Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 06.pdf/318

 The Law of the Land. importance in rerunning old lines or in making surveys in relation to them. On surveys made years ago due allowance for this variation or declination must always be made to enable the surveyor to follow the original lines. In order to do this the sur veyor must turn the forward end of his compass to the right in those sections in which the variation is to the west, just so far as will compensate for the change or varia tion which has occurred in the time elapsing since the original survey. The variation varies much. It generally is one degree in thirty years, but oftentimes is much greater, or less, which is to be attributed to the differ ences in compasses, the defectiveness of many of the old instruments, and often to the care lessness and inaccuracy of the work upon the ground when first done, in days when the country was a wilderness and lands of little value. It is impossible to rerun a survey cor rectly without regarding this rule as to varia tion, as otherwise all lines would be different, and as often as surveyed there would be a new set of degrees to designate each line. This would be so although the tract of land surveyed would contain the same quantity of acres and would close on the beginning corner just as it would if correctly surveyed. This difference becomes material when the lines are of considerable length, amounting to about one rod in width at the end of every fifty-seven poles of a line for each de gree of error. The surveyor in running any north line of one mile in length, which had been originally run say ninety years ago, without making any allowance for the variation, which would be about three de grees, and running according to the degree of the old survey, would trespass upon the tract lying to the west to such extent as to cut off a wedge which would be nearly seventeen rods wide at the far end and con tain about seventeen acres. We are coming to our story. Look upon this diagram.

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This diagram represents a tract of land in southern Pennsylvania of between twentyfive and twenty-seven acres. The lines of the three sides were run many years ago. The corners were all well marked and estab lished. The tract was partly timber land. It was owned by a man by name of Fore. A Mrs. Reece agreed to purchase of Fore twenty-five acres of land and was given a deed for so many acres, three of the sides to be the three old surveyed sides as shown on diagram; the line of the fourth side was to be surveyed and marked. Fore meanwhile dies. His administrator takes a surveyor upon the ground and makes a survey. In doing so he obtains from the old papers all the lines except one,