HS3503 - "M 832"
I took a chance on this mark and didn't expect to find it, or anything really. This part of Livermore is busy and active, and the City has kept up with the modernization of the central part of their community. I was quite surprised to come around the corner of the block near the approximate location of the coordinates and see an old corrugated metal building - as described in 1958.
As I looked around, I couldn't find any of the ties described in the original goto description. I was a bit disoriented as the description called for the mark to be 200 feet northwest First Street. The coordinates led me to the intersection of First Street and Old First Street, which are very much perpendicular to each other. To make things more confusing - to me anyway - was the description that the mark was with 37 feet from a railroad rail. There were no tracks immediately nearby, let alone, right next to the building.
Buildings get moved, street alignments change, but railroads rarely move. However, as can be seen as Benchmark PID HS3511, they do occasionally. at least the tracks do. It looked to me as if the entire set of tracks through this part of town had been shifted northerly, but I had no way of knowing how far, if at all. I don't know if they were, but things sure made it look like they were. (I know some of the locals would know for sure, but I did ask anyone.)
Since I was there, I focused my finding efforts on the building found at the coordinate location. My search resulted with nothing found. After I returned home, and was able to study the maps of the area, my suspicions that this is the wrong building were strengthened, and that building is, in my opinion, not the correct one.
The mark is described as being 200 northwest of the northwest curb of First Street, and 37 feet southeast of the southeast rail of the tracks. That would mean that the mark, and building, is between the Street and the tracks, at a point where they are approximately 237 feet apart. Looking at the maps, I could determine where First Street was - where a portion of Old First Street and (New) First Street are in the same alignment. That alignment is skew to the tracks, and there is only one place where the tracks and the Street are about 237 feet apart (assuming the tracks haven't been relocated).
A return visit two weeks later (on 7 February 2015) found an old service station, now being used as a recycling collection center, at the new calculated location for the mark. The building was not of the type or vintage that would have ever been covered in corrugated metal. Also, there were no buildings within 50-60 feet of the tracks in any direction, as far as I could see, let alone, the recycle center building.
I believe this mark has been destroyed. I'm unable to find any evidence of either its destruction or existence, but there is no evidence of it alongside or adjacent to the tracks.
Buildings get moved, street alignments change, but railroads rarely move. However, as can be seen as Benchmark PID HS3511, they do occasionally. at least the tracks do. It looked to me as if the entire set of tracks through this part of town had been shifted northerly, but I had no way of knowing how far, if at all. I don't know if they were, but things sure made it look like they were. (I know some of the locals would know for sure, but I did ask anyone.)
Since I was there, I focused my finding efforts on the building found at the coordinate location. My search resulted with nothing found. After I returned home, and was able to study the maps of the area, my suspicions that this is the wrong building were strengthened, and that building is, in my opinion, not the correct one.
The mark is described as being 200 northwest of the northwest curb of First Street, and 37 feet southeast of the southeast rail of the tracks. That would mean that the mark, and building, is between the Street and the tracks, at a point where they are approximately 237 feet apart. Looking at the maps, I could determine where First Street was - where a portion of Old First Street and (New) First Street are in the same alignment. That alignment is skew to the tracks, and there is only one place where the tracks and the Street are about 237 feet apart (assuming the tracks haven't been relocated).
A return visit two weeks later (on 7 February 2015) found an old service station, now being used as a recycling collection center, at the new calculated location for the mark. The building was not of the type or vintage that would have ever been covered in corrugated metal. Also, there were no buildings within 50-60 feet of the tracks in any direction, as far as I could see, let alone, the recycle center building.
I believe this mark has been destroyed. I'm unable to find any evidence of either its destruction or existence, but there is no evidence of it alongside or adjacent to the tracks.
Published details for Benchmark: HS3503
N 37° 41.017
W 121° 45.917 (NAD 83)
Altitude: 494.4
Coordinates may not be exact. Altitude is VERTCON and location is SCALED.
Location: In ALAMEDA county, CA View Original Datasheet
Designation: M 832
Marker Type: bench mark disk
Setting: massive structures
Stability: Probably hold position/elevation well.
Documented History (by the NGS)
01/01/1947 by CGS (MONUMENTED)
01/01/1958 by NGS (GOOD)
DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1958 AT LIVERMORE. AT LIVERMORE, IN R2E T3S S9, ALONG THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY RAILROAD, 200 FEET NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHEAST CURB OF EAST FIRST STREET, 37 FEET SOUTHEAST OF THE SOUTHEAST RAIL OF THE MAIN TRACK, 30 FEET SOUTHEAST OF THE SOUTHEAST END OF A WOODEN BOX CULVERT UNDER THE RAILROAD, AT THE WEST CORNER OF A LARGE CORRUGATED METAL BUILDING (FORMERLY THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA POULTRY COMPANY), SET VERTICALLY IN THE NORTHWEST CONCRETE FACE OF THE FOUNDATION, 6 FEET NORTHEAST OF THE WEST CORNER OF THE FOUNDATION, AND ABOUT 0.2 FOOT ABOVE THE GROUND.
01/01/1974 by NGS (GOOD)
RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1974 RECOVERED IN GOOD CONDITION.
Found details for Benchmark: HS3503
Searched for it 08:30, 25 January 2015. The benchmark was not located but may remain in place. Most of the described ties to the benchmark have been removed however, the corrugated metal building remains in place. At this point it is unknown if the westerly corner of the corrugated building is the original westerly corner of the corrugated metal building, or if a portion of it has been removed. The area has been groomed with gravel, and the corrugated metal siding comes all the way to the ground. No concrete foundation can be seen, however it may still exist and the mark may still be intact.
No new coordinates were taken.
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| HS3503 "M 832" - Benchmark setting: "corrugated metal building". View west across Old First Street. |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - Benchmark setting: "corrugated metal building". View southerly at the northerly corner of the building. |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - Benchmark setting: "corrugated metal building". View southeasterly at the northwest face of the building. |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - Benchmark setting: view behind the gate. The metal siding touches the ground; no concrete foundation is exposed. |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - The benchmark is described as being 200 feet northwest of the north curb of First Street and 37 feet southeast of the southeast rail. The coordinate location, and the metal sided building near the location, are southeast of First Street. It's not the correct building. |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - The benchmark is described as being 200 feet northwest of the north curb of First Street and 37 feet southeast of the southeast rail. This is the only place where the northwest line of First Street and the southeast rail are approximately 237 feet apart. There is no building, or wooden box culvert under the railroad, in the area matching those described in the benchmark datasheet. (Map View) |
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| HS3503 "M 832" - The benchmark is described as being 200 feet northwest of the north curb of First Street and 37 feet southeast of the southeast rail. This is the only place where the northwest line of First Street and the southeast rail are approximately 237 feet apart. There is no building, or wooden box culvert under the railroad, in the area matching those described in the benchmark datasheet. (Aerial View) |
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