Not quite rubber sheeting, but using the basic idea, many years ago with Jeanette Hope and others on the Barwon river NSW, Matthews c1904 survey of the Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps was used to try to plot the modern location of collapsed stone structures. The key was discovering his field notes which showed the points he took bearings and chainages from. In some cases the intersections with various structures and his bearings were carefully noted in the original field books, but it became evident that for the published map, he had estimated distances along some of these bearing lines, from a particular vantage point (a high point on the bank - the structures being in the river bed and he presumably didn't want to get his feet wet) with the result that there was distortion in his plan along very specific axis. By taking the more accurate points and adjusting (averaging) to correct the position of the distorted objects along these reconstructed bearings, but retaining the size and shape of the individual structures, we were able to come up with a good fit, which was confirmed by archeological results.

I guess the point here is that rubber sheeting works best where the original distortions, prejudices, errors and varying degrees of accuracy, are known in the historic plans. Surveyors being what they are, they often take shortcuts, so that some features (usually the more important) are more carefully surveyed, while others are estimated, drawn in from distant vantage, determined from conjecture and even heresay, etc..

Most rubbersheeting processes work on the basis that you can fix certain points precisely, and everything will be dragged into place proportionately.

Sometimes cutting and pasting in the manner used to compile old aerial photo-mosaics works just as well.

either way it can be fun to put the puzzles back together.

Good luck with it.

Gary Vines