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FEI:En.AL t.T03.YS .AGEI~CY
VtORIC PP.OJEC'.i:S AD:il F ISTRA'.:- IO::T
For Rel ease to Morning }:ewspa1:ers
7hurscL::c;i' , A1,r~.l 17, 1941
I .
ARMY GET'.!:Iim 1;zw MILITARY ~¼PS T:rffi.OUGH WPA PROJECT
t he
To:90 6 raphic maps of some of the r:1ost
c oastal and bord.e r defense plans of the United Sta t fls a re now be inc;
r evised for tnctic:il uses by l·JPA workers 11.nder the S'.';'.lervision of
t he Ar :w~r Corps of Eng ineers , Eowa.rd. 0 ~ ~unter , Acting Co;r, 1nis s ioner
of Work Pr ojects , s .'.'l. ~.cl to cl2)- .
Covcri211:: ,'.",n area 8.{;gre{;o,ti ng •we r
200 , 000 sg_uc·. i·c :ni~.es ::.i.J. m1-'; the :2::,,_ste rn Se.,'board , t he Gre ~1.t :r.,oJ:es
States , the Ik:~i -::;:i,n bo1·r·ter E-nc':. the ifost Coast , the m'.:l.11s vrill show
no.turf\l pnrl a:;:t:i.:;:'j_cinl fee.tu.res r.:,f the lamlscc-,pe on
2.
scale of a:,o;>roxi-
ma t ely one inch to the ~ilo .
Onl~r a sr,nll ,Jart of t11e countr;r is nd.equt·,tel;' m:,rr,oc'L for
mil i t a r;:r pur~ooses a t :pr esen t , Army officials de clnro .
In time of ;m r ,
they point cut, up-to- date mn:ps sl:owing contours of tho lc,nd ::.nd tho
l ocntion o f roc:.d.s , bridges , c,:,.nn,ls , r ni lro.'.'.-d s end. eve n houses ~1.re r.n
absoh1_to nccessi ty .
This is :no.rticu lc:,r l:r true , tho~r n.Lld , in tho
c ontrol of artillery fire nnd the d ispos ition of tro ops .
The mnjority
of m.:o:ps 2.vo.il,':'..blo toch:.y o,re s,~i cl to be in~.d.oqu::. t 0 for this :'.-•ur:po se .
T:1.irty- t,,10 mili t o.ry mnl)"'.) ing :9rojocts n:co currently o:pora tin 6 ,
Mr . Hun t e r sni-:i , and. :il[',ns for 2.c.d.ition:.-i,l :pr ojec ts :::.re.; Doing m2.dc by
t he Corps of Engine ors .
Approximn toly 1 , 000 cc-;rtor;r:::.p:.1 crs , d.r;:i.ftsmon
and clerks d r mm from WPA rolJ.s [~re l'!.lre ;-,,iiy or,,ployoc~. niid. tho nurnoor
mny be e:x.7..JecteC:. to ir.crc2-so as n.dcli tionD,l ~or ojects o,ro o.~•'.l rovod .
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The pi·ojects now operating re:;_)resent 2..n outlay of $2,530,204 . in WPA
funcls plus $659 , 640 provi d.ed. oy the Army as official s:pons or •
All
mili t2.ry mapping projects conducted. by i~TA have been certified. by
the Secr e tary of War as i mportant to the defense :program .
"Maps are an i tern of military supply which in man.y cases
may assu.i-:ie rm imp ortn.nce eq_ui valent to the supply of ammu;1i tion and
other necessities of combat , 11 a spokesm:1n for tho Corps of Ene:;ineers
11 A
declares .
knowledge of tho chc:.racteristic s of the terrain i:1
essential to the int olli g,mt conduct of mili t:,. ry operations .
Fre-
quontly tho only '1.V,'.).iln.blo moo.ns of obtn.ining t1'1is info:cm'1.tion is
through tho ri1Gdium of maps .
11 Throucll
gab.s in
tho r e sources of the l·.'PA we ~ro m::1.king im:port nnt
supp lying the deficiency
o~ rettions .
in maps sui tn.blo for mili tar~,
We hope to be c1,blo to oxtond this highly important work
to other sections of tho country in tho no.::,r futuro .
11
The WPA mili t.'.1.!'y map1)ing project includes the pr ep[l.:t2.tion
of t ac tical , s trt, te gi c o.nd fire control ml1.:ps ; harbor defense survo:;s ;
conversion of coordino,tos to t he rnili to.r;r gri cl sys tom ; utility and.
structure surveys on mili tnry and n:wal posts and surveys of highvm,3rs ,
ro ad.s ancL streets of i:nportnncc for n.::w.'.'\.l cmd milit n,ry pur:!)osos .
Most of tho arec.s in which th e rr:i li t :u-y mapping l)rojocts
are operating, Mr . Runtor continued , nro vitnl
defense 11lans .
S})Ots
in tho n:'.tion 1 s
Among the more im::,ortant on which work is no\·J going
on nre n~e~s varying from 2 , 000 to 80 , 000 square miles o~ch centering
around. Now York City, tho coc1,st of Maino , southeastern Pennsylvania
(including tho City of Philndel~phia) and northern MC\Iyland , western
New York centering a.round Rochester , southern New Jersey and east ern
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Virginia.
Other nroo..s soon to be covered include large sections of
the Mexicc..n border and portions of Louisianc.., Goorgin, , South Cnrolin~,
ec. stcrn ~iichigan and northeastern :fow Ycrk.
In tho majority of instnncos , Mr . Hu.ntor said , tho work
consists of bringing up to date ma:9s o~~igino..Ey :prop:1rod from field
dc..ta assembled as much as 50 yec..rs nf;,o.
Rcvi,:ion is nocesso.ry to sho'::
t ho chc.ngos •.-il'lich h:wo since occur:tod :in nn.tural
ctE '~-
~tifici:11 fot'..tlli'®
of tho ll'..:..1d.scnpe. Forests mny hn.ve gro,m. up over n.ro~s origi!-,2,ll;i'
shoNn ns cleared , or swnm::;:,s '!Jay ho..vo boon drninoc. or the couTsos of
cr eeks
2..:nd
smc1.ll rivers n.ltcrod.
In alrwst evor7 case , it is explo..ined ,
such old mn,ps arc useless in showL1g :prcsur-:.t J.0c .' .ltions of high1,1[',ys ,
bridges , r:J,iJ.romls and evon whole villn.gos n:·: d towns 1-.rhich mo,y have
boon esto.bJ.ishod since the original map w=.s :0ropnrea..
Tho basic data of those older m~ps , however , such as dis to..nco botwoon geodetic control points nncl co21tou..r
t ion, nrc considered correct .
li:!1.CS
showing eleva-
To mnko thom usable for mili t,'.'..I'y pi;.·})os::is ,
t hey a.re first redrm,m on a standard. sco.lo of approximately 2 , 000 foot
to tho inch , wfuich pormi ts tho inclusion of i:;rcatcr detail .
F:'.·om ;:,,
v::i.rioty of sources , inclucling f'..orial photog:i.·:-~ph:~, now features of tho
l and.scar,c then arc superimposed.. showing all ro:1.cls , waterwn.ys , dc'.,ms ,
bridges , buildines , etc .
For fino..l . ro1Jroduct io:c. tho scr.!.le is roclucod.
t o approximately one mile to tho inch.
Tho finished product , printod. in six col0rs on shoots
approxin.:ttely 24 inches sq_uaro and representing a gTound. aroc, :i.bout
12 by 15 nilos , is 11s nccurate a facsimi l e of tho tcrrn.in n.s it is
possible to produce at that scale.
ooOoo
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