Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1877 — Don’t Destroy Evidences of Surveys. [ARTICLE]

Don’t Destroy Evidences of Surveys.

A great many persons are very careless about preserving evidences of surveys, who would be more fateful if they- only knew the important part that ovary mound, stake, witness or ' line tree plays in the location *f corners of lunus in the vicinity. We know of many instances of persons cutting down trees which they knew to be evidences of surveys, the loss of which evidence would cause the loss of a corner, and, perhaps the next surveying party several hours of extra trouble, and if the surveyor did not locate the corner in exactly the place it was before, or where it was thought to have been, the whole abuse would be heaped upon his devoted head, and he would be cussed and denounced as incompetent. There is perhaps not a class of persons who uie found fault with more tlmu surveyors; and it may seem strange to many that surveyors cannot. always arrive at the same point, arid that they so frequently change corners, when the fault is notso much with them as it is with the owners of the lands. The fact is, the surveyors of Jasper county have generally been competent, but still they are abused if they don’t place the corners to suit Dick, Tom and Harry’s each and several ideas as to where they ought to be, and that, too, where tin.re is the poorest kind of evidence to govern any one iu finding where they should be. *

A great deal of trouble and extra work may be avoided by every farmer taking heme with him the advice contained in the heading of this article. Indeed, great care should be taken to heed it The writer knows of an instance in Jaspe.i county, where one of the best of surveyors located a road three and a half miles in length some twenty years ago, upou which there has since been about $i()0(J worth of work done.—Three years ago it became necessary to find some corners along this road, wliqn, by the best evidence attainable at that time, it was found that the line upon which the road was located should be from three to fifteen rods from where it was aci tnaliy worked. As usual the second j surveyor was condemned for not | knowing h s business when a third J survey was ordered which ’confirmed No. 2. Tho probability is that the first survey was correct at the time, but some one had carelessly cut down two witness or bearing trees along the line, find there being no evidence as to when.’ they were originally, the second surveying party had td look | for further evidence which, when i found, forced a change of the whole j road. There are ateoies of instances of changes of roads arid Valuable "improvements w hich might, have been averted had the ovrnors and tenants

i of lands been more careful.

M.