Since the historic voyage of Columbus, the science of map making has played a
leading role in the birth and development of America. Through the intervening
centuries, map information concerning this great country has grown with ever
increasing rapidity. More power to those first explorers and early pioneers who
crossed strange oceans, blazed new trails, discovered new lands, new mountains,
new rivers, new forests, and recorded their findings for the benefit of those to
follow. Map making in the olden days was like painting a masterpiece, a slow,
laborious, and highly specialized task requiring the utmost skill and patience.
Map making today has the speed of our modern streamlined methods, but it is still
a highly specialized occupation. Today, the finest maps, formerly the prized
possessions of the privileged few, can be had for the asking. Presto, and right
at their fingertips, modern motorists can have an information bureau on any road
they may wish to take. But how many of us ever stop to think what a tremendous
task it is to keep constant check on the millions of miles of roads in the United
States? The biggest catch in making roadmaps is keeping them
up to date. Modern map makers have solved this by developing a trick method of
printing. Revised maps can be put out every two weeks. By this method, maps can
have their faces lifted without fuss or feathers. Here's how it's done. Every
time a road is to be built or repaired, symbols showing its progress are
overprinted onto the latest edition of the regular roadmap. The map companies,
expert draftsmen, spend all their time checking road reports and drawing in
symbols indicating latest road conditions. These symbols are first drawn on
transparent sheets laid over the original master map from which all roadmaps of
that district are made. This particular symbol, for instance, shows that certain
roads are under construction, but that detours are provided. This symbol will be
drawn over every road that fits this classification
at the time the map goes to press.
But wait a minute. How does the draftsman know all this? It's a cinch he can't
walk every mile of every road in the United States. Well, somebody has to. Who is
this fellow with the seven league boots?
This work is done by fieldmen, road scouts who each year travel the equivalent of
many round trips to the moon. As a rule, these map detectives work in pairs. One
man driving the car as the other plots road changes on a special chart book.
Notations are carefully checked against special instruments to ensure complete
accuracy. Drawing a straight line in a moving automobile on a bumpy road is one
job that calls for a steady hand and a car that smoothly cooperates. These road
changes, when carefully drawn to scale in the graph books, are now ready for the
big leagues, the master detour maps in the drafting rooms. Here is another type
of symbol often found on up-to-date detour maps. This one indicates road under
construction but open to traffic. In other words, drive with care. Automobile
club scouts like these also run down valuable road clues.
These men often do two jobs at once. Besides gathering data for the latest detour
maps, they also check new findings against old United States Geological
Survey topographical sheets.
On these, they not only indicate the topography of the land, drawing in all
mountains, canyons, and rivers, but they also check official mileage figures from
point to point, comparing them with those already listed on the survey sheets.
Since many of these were drawn up from surveys made over 30 years ago, some roads
are found to be longer or shorter than their birth certificate shows.
Being a road scout is no soft snap. Driving around Death Valley in the summer
isn't found in the pink tea section of the book. But it's all in a day's work
as far as these boys are concerned.
Years spent in the wide open spaces have toughened them to take the worst
old man weather offers.
Just put on your sun goggles and take a peep at that thermometer.
It's only 115 degrees in the shade. What shade? Draw two,
Jake, for the boys in the back oasis.
Lucky thing their camel does need a drink though because
the water supply looks pretty slim.
One of the many things these auto club scouts keep tab on is the rise and fall of
elevation at certain points. Since the earth's surface is constantly changing,
like the crust of a baking pie, they often discover that what was low down on
earlier surveys is now on the up and up.
Elevations are recorded with an aneroid, a special
altimeter like those used on airplanes.
This aneroid is so sensitive to atmospheric pressure, it registers changes
of elevation in inches.
This reading is then checked against the altitude figure on
the geological survey benchmark.
These benchmarks found all over the United States list
elevations for each locality.
If the road scout's elevation is at outs with a benchmark reading, he makes a
notation of the difference and sends it to the geological
survey headquarters in Washington.
In the meantime, there are many more roads to be covered, so the boys better step
on it or they'll take a look at [... ] department and road construction companies
also do their stuff and giving much valuable information for keeping maps up to
date. This particular symbol, road closed to traffic means just what it says.
When you come up to bad news like that, there's only two things left to do, get a
tractor or turn back. Well, here comes someone now. Is he going to be
sore when he has to go around by pumpkinville? Hey, mister, turn
around. Next, next, you can't do that.
Oh, this gent's no tourist. He's the highway superintendent to
see how the new road's shaping up.
There are countless men throughout the country just like this highway official,
who in gathering data for their own use contribute much helpful
information to the makers of roadmaps.
This gradeometer, for example, registers the pitch of the
grade the car is resting on.
When recorded on the highway department survey map, this data will be sent to map
company draftsmen along with blueprints of the road being built. Yes, it's swell
teamwork on the part of everyone that gets speedy, accurate information for
modern roadmaps. Daily, these men sail into their jobs unmindful of grueling road
and weather conditions. Scenes like these multiplied thousands of times are
continually taking place throughout the length and breadth of America. Each man
adds his piece to the ever-growing and ever-changing jigsaw puzzle that makes up
a road map. Speed is essential, particularly in the case of detour maps. Speed in
getting the news on the map while it's still news.
Speed in revising it when the roads are again open to traffic.
When all this last-minute road information has been transposed to the overlay
sheet, the sheet is removed and placed in a special vacuum frame. A huge camera
then photographs the overlay onto a glass negative. This negative is
photographically transferred onto a sensitized zinc plate, which after having its
face washed in an acid solution, is ready to be inked and locked on the press.
This press swiftly overprints the detour symbols onto the
latest standard roadmaps.
These in turn are automatically cut and folded to the proper size,
ready to give folks a good steer.
Yes, map making has changed, has kept pace with a changing America. Modern maps
guide us over the modern roads of the land, over great super highways such as the
famous new Pennsylvania turnpike.
Modern maps taking today's motorists where they want to go, when they want to go,
quickly, comfortably, and safely.