Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In spite of the difficulties in finding original monuments, a surveyor has a duty
to ensure that the monument being sought is found or, alternatively, to make a
determination that the monument is actually missing or disturbed. Merely walk-
ing to the presumed location of a monument and “looking around” is not good
enough. The process of finding monuments can be very time consuming and labor
intensive and this translates into expense. Surveyors, when estimating the cost of a
survey, need to take this into account and inform their client of the importance of
finding monuments, even if the survey ends up costing more.
In spite of the difficulties in finding original monuments, a surveyor has a
duty to ensure that the monument being sought is found or, alternatively, to
make a determination that the monument is actually missing or disturbed.
Ethically, there is no excuse for not exhausting every avenue in finding original
monuments. Even when there is evidence, or reason to believe that a monument
may have been destroyed, it is the surveyor's responsibility to make a determina-
tion as to whether or not the monument is still in existence. Many people would
be surprised to learn how many old markers can be recovered if you know how
and where to look and if you are persistent. In order to be successful at finding old
monuments, a surveyor only needs a few essential tools. Chief among these are
determination, perseverance and a good shovel. A few examples from the author's
experience may help to illustrate the point.
In one case, a deed called for a stone wall. However, the area where the wall was
supposed to be located was a large lawn. The property owner of 30 years could not
remember ever seeing a wall. A probe was used in the area where the wall should
have been and it became apparent that there appeared to be a line of stones just
below the surface. A small backhoe was hired and the area carefully excavated.
Figure
11.10
shows the wall base clearly visible below the surface of the ground.
Figure
11.11
shows the base of a stone bound found after a coastal hurricane. The
bound was located on a beach, a hundred feet or so from the ocean. It was likely bro-
ken off through the negligence of a heavy equipment operator clearing debris from
the road running along the beach after the hurricane. The base was found almost
two feet below the surface. Looking closely at the monument a coloration showing
the depth of burial is just visible. To an inexperienced observer viewing the mon-
ument lying on the ground, it might seem that the bound was simply tipped over
and not broken off. However, to an experienced observer, the length of the buried
area, as measured from the discoloration, is far too short to have supported such a
tall monument. The length above the discoloration was about 5 feet. The base of the
monument would have had to extend at least four feet below the surface in order for
the bound to have survived the 200 years that it did, particularly in such a severe
environment at the edge of the ocean where it was subject to flooding and debris
from hurricanes. Although not apparent in the image, the broken face also showed
signs of being newly broken. Excavation revealed the base at its original location.
