Just finished a couple of observations on a somewhat remote section corner today. On my way back to the truck I came across an old chaining pin!?ÿ It Appears to be a bit longer and slightly lighter gauge than any I have ever used, but considering it??s location, it must have been out here for quite some time.?ÿ I restarted the survey and took a ??topo-shot?? at the found location. The section corner and 1/4 corner to the north are not intervisible by a long shot.?ÿ The found location turns out to be 108 feet west of ??line??.?ÿ My first thoughts were wondering if a crew had lost a pin, and may have had some issues with their distance??
?ÿ ?ÿIt was too far from the corner to have been associated with a reference monument, and there are no records of any accessories to this corner anyway.?ÿ I was pleased with the find. Another ??treasure?? to display in my office.
?ÿ
It looks like the "Twiggy" version of a chaining pin! Very cool find though.
Nice that you added the pic. Too many here have no mental visual of a chaining pin.
You will remember that forever I promise. 1994 i was taping down a line on a rural boundary and found a chain. At one end was a chaining pen the other was the axel called for. The chain was rusted up but my mentor took it and cleaned it up and such. Somehow as i moved from TN to CO i left it behind. I still have the pin but for the chain all i have is a memory. Great find.
Forgive me my friend, but, I simply must do this.
AXLE
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AXEL
@holy-cow I needed that . Degnabit. My wife would tell you to keep them coming. I will have to pay you for the lesson.
Trying to envision a surveyor sucessfully imitating the axel when finding that long sought-for monument.
@holy-cow I think i would throw a hip out or my back if I attempted that move. I use to do a very good monument shuffle though. You know those corner monuments that a few crews could not find and the boss keeps saying it is there I set it myself in 19xx . I always loved being sent to dig 3 ft down to find some monument no one else found.
monuments that a few crews could not find
In logging bench mark finds with NGS the best ones were those that had a previous Not Found but I did find. Usually those were USPSQD. Best of all was if it was an NGS NF. One was probably due to a confusing ToReach, as it was very visible on the culvert.
I did find some that weren't routine updates: a duplicate data sheet (2 PIDs on one disk), a 1 meter discrepancy on GPS coordinates on one mark (thanks @Loyal for helping get that sorted out), a RESET that was 1.00 foot off, a disk that NGS had copied the USGS data for a temporary point instead of that disk, and a set of three RESETs of no-PID disks with data sheets created from identical designations with PIDs in another county (elevations were then about 80 ft off). Stuff happens.
I haven't been bench mark hunting it too long. Maybe I'll get out now that the weather has improved.
Forgive me my friend, but, I simply must do this.
AXLE
.
.
.
AXEL
ax·el
20 years ago my wife typed something in Word, I was helping with the more technical aspects of Word. She was off somewhere so I ran spell checker, it found a MISTAKE OMG!!! Wives do not under any circumstances make mistakes. I saved it. She gets back, hey I ran spell checker but it’s fixed now. She would not believe me, you would think I accused her of having an affair with a football team, good god how could I even think she made a mistake and where is my proof?
It looks like a Kebab skewer, although I can't picture a cowboy having any in his bedroll.
Early surveying tools were all hand made. Ie, no cad, no machine shop.
In keeping with that idea, I can see someone living in a cabin. Going to the general store, 10 miles away, which is near the train station. At the general store, ordering a roll of wire, some 120 ft long. General store orders all kinds of stuff from "back east". It takes 2 wks for his order to get back east, via train. Finally, 6 wks after initial order is placed, roll of wire arrives at general store. Man goes to town, picks it up. Then, gets a log, or stump, whittles holes in it. Makes sticks from dry dogwood tree. Drives sticks into holes in log. Fashioning a jig, to make a surveyors chain. Carefully bending each link, and assembling his chain. When done, he makes his handle, and tags from a plate of brass.
When done, he makes chaining pins from leftover wire.
He makes his compass needle from another piece of wire. And, finally makes a box for his needle. In about a month..... He's a surveyor!
And you found one of his homemade pins.
Cool find!
N
I have seen the written words of one of the four men who surveyed the local county seat town that report a 25-foot stick and a grapevine were used for making all of the measurements required.
@holy-cow grapevine. I tried smoking one once with old hawken snuff that dad had hid in shed so mom could not find it. I probably turned many shades of green. I just wanted to be like the grown ups tobacco and cigars etc. We laughed about that stuff for years after. Of course at the time i was caught more than my stomach hurt. My rump was sore also for a spell.
