I??m trying to interpret some old survey notebooks from 1900. The attached docs are from an improvement survey. I??m wondering what the large numerals mean and the numbers just above them.
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Could it be down line stationing with the large numbers being even 100' stations?
It is a route survey of a planned or existing road or railroad, drawn in a straight line up the page despite curves that may occur in the route.?ÿ
The notations of the form S 75?ø 43' E are bearings, probably magnetic compass readings, or possibly bearings relative to true north/south.?ÿ This example would mean that you would face south and then turn 75 degrees and 43 minutes toward the east, thus heading not quite east from this point.
I confess I can't reliably interpret the other numbers. It looks like stationing notation, but I don't think this could be in feet and decimals because it doesn't look like that careful a survey. The extra notation 4.00 x 66 suggests measurements in chains being converted to feet by a later user.?ÿ?ÿ if the distances between the big numbers are in chains then it could be 1/4 mile stations (20 chain increments) which I haven't seen before.
Note the poster is from Canada, but the section-township-range seems to fit the US.
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@tanadaear
My guess is based on the red pencil note on the lower right. In some areas the red note would be an office entry to clarify the field notes. The entry would indicate that 4.00 should be multiplied by 66 feet (the length of a chain) to get a distance in feet along the survey line. The large numbers indicate angle points in the line of survey. Direction of the first course (0.00 to 15.88) is SOUTH. Then "1" is the first angle point and the direction from "1" to "2" is S 75?ø43' E. The smaller numbers indicate distances in chains to topographic details. For example 10.89 chains (718.74 feet) along first course to beginning of partly cleared (slashed) area.?ÿ Numbers to the side would be offsets in chains to the sketch details, either left or right as shown by the sketch.?ÿ Second course 6.00 chains and 1.00 chains left to the irrigation ditch for example.
EDIT: Also agree with Bill the distance between angle points may be either 20 chains or last distance before the angle point.
I'm going with chains for distances since you can clearly see the notation, these surveys are not near each other, one in Section 27 the other in Section 19 of the same township. A north arrow would be pointing to the right for Pg 58 and to the left for Pg. 59. The surveyor is drawing the map and measuring as he picks up crossings. Each big number represents a set-up point. He is showing a traverse closure, looks like he hits his setup 0-1 by 16.05 feet. I will imagine that wasn't an attempted close, but simply the point his last line intersected with 0-1
I'll go along with the other guys saying the big numbers are the instrument setup points at whatever is the last distance below it from the previous one. He would do a new setup whenever the route turned to a different bearing, and that explains the values for the max distance in each leg being quite different from each other.
@mightymoe
I thought the 16.05 was not a closure in feet, but rather the distance in chains measured on the other traverse to this intersection point.
@bill93
TRS is used in Canada too. 6th meridian there is in British Columbia.
