other private claim; (e), By irregular tracts or strips of land bounded on a lake or river and surveyed under special instructions of the land department. $143. Formed by draftsmen in office.-The subdivision of the various fractional sections designated in the preceding section, except (e), is performed by the draftsmen in the office to which reports and notes are sent, and not by the surveyor who did the field work. In so subdividing, forming and numbering the lots, the officials are required to use their best skill and judgment to "arrange the lots in the most convenient. and equitable form for both the purchaser and the government." The idea is to divide the shore line along a navigable stream or lake so as to give as many lots with a substantial water frontage as the situation will admit. § 144. Rules for subdividing fractional sections. As an aid to the officials who do the subdividing work the government has laid down the following rules: (a), Avoid needlessly small subdivisions; (b), Avoid giving to lots a long shore line with small width; (c), Apportion the privilege of water front among as many lots as regular division limits will permit; (d), Let the longer direction extend back from the shore rather than along the water; (e), Instead of making as many full forty acre tracts as possible, leaving small fractions of a few acres along the shore or other boundary, attach such marginal strips to the forties, making tracts of forty-five, fifty, to fifty-five acres: (f), But if a fractional lot would equal or exceed sixty acres it should be divided; (g), No lot should be partly in two sections.* § 145. Boundaries of fractional lots.-As to the designa Manual (1902) 230. 4 Manual (1902) 231-2. tion of the different tracts it is the rule that: (a), lots should be laid down, if possible, so as to give each lot a specified "word description," according to its relative position in the fractional section. Or (b) by a number, in all cases where the lot can not properly be designated as a quarter-quarter. (c), Fractional lots, not susceptible of being described according to relative local position should be numbered in a regular series. Fig. 19. Note therein the numbering of the lots under different conditions. The reader will specially note that there are two lots on Ivy Island. Lot 4 thereon is a part of section. 18, and Lot I thereon is a part of section 19. Lot 5 of sec tion 18, covers the entire Diamond Rock Island. It will be noted the south boundary of section 18 runs through Ivy Island. Hence there must be more than one lot on that island under the rules above." § 146. Townsites. In the event the government surveyors come across a townsite or city located on a body of water, the lots should comprise no part of the townsite or city but should be bounded by the exteriors of the city or townsite. The areas of such lots, excluding the city or townsite, properly numbered, should be given. Fig. 19. Observe the townsite on said figure. It is in section 18. There are three lots, viz., I, 2 and 3. No part of these lots is in the townsite. § 147. Islands.-Where islands are found in a lake and surveyed, they should be tied to the most convenient meander corner. The lot, or lots, of such islands should be numbered consecutively with the other lots of the section in which such island may be situated. Fig. 19. If in more than one section the part in each section should be so numbered as to that section. By referring to that figure it will be noted that Diamond Rock Island is tied to the meander corner at N. W. corner of Lot 2 in section 19. Also that Ivy Island is tied to the meander corner at the southwest corner of Lot 3 in section 17. Note also the two lots on Ivy Island. § 148. Lots in section in north boundary of township.The lots in a section of the north tier of a township should be numbered consecutively from east to west in each section. Fig. 20. Observe that lot I is situated in the northeast corner of the section and the numbers are consecutive to number 4 in the northwest corner of the section." Manual (1902) 233. § 149. Lots in sections in west boundary of township.The lots in sections in west boundary of a township should be numbered progressively from north to south. Fig. 21. Note that the lots are numbered from north to south and that number 1 is in the northwest corner of section and that number 4 is in the southwest corner of section." § 150. Lots in section six.-Owing to, the position of lots in section six a different rule, in a way, prevails, though it will be seen to be a combination of the rules for numbering the "Manual (1902) 233. lots in sections on both the north and west boundaries of a township. In such cases the lots are numbered progressively from the northeast corner to the southwest corner thereof. Lot I will be found in northeast corner and lot 7 in southwest corner of the section. Fig. 22. In all such sections the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter will contain forty acres in area." *Manual (1902) 233. |