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Brass disc records elevation On a walk with my 2-year-old granddaughter, she discovered a brass disc about four inches in diameter embedded in the sidewalk. This is located on 11th Street where Peach Street dead-ends into that street. The disc reads "City of Medford" on its top. In the middle it reads "No.," although I saw no number. On the bottom it reads "Do Not Disturb." I, of course, would like to know what this object might be called and its use. -- Roberta H., Medford Wish we had a more exciting answer for you, Roberta, but the disc measures ... elevation. A couple thousand of the discs, known as benchmarks, are embedded in Medford sidewalks, said Paul Lewis, city surveyor. They pinpoint the elevation of the spot as determined by surveyors. Contractors and city crews need to know elevation when they put in sewer lines, storm drains, water lines and many other kinds of improvements. For instance, sewer and storm drains are usually gravity-fed lines. Elevation is important because the lines must run downhill. Eventually, each disc will be numbered so staff can look up elevation information at Medford City Hall. That process isn't complete, however, and Lewis said the disc you found may be without a number because elevation hasn't been measured yet at that site. Eventually, an index number -- "C-130" in the case of the 11th Street disc -- will appear on its face. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA