daily, together with the wind directions and velocities, and to have special instructions issued that hey shall note any unusual conditions of weather or water. In any prolonged and severe storm, particularly those of April and October, they shall carefully note the extremes of water level and wind. To be of any service in a further consideration of this subject, the Canadian authorities should be requested, through the proper channels, to cooperate fully. I am thoroughly impressed with the idea that such observations will bear fruit of some importance at very slight expense. Very respectfully Lieut. Col. JARED A. SMITH, WM. T. BLUNT, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. WATER LEVEL OF LAKE MICHICAN. REPORT OF MAJ. JAMES F. GREGORY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1894. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, * GENERAL: I have the honor to forward the accompanying plate on which is continued the water level curve on Lake Michigan for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894, and to inclose a letter from Lieut. C. H. McKinstry, Corps of Engineers, giving the monthly mean water levels during the year. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Brig. Gen. THOMAS L. CASEY, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. JAMES F. GREGORY, Major of Engineers. REPORT OF LIEUT. C. H. M'KINSTRY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Milwaukee, Wis., July 6, 1894. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the water-level curves* for Lake Michigan for the year 1893-'94, from tridaily observations taken at Milwaukee, Wis., and Escanaba, Mich, with monthly reports of observers. Observations at Milwaukee were taken continuously throughout the year; at Escanaba they were discontinued from December 17, 1893, to March 18, 1894. Following are the monthly means (feet and decimals below plane of reference) from which the curves were plotted, the plane of reference being "high water of 1838." Stations. July. Ang. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. Milwaukee, Wis 3.39 3.56 3.88 4.02 4.41 a To December 16, inclusive. 4.48 4.47 4.44 4.18 4.03 3.49 3.33 a 1.69 64.34 4.27 3.97 3.54 b From March 19, inclusive. The "reduction to the plane of reference" at Milwaukee is the zero of the gauge is 0.61 foot above the plane of reference. "reduction to the plane of reference" was determined in 1877 to be -0.76 foot * Omitted. (Report of 1876, Vol. II, p. 84; 1877, Vol. II, p. 1194), and the monthly means from that time until June, 1882, were corrected (reduced) by that amount. The observations from July, 1882, to June, 1887, were further reduced by 0.187 foot. (Report of 1887, p. 2417.) The observations from July, 1887, to June, 1892 (published in Report of 1892, p. 3430), and the observations for 1892-'93 were reduced by 0.76 only. This was plainly an oversight, and I would respectfully suggest the desirability of making a further correction of 0.187. In July, 1893, the zero at Escanaba was tested by leveling from bench marks in the vicinity and was found to be 0.902 foot above the plane of reference. This correction (0.902 foot) was used in reducing the observations of 1893-'94. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. JAMES F. GREGORY, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. C. H. MCKINSTRY, First Lieutenant of Engineers. WATER LEVEL OF LAKE ONTARIO. REPORT OF CAPT. DAN C. KINGMAN, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1894. (For letter of transmittal see Appendix P P.) Permanent gauges are established at Oswego Harbor and at Charlotte Harbor (at the mouth of the Genesee River), and each has been read three times per day during the year. They show the lake level to have been lower than usual at similar dates throughout the year. OSWEGO GAUGE. This gauge was established in 1837 by the United States Engineer at Oswego at plane of extreme low water. The lake level has several times since been at this plane, but never below it. The gauge is cut on the har bor face of the stone pier at the foot of West Third street, and is indicated by an iron plate cut to feet and tenths and bolted beside it. The zero of the gauge is referred to the top of an iron bolt in top of masonry of old Government stone pier 0.5 foot from east face of pier, 3 feet north of its intersection by the crib work wharf, foot of the United States reservation at the foot of West Third street, Oswego, marked U. S. B. M. This bench mark is 7.75 feet above zero of gauge. The zero of gauge, on plane of extreme low water, is 244.21 feet above mean tide at New York. (See p. 609, Prof. Papers 24.) Readings were taken daily at 7 a. m., 1 p. m., and 6 p. m. with obser vations of direction and force of wind. The daily means were taken, and a mean of three taken as a monthly mean. Oswego monthly means below plane of reference for Lake Ontario water levels. The gauge at Charlotte Harbor was established by the Lake Survey, and is described in the Report of 1876 and in Professional Papers No. 24. The zero was lowered 4.5 feet in 1883 to coincide with the zero of the Oswego gauge, at plane of extreme low water, and since that date all readings have given heights above extreme low-water level. The zero is referred to a bench mark on the upper side of the water table of the old (now disused) light-house at Charlotte at the southsoutheast angle east of the south window, which bench mark is at 283.23 feet above mean tide at New York, and 39.02 feet above the zero of the gauge, which zero is 244.21 feet above mean tide at New York. The gauge is cut in feet and tenths in a wrought-iron plate, and is bolted to an oak pile at the northeast angle of the west abutments of the R., W. and O. R. R. drawbridge at Charlotte. Readings are taken daily at 7 a. m., 1 p. m., and 7 p. m., with observation of direction and force of wind. The daily means were taken and a mean of these as the monthly mean. Charlotte monthly means below plane of reference for Lake Ontario water levels. Feet. 1.29 1.51 1.88 1.95 2.12 2.59 Feet. 3.69 3.47 3.10 3.03 2.87 2.39 |