APPENDIX E E E.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DAKOTA.

ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUTENANT JOHN BIDDLE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF DAKOTA,
OFFICE CHIEF ENGINEER OFFICER,

Saint Paul, Minn., July 7, 1887. GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report of work performed in this office during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. The office was moved from Fort Snelling, Minn., to Saint Paul, Minn., November 1, 1886.

Topographical Assistant E. H. Rakowiez has been on duty throughout the year. As the office force is limited to this, one man the amount of work was necessarily restricted, although he is a quick and efficient draughtsman.

During August and September, 1886, the south line of the Fort Buford, Dak., military reservation was resurveyed by me and report submitted.

From the middle of September until November 1, 1886, I was on duty to assist commissioners detailed by the Interior Department to allot lands in severalty to the Crow Indians on their reservation in Montana. A report was submitted to the Assistant Adjutant-General.

On May 20 I left Saint Paul to make survey of Fort Buford, Dak., military reservation, returning June 25. A report has been prepared and submitted.

A new target range was laid off at Fort Snelling, Minn., during July and August, 1886.

Reports of hunting trips have been submitted by First Lieutenant Macaulay, Medical Department, and Second Lieutenant Robertson, First Cavalry. The latter one especially embraced considerable new and useful information.

Itineraries of the march of troops of the Seventh Cavalry from Fort Yates, Dak., and Fort Keogh, Mont., were submitted by Captains McDougall and Edgerly, Seventh Cavalry.

In the office the work has been constant, making tracings, blue-process photographs, mounting and distributing maps, etc. The plats of all the posts of the Department have been revised and brought up to date.

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The descriptions of the boundaries of the different military and Indian reservations of the Department, with such itineraries as were deemed useful, were prepared in this office and published as a general order, headquarters Department of Dakota. These were furnished to all officers desiring them.

Respectfully submitted.

JOHN BIDDLE,

First Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.

APPENDIX F F F.

EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE COLUMBIA.

ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUTENANT WILLIAM C. Langfitt, Corps of ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1887.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE COLUMBIA,

ENGINEER OFFICE,

Vancouver Barracks, Wash., July 1, 1887.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report of engineer operations in the Department of the Columbia for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887:

In obedience to Special Orders, No. 243, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant-General's Office, dated October 19, 1886, I reported at these headquarters to the commanding general Department of the Columbia, and was assigned to duty as engineer officer per General Order No. 31, Paragraph II, dated Headquarters Department Columbia, December 14, 1886, relieving First Lieut. Edward Burr, Corps of Engineers.

PERSONNEL.

General Service Clerk A. Downing has been assigned to this office throughout the year

General Service Clerk C. A. Homan was assigned here also until December 1, 1886, when he was ordered to duty in the medical director's office; so that there is but one assistant now in this office.

FIELD WORK.

The following field work has been done:

Resurvey of the western boundary of the Vancouver Military Reservation.

Survey of the site of Columbia City in connection with the St. James Mission claim.

Survey of a portion of the St. James Mission claim lying within the Vancouver Military Reservation.

Also locating sites for new company and other quarters; surveys for new roads and of the old Territorial road within the limits of this reservation.

OFFICE WORK.

The following office work has been done:

Maps and plans drawn by hand..

Tracings for issue and office files drawn

Solar prints made and issued during the year.

Negatives pertaining to official records and views at this post taken during the

year...

Reports of scouts within the Department referred to this office for note..
Copies of the Department map issued during the year.

MISCELLANEOUS.

During the month of May I sent my assistant to Olympia, Wash., where he copied 120 new townships from the records of the surveyorgeneral's oflice in that city.

A number of new townships were also copied from the records of the surveyor-general's office, Portland, Oregon, together with much other new data from the several railroad offices and the United States engineer offices there.

This new matter is now being compiled upon the progress sheets (four in number) of the Department map, on a scale of 8 miles to 1 inch.

Standard time has daily been furnished by signal to the whole post from this office since January 1, 1887. This time is obtained in this office by telegraphic signal from Portland, Oregon, through the kindness of Mr. F. H. Lamb, assistant superintendent Western Union Telegraph Company.

Map mounting and other matters of routine pertaining to the engineer office at a department headquarters have been regularly attended to.

There have been no funds whatever available for the use of this office during the year.

The Quartermaster's Department has kindly furnished the drawing materials absolutely necessary for carrying on the work of the office. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. C. LANGFITT,

First Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers,
Engineer Officer.

The CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, U. S. A.