Z15

Keep in mind with government agencies, they are controlled by budgets and time lines. When the money runs out or the fiscal year expires, the work often stops, people retire, change jobs and new blood comes in and they do things differently. I know projects I worked on a the DOT got thrown in the trash when new management took over. Different priorities (often the result of elections), surveyors reassigned to different managers who assign the work and who have their own idea how to run things.

Not found does not always mean it was looked for. Sometimes the term NOT FOUND was interpreted to mean they really did not look because they determined they did not need it or use it for the project. Got reported as not found because it was not used and therefore not looked for, not found.

Fyi http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/Products.asp?mi=59221&title=Forestry+Suppliers%92+Topo+Aid&itemnum=45675 Quickly determines longitude and latitude of any point on USGS 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Maps. Accurate to the nearest second on 7.5-minute maps and 5 seconds on 15-minute maps.

Unless is was in the NGS data base the likely-hood of finding where it came from is slim. USGS did not computerize survey mark records, they are stored in paper files by area, the station name will not help. They need a geographic area (latitude & longitude) to look for records and it has to be narrowed done to a small area because the only way to find it is to read the records line by line. Something like a GPS location is needed. Wikipedia list a few areas with the name, several fit the areas he was in. United States Preston, Connecticut Preston, Georgia Preston, Idaho Preston, Indiana Preston, Iowa Preston, Kansas Preston, Kentucky Preston, Maryland Preston, Minnesota Preston, Mississippi Preston, Missouri Preston, Nebraska Preston, Nevada Preston, New York Preston, North Carolina Preston, Oklahoma Preston, Texas Preston, Washington Preston, West Virginia Preston County, West Virginia Preston, Adams County, Wisconsin, a town Preston, Grant County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Preston, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, a town

It means he laid out some reference points (nails, wood stakes etc) so he could replace back in the same spot. There are many ways it could be done but typically when possible one would place 2 or more points in a straight line far enough away so they won't be disturbed and measure the distances between them or set them at exact distances. Could also use a string line and plumb bob, chalk lines on pavement etc. X<---------------->o<-------->X X------------------X<-------->o X - temp ref points o - corner to be replaced <-----> - measured distance

They could have even scaled it off a map just to have a general location. Its purposely vague maybe because the info was not provided by the field party. No rules that I am aware of, just experience. Often time rules are not followed anyway.

IMO the mileage is not precise enough to convert it to feet, its a approximate. Since it not stated in the description, where the mileage was taken from is unknown. It could be from anywhere on the bridge, if they would have measured it I think they would have stated where from. IMO

Is it really a bridge or just a culvert of some type? They don't normally build temp bridges, cheaper to detour. There has to be some engineering on the structure and those are the poeple to talk to.

Here they closed an ATV trail which is just a 2-track trail thru the nat'l Forest from one highway to another. It does have a sign telling you is USFS land and there always was a gate to keep out traffic in early spring and late fall during wet weather so as not to rip up the trail.

Here's a pic .....

You can tell the mark was not set properly. Its supposed to be much deeper in the ground but I suppose at the time the workers figured no one will ever know we only dug the hole 2 ft deep (instead of 5). If its in an area prone to frost that could cause the mark to become unstable, even push it out of the ground and then its easily disturbed. Seen a few set this shallow before.

The Survey section at the DOT have been decimated in recent years. 95% of thier work force is seasonal, college engineering interns or reassignments. The mindset supervising the constructon work is only concerned with building the road and moving on. There are some at the management level who feel that these survey marks are not a priority but a waste of manhours/$$$ as does most of the public. Lots of the survey preservation work has been contracted out and its at the mercy of the contractors (road construction co's and engineering consultants) who mostly have the same mindset. Project is done, we got paid and now don't need you anymore so, you are laid off.

I can't find any informaton on the http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/9692/Default.aspx web site

Help us a little, what is on the disk, both cast into and stamped. What agency? If U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY then 90% of those marks are not in the database.

Sometimes a RESET is established simply because the original is deteriorating, in a vulnerable location, not accessible (buried, private etc) or planned construction, new road, bridge etc may disturb/destroy the mark. In my days as Survey Tech at state DOT I reset / moved many BM's. Sometimes the NGS state advisor would ask us to go move one for whatever reason he deemed necessary. I know of several that I reset as well as what NGS reset that the original is still in place because the risk to losing the mark never came to pass. Often times with road /bridge construction, the decision to RESET a mark has to be made well in advance (a year or more) and sometimes plans change and the original mark survives. Also, on a few occassions we RESET a BM solely to transfer an elevation over so we could use the new RESET mark for GPS control because we needed a first order elevation to constrain the project adjustment. The original was not able to be occupied by GPS. In a building or blocked sky. That was before OPUS and CORS.

They probably are just temporary work points that ceased to have any revelance once the corner position was established. I bet the mark that is there now is not the same on from 1950 and that would explain why its 6-inche above ground. Is the date on the cap 1950?

The Captains career is done for. Nothing worse the that kind of accidents on his record, he will leave in shame.

I think it might have something to do with airports?

Can't access the pic either. But concrete triangular shaped post were used years ago on federal aide projects (Money from Uncle Sam was used and the post and plaque on it paid trubute to US Sam, commonly referred to as eye food) to identify the start of a project. Now, I have seen them mainly on roads. Its been 50 yrs since they used them on road projects though. Something like this

You are using the Beta test site, go to the official site----> National Geodetic Survey Data Explorer

Most of the horizontal marks (tri sta's) were set in areas where they could see other points so that often meant the highest ground. Even then they had to build towers to see over the local trees etc. You have to realize they were mapping the land and placed marks where they provided the most accurate information.

...so he destroyed the mark after 150 years just so he can brag about it? A surveyor never removes any mark until he has documented its position. They replace them with more permanant corner.

Reminds me of one square concrete mark we found once. You could see it from the road, sticking up above the ground about 6-inches or so. So we proceeded to get some reference measurements. I took the end of the tape to the c/l of the highway while the intern went to the mark, he knelt down and was going to use the mark to pull the tape tight (was very windy day and cloth tape was wipping around) and higher than road. As he leaned on the mark to brace himself, it tipped over. The intern was new to the job and this was the first BM he had ever seen. I asked him what he did and he said, I broke it and he had this look of worry on his face. I had just got done explaining the importance of these marks to our highway surveys. Someone had placed it back on top of the broken piece and packed the dirt around it. Apparently some time (probably years) has passed because the ground had not given any indication of any recent disturbance. There was a house nearby (100+ ft) and the mark was possibly hit in the winter while plowing his drive. The post is still out behind my garage.....

That's why I asked - the first time i read it i didn't get that impression but the second and third time .... that's when i thought of y'all and knew you wouldn't lead me astray. Its good to ask. Sometimes these older desciptions cause people with experience to question what it is they were trying to convey.