Lt. (j.g.) Wilbur Porter observing next to ditch. Note foot support on cable road barrier. Zimmich, the "gun-toter" is helping support the observer in this precarious position.

Tourist cabins used as living quarters for level crew in western Appalachia. Crew had to commute by train to get to the level line between Jackson and Hazard along the Louisville and Nashville RR. There were seven tunnels along this stretch of line. Surveying was being done for base maps for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Benton Hickok on left, Ethyl Porter (wife of party chief Wilbur Porter) in left center. Local natives boiling sorghum to make molasses.

Typical company coal-mining town near head of Kentucky River in vicinity of Jenkins, Kentucky. Level party quit following the railroad in this area and crossed over Cumberland Mountain north of Cumberland Gap.

Tourist cabins used as living quarters for level crew in western Appalachia. These cabins were close to a mine entrance and the miners would pass by going work and going home.

Set-up in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Working along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Lt. (j.g.) Wilbur Porter observing, Andy ___ was the umbrella holder (umbrella kept sun off level bubbles and kept instrument level) and instrument carrier (gun-toter.) Andy was killed in a local feud a few years later.

Level setup along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Ethyl Porter, wife of party chief on left; rodman Ray Fassett from Ferndale Washington; and Ben Hickok umbrella holder and gun-toter.

Level crew in Wise County. From l to r - Ray Fassett rodman; Ben Hickok umbrell a, and gun-toter from Wytheville, Virginia; Wilbur Porter observer from Potsdam, N.Y.; Vincent Benfell recorder, Salt Lake City, Utah; Gerald Wing rodman from Potsdam, N.Y.; Orin Eadie from Washington, D.C., benchmark setter; Pete States, rodman from Pickway, Ohio.

Graham Brothers Trucks. C&GS No. 54 used as observer's truck. Rods carried in tubes on side of truck. These trucks had glass (non-shatter-proof windows), only rear brakes, no heat, and 4-cylinders. Crew road in back no matter what weather.

Lunch on a cold day along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad near Bristol. One ham sandwich, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an apple fueled 10 miles of level work per day.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Wilbur Porter observing, Vincent Benfell recording and Ben Hickok holding umbrella and gun-toting. Crew would ride the Lonesome Pine Special from Bristol to Norton to get to working area.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Wilbur Porter observing, Vincent Benfell recording and Pete States holding umbrella and gun-toting. Crew would ride the Lonesome Pine Special from Bristol to Norton to get to working area.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Train pulling upgrade as smoke almost vertical indicating slow speed. Train headed upgrade could be heard miles off; train coming downgrade wouldn't be heard until nearby sometimes causing dangerous situations on trestles.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Train pulling upgrade as smoke almost vertical indicating slow speed. Train headed upgrade could be heard miles off; train coming downgrade wouldn't be heard until nearby sometimes causing dangerous situations on trestles.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Carrying the level line across a trestle. Observer was Wilbur Porter; Vincent Benfell recorder; gun-toter in background was Ray Fassett.

Observing along the Norton Branch of the Southern Railroad. Carrying the level line across a trestle near the southern portal of the Natural Tunnel, southwest Virginia.

Phyliss Benfell looking down an old well at an abandoned house in Chilhowie. Level line was running along the main line of the Norfolk and Western Railroad through this area.

The benchmark crew - Orin Eadie, from Washington, D.C. holding a stray dog; Ben Hickok from Wytheville, Virginia; Ambrose Clay from Washington, D.C.; Vincent Benfell from Salt Lake City, Utah; and Gerald Wing from Potsdam, New York.

On a Bilby tower looking up to the lightkeeper stand. This tower was on the North Carolina State University campus at Raleigh. Chester Seawald on the left, from Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Unidentified on the right.

A completed Bilby tower on the North Carolina State University campus at Raleigh . The observing truck is a Graham Brothers truck which was called either a dog- catcher truck or post office truck. This truck company was bought by Dodge.

Ben Hickok on the light-keeper's perch on a Bilby tower at North Carolina State University.

Ben Hickok standing about 90-feet above the ground. Safety lines weren't required in those days. Ben was wearing his ROTC uniform.

Ben Hickok showing his best hole digging form for placing marks. Marks were set in pre-cast concrete monuments that were 4-feet in length in order to get below the frost line and not be subject to heaving in cold weather. Monuments were tapered and set with large end in the ground. Each monument weighed 200 pounds.

Preparing to set a pre-cast concrete monument. Eddie Lyons on the left and Francis Dillon on the right. Both were from Massachusetts.

Francis Dillon Preparing to set a pre-cast concrete monument near Alma.

Ben Hickok painting arrows in center of tracks pointing to bench marks set off railroad, but still on the railroad right-of-way.

Ben Hickok tamping in a monument. Note the top of the concrete monument protruding about 4 inches above the surface. Ford pickup truck to right has additional monuments laying in bed. Note round disks in top of concrete monuments. These are C&GS bronze level marks.

Tommy Garey from Washington, D.C., sitting on the bumper of a brand new Dodge Brothers truck. Taken on a Sunday. Dressed up to go to church.

Eddie Lyons digging a hole to set a mark. In this area the soil was sand and gravel so a hole could be dug in about 15 minutes. The hole had to be made larger than the monument because the sand would keep caving in.

Mark setter's truck, No. 242, nicknamed "Black Maria" as it was similar to a police paddy-wagon which were given that name in the 1930's. Bench mark crew members would ride on benches in back during moves. Headaches were common for the crew after a long move as exhaust fumes would fill the back end. Back end couldn't be closed because of level rod box.

Ben Hickok in the new Dodge Brothers truck.

Bill Chisom, rodman; George Hastings, the observer and party chief; and Bill Unger rodman. This was a posed Sunday photo as suits weren't worn to work.

Guntersville downtown near the Guntersville Dam near the Tennessee border on the Tennessee River. Note the mode of transportation. Saturday afternoon. The poor cow was rope-sprung, a term for a broken down swaybacked animal.

George Hastings observing in an Alabama cornfield.

George Hastings observing levels; "Smitty" Smith holding umbrella; and Bill Unger (?) gun-toter. The umbrella was used to keep the sun off the level bubble on the leveling instrument as that would draw the instrument out of level and make erroneous readings.

Level crew tempting fate along a railroad northeast of Decatur.

Description not available.

Pilothouse of a Tennessee River ferry boat. The boat would accommodate 4 4 to 6 vehicles depending on size. This boat had a 1-cylinder gasoline engine.

Ben Hickok and Bill Unger riding the Alabama, a Tennessee River ferry boat. The boat would accommodate 4 to 6 vehicles depending on size and had a 1-cylinder gasoline engine.

The mighty Alabama, a stern-wheel Tennessee River ferry boat.

Observing three-point sextant fix while surveying the reservoir of the Grand Coulee Dam.

Reading depths off fathometer on the left and recording depths in field record book on right.

Reading temperatures to determine sound velocity for correcting fathometer readings.

Portable fathometer transducer being lowered into water.

Reading temperatures to determine sound velocity for correcting fathometer readings.

Reading depths off fathometer on the left and recording depths in field record book on right.

All systems go! Taking three point sextant fix while on-line. Recorder by clock. Fathometer operator in bottom left out of picture. Officer in charge plotting fixes with three-arm protractor on table forward.

Living quarters for the field party while surveying the Grand Coulee Dam reservoir.

Hard hat diver cutting cable from propeller of Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship LYDONIA.

Appears to be Texas Tower #4 south of Woods Hole. This tower was lost on January 15, 1961, during a storm with a loss of 28 lives. Ship was probably using tower as a fixed point to calibrate electronic navigation system.