Thanks - And some more questions

[+cheerose]

Thanks for the inital replies everyone... I appreciated them.

 

Despite the threat of yucky weather, I decided to go out today and try to find my first BM. I think that I was successful... but, I've got some questions.

 

1) Is a standpipe another name for a ground-mounted water tank? One of the BMs listed was for a standpipe... but all that was in the area were two large water tanks. I think that they are one in the same.. but not sure.

 

1b) I got close to a "triangulation station" and 2 RMs at the same spot. However, there was a locked gate surrounding the area. Do you label this attempt at all...or just "skip it" and move on?

 

1c) With these BMs data sheets, there is a contact number to call to gain access. Have you ever had to call for access before?

 

2) I did find one BM - however, it was buried under a couple of feet. There was construction work in the area... and someone had put an orange and blue ribbon on/near the BM itself (and had marked the location on the road nearby). When looking at the RMs, everything seem to point towards this mark.. however, I did not measure to be sure. Count as a found?

 

2a) If you have the option, do you dig? If so... do you leave the BM exposed or cover it back up?

 

Thanks again - I'll probably have more Q's soon enough...

[+Black Dog Trackers]

1a) Standpipe = water tower. Weird term.

 

1b) Post a "note" (one of the 3 choices for benchmark reporting).

 

1c) We're amateurs. As such, we have no business behind a locked gate or asking someone to open it for us.

 

2a) On an other forum topic in the benchmark area, people were reaching an agreement that "if you can't see the mark to read it, you can't count it as a find". Part of the reason for this is that there are other agencies setting benchmarks that are not on the Geocaching database (yet).

 

2b) Again, we're amateurs, not surveyors, so we shouldn't be digging up benchmarks, even on 'public property'. The most I'd consider is removing an inch or less of stuff covering the mark for a picture.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

In the center of the tower a water connection was made to the tower,ie,standpipe, some of these were wells directly below the tower that supplied the People and the Railroads with water.

[+raouljan]

Is a "Standing Pipe"

 

These are usually empty. When used in fire fighting they supply a "built in" chunk of hose that goes up the side of a building. The FD hooks their hose to the bottom of the stand pipe and then connect a hose at the top of the pipe and do not have to run hose up the inside of the building to get to the fire.

 

>Personally Responsible for the Recovery of .00217% of the Benchmark Database!<--watch this number!

[survey tech]

Surveyors often use the word standpipe instead of calling it a water tower in order to emphasize the fact that the exact target is the central axis of the vertical pipe, not some other part of the tower.