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Visit to the Ordnance Survey Office at Southampton
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VISIT TO THE ORDNANCE SURVEY OFFICE AT SOUTHAMPTON. FRIDAY, JULY 16TH, 1909.
.Director: PROF. W. W. WATTS, Sc.D., F.R.S., President. (R~/Jcrt
by THE DIRECTOR.)
ABOUT fifteen members of the Association travelled to Southampton, where the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey, Colonel S. C. Grant, R.E., C.M.G., had most kindly made arrangements for the members to be shown over the Survey Offices. What was left of the morning was devoted to the town and docks, and at 2 o'clock the party assembled at the Survey Office. After inspecting examples of the various classes of finished work issued from the office, exhibited in the reception-room, the party was taken in charge by one of the staff, who first of all showed the process of printing direct on to prepared zinc plates from paper copies finished in ink or from printed copies. This gave a negative on the zinc, which required a difrerent process of development from that necessary in plates printed from glass negatives, the next process shown. Copies were taken by both processes, and the plates developed in the presence of the party. The huge cameras, with their splendid lenses, were next inspected. There were dark rooms, inside which adjustments could be made, the exposure being afterwards made from the outside. The adjustments for securing exact magnification or reduction were most ingenious. 'So much as was possible of the sensitising, developing, washing, and etching of glass and zinc plates was shown to the party, who were much interested also in the preparation of the surface of the zinc plates by oscillating them in water in contact with glass marbles, which rapidly took on cuboidal or hexagonal forms. The application of various types of stipple to the maps was exhibited and explained, as well as the preparation of special maps, by addition or elimination of details, for checking work in the field. Although most of the maps are now produced by photomechanical methods on zinc, the older engraving on copper is still carried on for special purposes, and the party were much interested to see the work in progress. Equally interesting was the electrotyping, by which copies of the original can be made for printing from, so as to save the
VISIT TO ORD!\'ANCE SURVEY OFFICE AT SOUTHAMPTON.
367
original plates and to maintain an e,'en stancb rd in the resulting printed copies. The printing copies are further armoured \lith a film of iron, so that they gi"e a larger number of sharp copies than can be got from the softer copj1c'r direct, Electrotype moulds of the original engran'd pbtes are carefull v taken and kept for the purpose of introducing corrections 'rheil neCt',;sary, All the lines on these moulds being in relit'f. correction is a mucb simpler matter than on the original engraH'd plate, on \rhidl tIlt' lines are sun k. The arrangements for storage of negatin's and originals, and the methods adopted for seasoning paper. ,,'ere 'rell "orth ;;<:'eing, because they showed much ingenuity and e;;pecial care in dealing with the expansion or shrinkage of the paper. The l1]('th(lc1> adopted were generally simple hut extraordinarily efj",ctive, Both plain printing and ,'arious stages of ('olour-printing were exhibited, one of the new drift maps of the Geological Survey being passed through the press at the time of the "l";;ociation's visit. Of the hand processes, one of the most interesting to the party was the colouring of the old series of I -inch geological maps. with which we have so long been familiar. These an' heing steadily replaced by the new series of colour-printed maps, But it came as a great shock to the members that the price of the hand-coloured maps was, from the day of our visit, to be considerabl y raised, so as to cO\'er the cost of their production. or. rather, of their printing, colouring, and sale. The cost of these maps, for which there neither is now, nor can be, any substitute for many years, will henceforth he practically prohibitive to the private indiYidual and for educational purposes, and only wealthy institutions or litigants \yill he able in future to purchase them, This really me:ms that all the suryeying work put into the making of these maps. costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and occupying a large staff of geological surveyors for over fifty years, is nOlI' inaccessible to the public. which has paid this large sum for them in taxes. It should bt, clearly understood that there is no intention or pos;;ibility of recovering any part of this expenditure from the sale of the maps, All that is sought is to recoup the actual cost of printing and colouring the copies of the maps that are sold, when all the cost of surveying and making them has been paid by the public, The public ought to haye cheap a('cess to the results of its expenditure, even if some slight additional loss. a mere bagate]]e to the total capital expenditure, is incurred oyer the sale, To raise the price in order to amid a slight loss in distribution i,s like spending a million and a half on a "Dreadnought." and then saving a few pounds on engine oil by not sending it to sea; or like erecting a system of lighthouses on a cmst, and tben not lighting them in order to sa\'e the gas which they would burn,
EXCURSION TO NORTH WALES. The survey of the mineral wealth of this country is a great national undertaking, which has repaid its cost to the taxpayer over and over again. Facts have been recorded, a knowledge of which is vital to those concerned in the exploitation of this mineral wealth, to those dependent upon them, and to those advising them. Those who have by taxation paid the cost of this stock-taking, those who have willingly given assistance in the collection of facts, the institutions which are training those who will make use of the ~ollected facts for further exploitation of the resources, have a right to ask that this information shall not be denied to them in order that a Treasury may make a trifling bookseller' B profit or save an utter!y insignificant loss. At the close of the visit, which gave very much pleasure and instruction to the party, a very hearty vote of thanks was passed to the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey and to the various gentlemen who had placed their services so unreservedly at our disposal for the afternoon.
EXCURSION TO KORTH WALES. JULY 28TH TO AUGUST 7TH (LONG EXCURSION), 1909.
Director .. W. G. FEARNSIDES, M.A., F.G.S. Excursion Secretary .. E. MONTAG. (Report by THE DIRECTOR.)
THE party, numbering 50 in all, assembled at Bala on Wednesday, July 28th, the headquarters being at the Plasgoch Hotel. T lzursday, Juty 29tlt.-The first day's excursion was arranged for the purpose of studying the stratigraphy of the Upper Cambrian rocks· of the Arenig district, and of obtaining a general idea of the topography of the western slopes of Arenig Mawr. Leaving Bala at 9.30, we took train to Cwm Prysor Station, situate on the shores of Llyn Tryweryn, in the midst of one of the finest grouse moors of the country. Walking along the northern shores of the lake, we noted the characteristic openness of the mature valley up which we had come, and were almost surprised by the sudden change of scenery, as we looked over the windgay, some 200 yards beyond its head. Looking westward, across the cwm-like head of the capturing, west-flowing Afon Prysor, we noted the unrejuvenated heads of east-flowing tributaries of that river, which are still at grade with the thalweg of the Tryweryn. The topographic features of this district are of a type similar to those of the High Cup Nick district at the head of Teesdale, and are
VISIT TO THE ORDNANCE SURVEY OFFICE AT SOUTHAMPTON. FRIDAY, JULY 16TH, 1909.
.Director: PROF. W. W. WATTS, Sc.D., F.R.S., President. (R~/Jcrt
by THE DIRECTOR.)
ABOUT fifteen members of the Association travelled to Southampton, where the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey, Colonel S. C. Grant, R.E., C.M.G., had most kindly made arrangements for the members to be shown over the Survey Offices. What was left of the morning was devoted to the town and docks, and at 2 o'clock the party assembled at the Survey Office. After inspecting examples of the various classes of finished work issued from the office, exhibited in the reception-room, the party was taken in charge by one of the staff, who first of all showed the process of printing direct on to prepared zinc plates from paper copies finished in ink or from printed copies. This gave a negative on the zinc, which required a difrerent process of development from that necessary in plates printed from glass negatives, the next process shown. Copies were taken by both processes, and the plates developed in the presence of the party. The huge cameras, with their splendid lenses, were next inspected. There were dark rooms, inside which adjustments could be made, the exposure being afterwards made from the outside. The adjustments for securing exact magnification or reduction were most ingenious. 'So much as was possible of the sensitising, developing, washing, and etching of glass and zinc plates was shown to the party, who were much interested also in the preparation of the surface of the zinc plates by oscillating them in water in contact with glass marbles, which rapidly took on cuboidal or hexagonal forms. The application of various types of stipple to the maps was exhibited and explained, as well as the preparation of special maps, by addition or elimination of details, for checking work in the field. Although most of the maps are now produced by photomechanical methods on zinc, the older engraving on copper is still carried on for special purposes, and the party were much interested to see the work in progress. Equally interesting was the electrotyping, by which copies of the original can be made for printing from, so as to save the
VISIT TO ORD!\'ANCE SURVEY OFFICE AT SOUTHAMPTON.
367
original plates and to maintain an e,'en stancb rd in the resulting printed copies. The printing copies are further armoured \lith a film of iron, so that they gi"e a larger number of sharp copies than can be got from the softer copj1c'r direct, Electrotype moulds of the original engran'd pbtes are carefull v taken and kept for the purpose of introducing corrections 'rheil neCt',;sary, All the lines on these moulds being in relit'f. correction is a mucb simpler matter than on the original engraH'd plate, on \rhidl tIlt' lines are sun k. The arrangements for storage of negatin's and originals, and the methods adopted for seasoning paper. ,,'ere 'rell "orth ;;<:'eing, because they showed much ingenuity and e;;pecial care in dealing with the expansion or shrinkage of the paper. The l1]('th(lc1> adopted were generally simple hut extraordinarily efj",ctive, Both plain printing and ,'arious stages of ('olour-printing were exhibited, one of the new drift maps of the Geological Survey being passed through the press at the time of the "l";;ociation's visit. Of the hand processes, one of the most interesting to the party was the colouring of the old series of I -inch geological maps. with which we have so long been familiar. These an' heing steadily replaced by the new series of colour-printed maps, But it came as a great shock to the members that the price of the hand-coloured maps was, from the day of our visit, to be considerabl y raised, so as to cO\'er the cost of their production. or. rather, of their printing, colouring, and sale. The cost of these maps, for which there neither is now, nor can be, any substitute for many years, will henceforth he practically prohibitive to the private indiYidual and for educational purposes, and only wealthy institutions or litigants \yill he able in future to purchase them, This really me:ms that all the suryeying work put into the making of these maps. costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and occupying a large staff of geological surveyors for over fifty years, is nOlI' inaccessible to the public. which has paid this large sum for them in taxes. It should bt, clearly understood that there is no intention or pos;;ibility of recovering any part of this expenditure from the sale of the maps, All that is sought is to recoup the actual cost of printing and colouring the copies of the maps that are sold, when all the cost of surveying and making them has been paid by the public, The public ought to haye cheap a('cess to the results of its expenditure, even if some slight additional loss. a mere bagate]]e to the total capital expenditure, is incurred oyer the sale, To raise the price in order to amid a slight loss in distribution i,s like spending a million and a half on a "Dreadnought." and then saving a few pounds on engine oil by not sending it to sea; or like erecting a system of lighthouses on a cmst, and tben not lighting them in order to sa\'e the gas which they would burn,
EXCURSION TO NORTH WALES. The survey of the mineral wealth of this country is a great national undertaking, which has repaid its cost to the taxpayer over and over again. Facts have been recorded, a knowledge of which is vital to those concerned in the exploitation of this mineral wealth, to those dependent upon them, and to those advising them. Those who have by taxation paid the cost of this stock-taking, those who have willingly given assistance in the collection of facts, the institutions which are training those who will make use of the ~ollected facts for further exploitation of the resources, have a right to ask that this information shall not be denied to them in order that a Treasury may make a trifling bookseller' B profit or save an utter!y insignificant loss. At the close of the visit, which gave very much pleasure and instruction to the party, a very hearty vote of thanks was passed to the Director-General of the Ordnance Survey and to the various gentlemen who had placed their services so unreservedly at our disposal for the afternoon.
EXCURSION TO KORTH WALES. JULY 28TH TO AUGUST 7TH (LONG EXCURSION), 1909.
Director .. W. G. FEARNSIDES, M.A., F.G.S. Excursion Secretary .. E. MONTAG. (Report by THE DIRECTOR.)
THE party, numbering 50 in all, assembled at Bala on Wednesday, July 28th, the headquarters being at the Plasgoch Hotel. T lzursday, Juty 29tlt.-The first day's excursion was arranged for the purpose of studying the stratigraphy of the Upper Cambrian rocks· of the Arenig district, and of obtaining a general idea of the topography of the western slopes of Arenig Mawr. Leaving Bala at 9.30, we took train to Cwm Prysor Station, situate on the shores of Llyn Tryweryn, in the midst of one of the finest grouse moors of the country. Walking along the northern shores of the lake, we noted the characteristic openness of the mature valley up which we had come, and were almost surprised by the sudden change of scenery, as we looked over the windgay, some 200 yards beyond its head. Looking westward, across the cwm-like head of the capturing, west-flowing Afon Prysor, we noted the unrejuvenated heads of east-flowing tributaries of that river, which are still at grade with the thalweg of the Tryweryn. The topographic features of this district are of a type similar to those of the High Cup Nick district at the head of Teesdale, and are