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National Geographic : 1894 Nov
Contents
The first SuIrveyC of the District. later, namely, the 15th of April, 1791, as already mentioned, the corner stone at Jones point was laid with solemn masonic cere monial, in the presence of a large gathering of citizens, chiefly from Alexandria. The survey then proceeded, and in Septem ber following the commissioners decided upon the name which was to be given to this new Federal territory and the city to be created within it. They ordered that the title of the map pre pared by Major Ellicott should be "A map of the city of Wash ington, in the Territory of Columbia." Before this time the future city was referred to as the Federal city. How the boundaries of the District were run I do not know, but suppose that it was done with transit and chain. As the country was timbered, and as the boundary crossed the Potomac twice and the Eastern branch once, it will be seen that the task was not a perfectly simple one. It appears that the work of measuring and staking out the outline of the District was com pleted in 1791; that during the following year the line was cleared of timber to the width of 20 feet on each side; and that in this 40-foot lane through the woods stone mileposts were erected. These posts are two feet high and one foot square. They are marked on the District side, "JURISDICTION of the UNITED STATES," followed by an inscription showing the dis tances from that corner of the District from which they are num bered, such as "Miles 3 ," "Miles 6 & zo P.," etc; on the opposite side, "Maryland " (or ' VIRGINIA"); on the third side, the year '7792 " (except the Virginia stones, marked "1791 "); and on the fourth side, the variation of the compass. The stones are numbered from 1 to 9 on each line, from south to west, west to north, etc.* About ten years ago the Coast Survey executed a triangula tion for the purpose of determining the geographic positions of * Since the foregoing was written I have personally visited and inspected most of the boundary monuments of the original District of Columbia, set in 1791 and 1792. Though this inspection is still incomplete, it is deemed advisable to print here the following table, showing the condi tion of the monuments so far as inspected, and especially to print the variation of the compass recorded upon them. These variations are the earliest ones observed and recorded for the District of Columbia, and the only record of them known to me is upon these boundary monu ments. These monuments are of Aquia creek sandstone and were sawed out. Through abuse and exposure to the weather the inscriptions are becoming obscured, a few being already totally lost. 151
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