To secure starting points from
which to run these lines, it was necessary to designate certain
meridians as Principal Meridians and certain parallels as Base Lines.
Method of Land Description.--The map indicates the location of
Principal Meridians and Base Lines in the States north of the Ohio
River. Starting, then, from any Principal Meridian, the tier of
townships directly east is called Range I; the other ranges are numbered
east and west of that meridian. Counting also from the Base Line, the
townships are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc., both north and south. It thus
becomes possible to locate precisely any particular township by a simple
description: e.g., township 5 north, Range VIII east of the first
Principal Meridian.
Since the eastern and western boundaries of townships are meridians,
they approach nearer to each other as they go farther north. Hence the
townships become less than six miles from east to west as the survey
proceeds northward from any base line. This necessitates the running of
standard parallel lines, or correction lines, at frequent intervals, to
be used as new base lines (Figure 1).
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