone 1 6827 *2 mile-stake . . 12046 Yellow birch stump 12068 Mile-stone 3 17327 *4 mile-point 22602 Mile-stone 5 22882 6 ;. 33180 Monum't Cov., Wayne and Snsq. Go's. 35168 Mile-stone 7 38530 *8 mile-stake 48913 *9 " " 49295 Mile-stone 10 54679 11 60021 *12 mile-stake 65301 East river monument (Susqneh'na R.) 68891 West " " " 69294 *Mile-stone 13 71095 Hooper corner stone 75926 *14 mile-stake (1877) 75943 * " '^ (1879) 76553 Mile-stone 15 82012 16 87403 *17-mile stake 92821 *18 " 98266 Mile-stone 19 103711 " Fan-tail " corner monument 103876 *20 mile-stake 1 08991 Pier, station " Finn " 109873 1st latitude stone 111024-7 42 41° 41° 00' 02". 01". 01". 01" 0:i" 01" 01" 00" 00" 00" 00" 00" 00". 00" 00" 59' 59" 59" 59". 59" 59". 59". 59". 59". 58"- 58"- 58". 57". 57". 56". 59' 59". 56". Latitude. 66±0".14 67 63 .42 .12 .65 .12 .96 • 69 • 59 6^ •56 •45 •15 •1 .68 •85 ■81 .61 •06 •06 ■71 24 8 57 02 45 46 94 38±0' 72 .11 * Temporary points. GENERAL EEPORT ON CONDITION OF THE BOUNDARY. Hon. Henry R. Pierson, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, and Gen. E. W. Leavenworth, Boundary Committee of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York : Gentlemen — I have the honor to present the following general re- port of the condition of the entire Boundary between the States of New York and Pennsylvania; giving also in detail the requirements for its restoration and preservation. In making up a report wliich may he of the nature of a final re- port, I shall endeavor to present as briefly and clearly as possible, the general characteristics of the entire Boundary, its present condition at various points, and what is necessary to be done to preserve and mark it, as well as the practicability of any radical change in its location. In the distribution of the stations to be occupied for astronomical work by the party from the United States Coast Survey Office, during the past season, they were placed at ])oints wliich, with those located in 1877, would divide the Parallel Boundary as nearly as practicable into equal sections of about 20 miles in length, with the exception of that between the fourth and fifth stations ('' Waverly " and •' Burt"), which is less than ten miles. I shall therefore adopt this practical division of the Boundary into sections, in the following resume. First Section. Station " Travis," near the Initial Point at the Delaware river, to sta- tion ''Finn," west of the 20-mile-poi7it. Upon this section, a little over 20 miles in length, there re- main but eight of the original mile-stones which may positively be accepted as in place, in readjusting the original boundary. These are 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 19. The east River monument, west of the 12-mile point, may also be accepted thus. Mile-stone 7 is considered by some as authentic, but it has certainly been disturbed. At the other points west of mile-stone 6, the marlnunient of the Meridian Boundai-y. Its })osition is undisputed. There are no original monuments upon the original boundary west of the '• Corner " for several miles. The general direction of this section is slightly south of west to about 211 -J miles; tlifen north of west, but quite uneven in align- ment to near the 219-mile point, west of which it has a direction nearly west. The latitude of the stake at the " Corner" as deduced from the po- sition of station "Clark" is 42° 00' 01". 42, about 230 feet north of mile-stone 203. The most southerly point in the traditional line is near the 211-mile point, ami the extreme northerly point is near the 223-mile stake, both somewhat indefinite. The forty-second })arallel is intersected near the 218-mile stake. Meridian Boundary. The discussion of the Meridian Boundary will be taken up further on in this report. The Astronomical Parallel of Latitude 42 . I have so far discussed the condition of the Parallel Boundary, in view of a possible decision to permanently adjust the Boundary be- tween the States, upon the original line of 1786-7, giving its relation to the astronomical parallel of hititude 42° — the historical Boundary — at various points. '^I will now consider the subject of a readjustment of the entire Boundary upon the forty-second parallel, and in doing so shall confine myself to latitudes, leaving matters of longitude as not entering into the discussion. hi The astronomical location of a point upon the surface of the earth is solely an approximate location from a point above it in the celestial sphere, and its nearness to absolute accuracy depends upon the close- ness with which a vertical (or plumb) line can be fixed. It is also affected by "probable errors "in observation, both personal and in- strumental, which may be greatly reduced by repetition, but which cannot be entirely eliminated. To illustrate : the latitude of station "Travis," at the Delaware, from the final office computations is found to be 42° 00' 02". 66 ± 0".14 — that is, Avith a probable error of 0".14 either to the north or south; speaking familiarly, the astronomical point 32 [Assembly is somewhere within a range of 28 feet (double the error) of hititude. The n.eun probable error of the four stations of 1877 is O'Ml — nearly 12 feet. Col. W. J. Twining, United States Engineer, chief astronomer on the part of the United States upon the survey of the Northern Bound- ary along the parallel of 4l)°, in his exhaustive report upon that survey, recently published by the Department of State, referring to this sub- ject, says: •'In regard to the accuracy of the instrumental line, a few words of explanation will be sufficient to indicate at about what amount the limit of error for the astronomical and other instrnmental work may be fixed. ■" Of the 41 astronomical stations, four were observed jointly by the two Commissions, the difference in the determinations in each case being 32 feet, 29 feet, 7 feet, and 27 feet, respectively. As those were the first stations observed, and as the general quality of the work con- stantly impi'oved, it is probable that if the others had been observed jointly, a very considerable reduction in the average discrepancies would have been found. Of the remaining stations, 17 were observed by the United States, 19 by the English astronomei's, and one jointly by the North- Western Boundary Commission. The mean of the probable en-ors of the British stations was ± 0".088, and of those of the United States ± 0'^059. The average of the probable errors is thus a fraction over 7 feet. Although such mathematical probable en-ors are more or less fallacious owing to the fact that constant errors are not in- cluded, still they give a fair measure of the general character of the work done, and offer sutHcient ground for the conclusion that if re- observed, the difference in any one case would hardly exceed 25 feet, while a general mean would probably not exceed 7 feet. " In agreements between the chief astronomers of the Joint Com- mission in beginning the work, the limit of error was supposed to be less than 50 feet in the .astronomical positions and the geodetic con- nection between two neighboring stations. From the results of the work this may safely be taken as the extreme limit, while the avei'age errors, every thing included, will doubtless be much smaller." The New York Commissioners upon the original survey of our Parallel Boundary, in their report to Gov. Clinton (page 272, vol. I, Regents' Boundary Report), assures his Excellency that " no error of more thar. Iialf a Second of a Degree equal to Fifty and an half Feet could possibly have been committed at the Points where the Latitude was so detern)ined." But the greatest source of error in astronomical latitudes is tiie absolute impossibility, at most points ui)on the earth's surface, of fix- ing an absolutely vertical line. This error is supposed to be constant at each point, and cannot absolutely be eliminated by any scientific methods. It is technically denominated the "deflection of the })lumb- line," and is due to local attraction. The angles in an astronomical observation are measured from a "plumb-line " of infinite length, and an imperceptible variation in it will have a perceptible effect upon the point to be located from it. This subject is very fully discussed by Col. Twining in the report already refered to. He remarks, " all astronomical determinations are referred, by means No. 100.] 33 of the level, to the direction of the resultant force of gravity. If, then, this direction is affected by the protrusion of mountain masses above the surface, .or by variations in the density of the earth's crust below the surface, each astronomical determination will be in error by tlie amount of such deflection. Science affords only approxi- mate methods of correcting these errors, and they are of such diffi- cult and doubtful application as to be of no practical use, except in ex ti-eme cases, and for exceptional ]iuri)oses. In a Iriangulation, the relation of the various points dejienfls solely on the measurement of horizontal angles and is not api)recial)ly atTected by local disturbances, though tht^ whole system will br in error by the amount of the error in the position of the astronomical station to which it is referred." " Local deflections of the jilumb-liiie, due to the attraction of com- paratively small masses, is argued from the general law of attraction, from direct experiment, and from the lack of agreement between the astronomical and geodetic determinations of the relation of points on the earth's surface as developed by the measurement of certain merid- ianal arcs, which discrepancies exceed in amount any possible instru- mental error, or error of calculation." Also " the station errors" — as this discrepancy between succeeding astronomical points is desig- nated — " aft'ect the azimuths between the different stations by a va- riable quantity, but in every case by an amount sufficient to be easily appi'eciable with ordinary surveying instruments." The geodetic, or true ])arallel of latitude, 42 , is the " line of inter- section of the surface of the earth by a cone whose apex is at the center of normals " of that latitude. At the level of the sea it is a circle. l)ut a parallel deduced from astronomical determination at intervals, or the practical astronomical parallel, is an irregular curve, the amount of ii'regularity mainly depending upon the amount of local deflection of the plumb-line at the various stations. The extent of the deflections may be determined geodetically. It will be interesting in this connection to refer a little in detail to the report upon the Northern Boundary before quoted : This Boundary, as stated before, is upon the forty-ninth parallel of latitude, and the late survey covered a distance of about 850 miles westward from the Lake of the Woods. In this distance were 41 astronomical stations. The "station-error "of each station — which is made up principally of the error occasioned by the deflection of the plumb-line — was deter- mined by running a right angle to the meridian from the station to a point opposite tlie next station, and the difference between the measured offset and the calculated oft'set to the curve of tlie parallel showed the amount of deflection. Referred to a mean of the parallel, the accumula- tion of errors reached a northern maximum of about 600 feet at a station about G50 miles from the initial point, with a deflection to the north of the preceding (east) station of 439 feet, in a distance of 2G| miles. This extreme deflection is accounted for by the influence of the mass of a range of hills (mountains) north of the Boundary. Beyond this point the'attraction of the immense masses of the three buttes of the Sweet Grass Hills gradually draws the astronomical parallel to the south at the pretty uniform rate of about 14 feet to the mile for about 100 miles. When the maximum southerly deflection of SOO feet is reached, oppo- [Assem. Doc. No. 100.] 5 34 [Assembly site the west bntte, an extreme variation of 1,400 feet (13 ".89). The greatest disci'epancy hetween two adjficent stations occurs at this point, when the phunb-hne relieved from the influence of the buttes, appar- ently swings back to the mean vertical, making a discrepancy to the north, of 738 feet (7".28) in adistanceof 20f miles — nearly 30 feet to the mile — causing an angle or deflection to the right (north) in the Boundary as located, of over half a degree. There occur few greater deflections in our Parallel Boundary as originally fixed. I have referred above to. the most marked discrepancies upon the Northern Boundary of the United States. There are othei's nearly as striking, and the general direction of the astronomical parallel is a very irregular one, the deflections being rather indiscriminately toward both the north and south ; but by an examination of the topogi'aphical and geological structure of the country through which it passes, the greater propor- tion o! the errors are readily accounted foi'. Eeturning to our own Boundary. Although we iiave no immense ranges of mountains, or enormous geological masses adjacent to the Boundary upon one side or the other, of sufficient density to create any remarkable disturbance of this nature, yet the country, through which the Boundary passes, is of sufficiently broken nature to produce the same effects in a moderate degree. It certainly is more broken in its character, over two-thirds of its extent, than that of a greater pro- portion of the territory through which the United States Boundary passes. That there must be such disturbances there can be no doubt, but we have no data from which their extent may be even approximately esti- mated, or even the direction toward which the deflection tends. Still, I think we are sufficiently acquainted with the topographical and geologi- cal characteristics on either side to institute some sort of a theory. Theory, like the use of the compass in extended surveys, is but an improved method of guessing, and like the use of. the compass, it will sometimes produce quite satisi'actory results, especially where there are no more accurate methods by which they can be tested. The geological struc- ture of this section is quite homogeneous, and there is probably not enough irregularity in its texture immediately adjacent to the Bound- ary to produce very much greater effect in one direction than in the other. It is found, however, that distant masses have, in many instances, a greater effect upon the plumb-line than less dense masses nearer at hand. By a comparison of the topographical and geological features of New York and Pennsylvania it is evident that the general deflection of the plumb-line (referring to latitude solely) will be southerly. At some of the particular points occupied by the astronomi- cal stations the influence of the Pennsylvania mountains is certainly felt more than at others. At the extreme easterly station, "Travis," the influence of imme- diate minor masses may be southerly. It is upon the bottom of the deep, narrow valley of the Delaware, the southerly side of which is here steep and rocky, almost precipitous, while the northerly edge of the valley is less abrupt and very much broken. The range of moun- tains which forms the dividing ridge between this valley and the Sus- quehanna would still more tend to cause a deflection south-westerly. At station " Finn," the same range, and its nearer mountainous spurs, has a similai- southerly influence, while at " Little Meadows," situated No. 100.] 33 in the deep basin of the Apalachin, which crosses the line almost at right angles, the phimb-liiie swings back to more nearly its normal direction. The hills bordering this valley, although high, are nni- form in their characteristics, and the mountain raug-es are too far to the south to make their influence very perceptibly felt. At " Wa- verly," situated in the broad " Chemung Flats," with no immediate mass to affect it, the influence of the Alleghanies begins to act upon the line, and this continues at all the stations west of this point as far as Corydon. At stat.ion " Ceres," this southerly attraction is probably neutralized in a great measure, and perhaps entirely over- come by the northerly influence of the dividing ridge between the Genesee and Allegany rivers. So, also, at station " Lawrenceville," is the southerly influence partially neutralized. At stations " Sugar Grove " and " Clark," situated in the high undulating country north- west of the Allegany, the plumb-line is probably affected but little, although the influence, if any, is southerly, especially at the latter station. The discrepancy in latitude at Dr. Peters' station, near the lake, upon the Meridian Boundary, might be partially accounted for upon this theory. Here then must, undoubtedly, be a considerable south-easterly deflection. The mean of the astronomical parallel for the 13 stations will, probably, be found south of the geodetic parallel of 42°. I am satis- fied that the astronomical parallel at " Little Meadows " is north of a mean parallel between '' Finn " and '• Wavcrly." A computation of its position from my field-notes, referred to lines at right angles with the meridian at each of the last-named stations, shows this. Col. Twining, in the report referred to above, says: " If it were desired to lay out upon the surface of the earth a mathematical circle of latitude, the relative positions would be made to depend upon a series of triangles, referred to a measured base and a mean astronomi- cal position. But in the definition of a circle of latitude for the ]nir- poses of a boundary, practical rather than mathematical considerations determine the methods to be followed. The ruling conditions may be briefly stated. The boundary must be clearly delined by visible mon- uments, and the positions of these marks must be such that, in case of their loss, the points can be easily and accurately recovered. The only simple method of recovery is by astronomical observation, and since the local deflections of the plumb-line are supposed not to vary for long periods of time, the process is easy and accurate." We have already seen how nearly two independent determinations of the same point upon the forty-ninth parallel agreed in result. A third determination would probably result differently from both. The 13 stations upon our Boundary were all occupied and observed by tjie same observer, and with the same instrument, and the probable personal and instrumental ei'rors are doubtless uniform. Another observer with another instiliment might now occupy the same stations, with results differing from 7 to 32 feet, as in the case of the stations upon the British Boundary. These are minor differences compared Avith the possible differences which might result from observations taken, say " 100 years hence." The discrepancy in the latitude and longitude of the Lake Erie mon- ument, referred in my report for 1878, is an instance of the wide differ- ence which may occur ]>etween two results at the same point. 36 [ASSEMBLT Some of the stations occui^ied upon the present survey are at or near (in longitude) points at which the parallel of 42° was fixed in the origiiuil survey. At station '• Travis" the old position is lost, but it is approximately known . At " Little Meadows," " Lawrenceville," and " Austinburg " the monument points are lost, but can readily be fixed. At the other points the old reference stones yet remain. The follow- ing tabulation exhibits the distance of the astronomical parallel as found at these stations in 1877-9 north ( + ) or south ( — ) of the parallel ns marked in 1774, 1786-7 : Station " Travis " (1774 and 1877) -170± feet. Station '' Finn " (1786 and ] 877) +(534 Station "Little Meadows" (1786 and 1879) +5 Station " Waverly " (1786 and 1879) —144 Station " Lawrenceville " (1786 and 1879) — 120± Station "Austinburg" (1787 and 1879) — 145± Station " Tuna Valley " (1787 and 1879) ; -414 " Station "Clark" (1877) is about 3^ miles east of the site of the original ninth latitude stone of 1787, but has never been connected with it; the pai-allel of 1877 is probably about 120 feetsontli of that of 1787. The remaining latitude stones of 1787, the sixth, between "Genesee Valley " and " Ceres," and the eighth, between " Corydon " and "Sugar Grove," can only be compared by interpolating the parallel of 1879 with the following results: Sixth, parallel of 1879 is — 30 feet. Eighth, " " " " _ _230 " No doubt the methods of one hundred years ago were not as perfect as now, the positions of the stars not as well known, nor the instru- ments as accurate. We are also very well satisfied that the observations in 1787 must have been hajstily taken. Therefore this comparison of the results may be taken with a large allowance for " contingencies." If the important geodetic survey of the State of New York, now in progress, is continued, and the projected series of triangles for the measurement of an arc of the meridian be extended north across Pennsylvania by the United States Coast Survey, we shall before the lapse of ten years be able to fix the absolute position of the geodetic parallel of 42°, which is a true curve, parallel with the Equator, with no station errors, and but a minimum of probable errors, to be pro- vided against. Taking into consideration the irregular and uncertain nature of the parallel as fixed by astronomical methods, as occasioned by those known and unknown errors, the Boundary, if it were changed to it, would hardly be more satisfactory than the" present eccentric line, when in the near future, a more nearly absolute accurate survey may possibly prove that the actual parallel of 42° is somewhere else. A mean astronomical parallel can hardly be more satisfactory. It would be more nearly a regular curve, but it would simply be the mean of a few results along an arc of but 1^ per cent of the entire circle, with the probability, from the excess of the deflection of the vertical toward the south, of being south of the true parallel; a result No. iOO.] 37 which might be considered more favorable to New York which would be quite as unsatisiactory us the other when the true parallel shall be known. Nor is it certain that this mean of the parallel would be exactly parallel with the Equator. I have thus casually discussed the })hysical objections to a change in the location of the Boundary at the present time. The social and political aspects of the case I will not refer to here. If this Boundary is to be adjusted upon the astronomical parallel of latitude 42" as found in the recent observations, the amount of field- work which will be required to fix the new positions of the monuments will bo greatly increased beyond that n'ecessary in readjusting it upon its original location. Witli the exception, perhaps, of the first section, — between stations " Travis " and "Finn" — and the tenth, from "Tuna Valley" to " Corydon," each of the various sections of the Parallel Boundary will of necessity require a careful resurvey of the points upon the forty-second parallel between the astronomical sta- tions are to be accurately fixed. Considering the probable uncertainty of the position of the astronomical parallel opposite- the various sta- tions, it might seem unnecessary to be so absolutely certain about the positions of the intermediate points. But I am positive in my opin- ion that having once settled upon the position of the parallel at each astronomical station, the curves between should be located with the greatest accuracy practicable. With the many contingencies attendant upon the rapid reconnais- sance — -which has been tlie character of the survey thus far — while the positions of most of the various points might not be materially changed from where they would be fixed from the surveys of the past three years, yet it would be preferable that an entirely independent locating survey should be projected. Then arise the objections to a projection of a new line through an old country, partially covered with valuable timber. Were the inter- mediate lines between the stations strait lines, there would be no diflticulty, by a proper adjustment of the initial or base lines, in run- ning them through with the least interference with the rights and privileges of the inhabitants. But the line to be fixed is a curve, with a middle ordinate — or offset from the chord in the center — of each section of 20 miles, of 60 feet. The most practicable method of locat- ing the section of the curve is from a transit line, which should either be its chord or a tangent. This would be entirely practical were it not for the amount of extra cutting of timber it would require. This in a new country would hardly be an objection. But all along this line are sections of woodland and considerable timber through which the base line • — which is practically independent of the line to be perma- nently located — would have to be cut. Were the axesot the hill-tops all about at right-angles with the line, even this would not be objec- tionable. But the character of the plateaus upon many of the sum- mits is such that in some instances the line would have to be cut for long distances through timber. Upon the reconnaissance, unnecessary chopping was avoided as far as possible, both to save time, and to avoid the destruction of timber. While it is quite desirable that a broad vista should be opened along the line proper, land proprietors would object to opening a vista upon a temporary random line. 38 [Assembly MKiiiDiAN Boundary. The western Boundary of New York was fixed by treaty before the geograpliy of the country west of the Genesee river was very well known. It was to be in a meridian line drawn th''ough the " most west- erly bent or inclination of Lake Ontario," undoubtedly upon the su))- position that this point was within the limits of the United States. It wasexpected to strike the Parallel Boundary near mile-stone 190, some 35 miles east of its final location.* A Ix'tter knowledge of the geogra- phy of the country developed the fact that the assumed " initial point " was many miles west of its supposed longitude, and far within the limits of the British Dominions. Although no field-notes or memoranda of the survey for the location of this line have ever been found, it is quite well understood that the meridian line was not fixed by projection south from the west end of Lake Ontario across Lake Erie, but by traversing the south shore of Lake Ontario eastward to the Niagara river, and along tiiis river and the south-easterly shore of Lake Erie, nntil a point upon the latter was reached, which, by com])utation, wassupi)osed to be due south from the starting point (Regents' Boundary Report, Vol. 1, p. 324). This involved a surve}^ of about 135 miles thi'ough a wild country, to find a starting i)oint for a line of less than 19 miles in length ; probably with a compass and chain, and considering all tlie unknown errors attributa- ble to unequal or irregular variation of the needle, etc., it is questiona- ble if this portion of the Boundary is fixed in the actual meridian sought. And this may not be known nntil the United States Geo- detic Survey of the lakes is much farther advanced. The line itself Avas undoubtedly very carefully run. I had no favor- able opportunity to test it by reference to the true meridian ; but I am satisfied from the results of the reconnaissance that in its general direc- tion it varies but little from a meridian. Yet at many points there are greater or less irregularities of the traditional line, which makes a re- adjustment of this portion of the Boundary quite essential. It will be seen from my report for 1878, that there is but one really permanent monument u|)on this line, and that was set in 1869, by rather crude methods. Of the original stones but two of them, mile-stones 3 and G, were found in place. The places of three others were probably identified. For the other positions we have only tradition, or some other equally reliable data to depend upon. The reconnaissance of 1878 was rapid, although careful, and if this portion of the Boundary is to be adjusted to the known and recognized [)oints found, this survey will answer all requirements. But I think it preferable that a new locating survey slnnild be mad(^ starting at the north end with a meridian lino, accurately fixed astro- nomically, which should be carefully ])rolonged southward by ti'ansit. As it progresses the requisite vista may be cut, and the monument points permanently fixed wherever re(piired. County and Town Corners. Intersecting the State Boundary at various points, are 7 boundary * See Vol. 1, Regents' Boundary Report, pages 387-8. No. 100.) 39 lines of counties in New York, and 7 in Pennsylvania ; 30 town lines in New York, and 30 in Pennsylvania. Streams form two of the county boundaries. Of the other intersec- tions' of county lines 4 are at mile-stones, and the remainder, with one exception, aiv marked by stakes, stone i)iles, and one by a large pine stump; the excei^tion, the corner of Steuben and Allegany coun- ties in New York, is only indicated by the intersection of rail fences; its position may readily be ilxed, however, from the original lield-notes of the Phelps and (ioi-hani Purchase, by measurement I'rom mile- stone 12'^. Of the town line intersections, H are indicated by streams, and 4 by roads which cross the line; 3 in New York and IG in Pennsylvania, occur at mile-stones and oi'iginal mile i)oints, and 3 in New York at other authentic monuments. Of the remainder, G in New York and 4 in Pennsylvania have been identified as marked with stakes, while at nearly all the other points nothing has been found by which the corners could be identified, except in occasional instances the rude fences. During the j)rogress of the survey. I have endeavored to excite some interest in this subject among the supervisors of towns along the Boundary, particularly of those the corners of which could not be found, with a view to having measures taken to fix the various line intersections, so that they may be proi)erly marked, but with little success. The average town supervisor is apparently indifferent to the importance of such small matters. In most of the indefinite cases, the restoration of the town corners would not be difficult. In two or three instances, it would involve considerable work. Notably, that of the line between the towns of Owego and Nichols in Tioga county, New York. This is described in the Revised Statutes as a line drawn from the mouth of Owego creek south to the bounds of the county. It was run in 1824 in the vuig- netic meridian, which placed it considerably east of its j)roper loca- tion under a strict construction of the statutes. Its intersection with the State Boundary is now an unknown quantity, and I doubt if its location has been preserved, even by tradition, at other points. These 80 county and town line intersections should certainly be fixed and permanently marked, and this should be done at the same time that the other boundary monuments are placed. I think it quite desirable that some action should be taken by the Joint Commission to require the proper officers of the towns adjoining the Boundary to find and fix the intersections of these sub-bounda- ries, where they are not already known. MoisruMENTS. The character of the monuments and the points at which they should be placed may be left for an after-consideration. But it may not be here out of place to discuss the subject. The monuments placed upon the Boundary originally were tempo- rary affairs, and it is probable that the original Commission expected that they would soon be replaced by more permanent ones. That the first line run would be a temporary one seems to have been antici- pated by the Pennsylvania Legislature, in a resolution referred to at 40 [Assembly page 285, vol. I, Regents' Boundary Kepurt. But the line, as fixed at that time, seems to have been made a permanent boundary by legal en- actment and usage, and the tenijiorary monuments placed to mark it seem to have l)een left to take care of themselves. To ]'ej)lace these, monuments of a really permanent character and en- during matei'ial should be used. The new monuments should be en- tirely unlike any of the native rocks along the Boundary. Then their presence would signify something to the most casual observer. One danger to which many of the old monuments are exposed, and from which numbers of them have suffei-ed, is tire in the woods. Mar- ble or limestone would rapidly crumble away under its influence. Iron monuments, if made in the ordinary way, a thin shell of cast-iron, would warp and crack under the influence of fire. I have objected to the ordinary hollow iron monument as liable to damage by fire. We have, from an actual occurrence, seen another danger to which monuinents so easily iiandled are exposed, that of theft. They may be readily abstracted for malicious purposes — to de- stroy their evidence — or for mercenary purposes — broken up they would be fairly marketable for old metal.* The greatest objection to a solid iron monument of the proper size would be its great weight. 'J'he points at which many of the original stones were placed are so situated as to make -it difficult to use excessively heavy monuments. Still, a heavy post at one of these points would be very apt to stay when once properly placed in position. An objection to iron monu- ments, not a very serious one, however, might be raised by the average country surveyor, grounded upon the possible effects of the metal upon the workings of liis compass needle. My ])reference, however, is for granite monuments, similar in form, and set in the same manner as those used by the State Survey of New York. They would be less subject to serious injury by fire than any other stone which is usually used for such purposes. While heavy enough to answer all the requirements for permanent monuments, they are not so unwieldy as solid- iron monuments would be. Set in a. proper manner, there is no doubt that they will remain undisturbed. Even though the inscription should be defaced, the material would be a sufficient identification of the point. As to the points at which the monuments should be placed, I will simply repeat mv remarks at the conclusion of my Re]iort of Progress f or 1877:— "I have my doubts also of the necessity of keeping up ail the mile points with expensive monuments. As some of them are referred to in deeds and other conveyances affecting premises upon the Boundary, it would probably be requisite to replace the mile-stones, where neces- sary, with more permanent monuments of an inexpensive character. Most of the mile-stones which are referred to in 'deeds are among the number which have been moved or destroyed. •' But sim])ly viewing in the light of the permanent establishment of the Boundary as a line of jurisdiction, this would seem unnecessary. The greater proportion of the mile j)oints are in places practically in- accessible to the public, and cannot readily be found, except by per- sons. acquainted with their positions. * Several of the original monuments were taken away for building stone. No. lOO.J 41 "My opinion is very decided, that the larger and more prominent* monuments should be set at each road intersection along the line. These would be more readily accessible to the otticers of the law, and to everybody interested in knowing the exact position of the Boundary. They could easily be found when looked for, and the expense of erec- tion would be much less than would be entailed in placing them upon many of the present mile points. They could tlien be phiced under the direct care and respon.sibility of the highway officers of various towns along the Boundary.'' The distances between the mile-stones, also, are of such variable lengths, that it would seem a useless expense to permanently preserve the points. A system of sufficient reference points for each monument itoint should be adopted, so that the point can readily be identified. And when the geodetic surveys of the adjoining States shall iiave reached this Boundary, each of these monuments may be located with greater certainty. Maps. I have prepared, to accompany this report, a series of skeleton maps showing the position of the various monuments upon the Parallel Boundary, as they relate to their i)robable original position, and to the astronomical parallel of latitude 42 , as fixed by the observations taken in 1877 and 1879. When the Boundary shall have been finally settled, and the monu- ments placed, separate maps of the sections adjoining the various border counties in each State, showing the location of all the monu- ments, should be tiled in the clerk's offices of the respective counties, together with full and com})lete descriptions of each and every monu- ment, with references for their identification. A considerable amount of office work yet remains, at this date, in comi)utations and finishing preliminary maps, which are being steadily progressed toward completion. Repectfully submitted, H. W. CLARKE, Civil Engineer, Survey 01' on the part of Neiu York. Syracuse, 25 Feb., 1880. Note (page 24). — Since the date of the above Report, the final re- sults from the astronomical observations have been received, and the results given on pages 24-35 are deduced from these, and may be ac- cepted as final. H. W. CLARKE. Syracuse, 1 June, 1880. * In my Report of Progress for 1877 this word is erroneously printed " perma- nent." [Assem. Doc. No. 100.] 6 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 107 735 1 Erratum. In the report for 1877, page 51, 9th line, for "permanent " reail proininent.