Chimney as benchmark

[geosula]

First off, I'm brand new at this. I might have selected the wrong benchmark for my first.

 

The benchmark OC2084 is designated CLARKS HOUSE SOUTH CHIMNEY. The datasheet indicates it was monumented on an unknown date. The description history has this note...

 

OC2084''DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (EHK)

OC2084''THE HOUSE ON WHICH THE STATION IS LOCATED IS STILL OWNED BY

OC2084''MR. LORD WHO STATED THAT, TO HIS KNOWLEDGE, THE HOUSE AND THE

OC2084''CHIMNEY HAD NOT BEEN ALTERED IN THE LAST 60 YRS. THE STATION

OC2084''IS BELIEVED TO BE THE MOST SE OF THE CHIMNEYS ON THE HOUSE.

 

Questions:

Is it likely, as it seems to read, that the benchmark is the chimney itself?

Is this station "findable," if it was only "believed to be" a certain chimney on a house with more than one?

 

Thanks.

 

geosula

[Difficult Run]

Welcome to the benchmark hunting forum!

 

Yes! - The chimney is the benchmark, a good example of an intersection station.

Observations from other stations with known latitude and longitude were used to compute the lat/long of this mark using triangulation.

Other kinds of intersection stations are radio masts, church spires, water towers, etc.

 

You can read more about them here:

Intersection Stations

Benchmark Hunting FAQs

 

~ Mitch ~

[AZcachemeister]

Indeed the chimney is the mark.

This is what is known as an 'intersection station', which means (the chimney in this case) was sighted on by surveyors stationed at other locations. The location of the chimney was derived by triangulation from those known locations.

The co-ordinates for the chimney will be very accurate, so you could go there and see if there is indeed a chimney there. The problem is that if the chimney has been modified in any way, it might no longer be valid. This could be hard to determine without extensive research.

[+pgrig]

Hi Geosula--

 

Maine seems to be full of these chimney stations. Usually stations like this are quite old, and the referenced house has burned or been torn down. As others have said, even if you see a chimney, it can be hard to report a "found" w/o confirming that its the actual, original chimney.

 

You might want to take a stab at nearby OC2103. This one hasn't been reported to NGS in the last 34 years, making it a worthy quest, and has a couple of other interesting features.

 

It has a couple of reference mark disks in addition to the station disk. Also, an earlier station that it replaced had two other reference marks that previously visitors reported not being able to find. Intriguing.

 

You will probably need to ask permission to hunt from the house just to the west of the mark (on whose property the mark is likely set), but this is par for the course. It's also possible that the marks in concrete-filled pipes that were at or above the surface of the ground when they were set are now underneath dirt/leaves/etc. On the other hand, the referenced witness posts may (or may not) make your job easier.

 

Another oddity: apparently a geocacher bought the property on which the mark is located in 2007 and filed a GC.com "Found" on it (without finding its reference marks) and then moved away. Never seen that before!

 

If you're successful, let me know. I've got several trips to ME to make in connection with my WW2 coast defense installation survey, and you folks have some nice unrecovered WW2 stations nearby.

 

Welcome!

-Paul

[+Black Dog Trackers]

I see it!

[Okie'sKid]

OC2103 could also be posted to the NGS Typos thread

[geosula]

Thank you all very much! Got what I was hoping for and much more!

[Z15]

fwiw............