Monthly mean of water levels of Lake Ontario below the plane of reference in 1876, which is 4.98 feet above the zero of the gauge at Oswego. Stations. Charlotte July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June. Feet. Feet. Feet. 5.13 5.27 5.26 4.72 Fect. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. WATER LEVEL FOR LAKE SUPERIOR. REPORT OF MAJ. CLINTON B. SEARS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDİNG JUNE 30, 1897. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, Duluth, Minn., July 19, 1897. GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following monthly means of Lake Superior water levels at Marquette, Mich., below plane of reference adopted by the United States Lake Survey in 1876 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897. Very respectfully, CLINTON B. SEARS, Major, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. Brig. Gen. JOHN M. WILSON, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. Monthly mean of water levels for Lake Superior at Marquette, Mich., below the plane of reference adopted by the United States Lake Survey in 1876, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897. Station. 1896. 1897. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. Marquette, Mich.... Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. 2.22 2.20 2.37 2.69 2.62 2.77 2.93 3.16 3.24 3.21 2.87 2.54 WATER LEVEL OF LAKE MICHIGAN. REPORT OF CAPT. GEORGE A. ZINN, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, GENERAL: I have the honor to transmit herewith diagram* showing water level of Lake Michigan at Milwaukee, Wis., and Escanaba, Mich., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897, and table of monthly means. Monthly mean of water levels for the stations given, below the plane of reference adopted July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. Milwaukee, Wis Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. Feet. 4.08 4.59 4.19 a Bay frozen over. APPENDIX D D D. EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN MILITARY DEPARTMENTS. DDD I. EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI. ANNUAL REPORT OF MAJ. WILLIAM L. MARSHALL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897. UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, Chicago, Ill., July 14, 1897. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report as engineer officer of this department for the year ending June 30, 1897. No field work has been done during the year. The office force has consisted of one clerk, Frederick A. Petersen, who has acted as draftsman also. The office work has consisted in the preparation of maps and drawings, tracings, reproductions, etc., for the use of the Department Commander and the other officers connected with these headquarters. Also in the issuing of instruments and other articles of engineer property to the officers at the posts in the department, to be used in surveying work and on reconnaissances and marches of the troops. In compliance with a letter from the War Department of date December 2, 1895, work was commenced in preparing a map of the country embraced in this department. For this purpose it was divided into an eastern and western half, the former comprising Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana, while the latter consisted of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Indian Territories. Each half was divided into 50-mile squares, numbered for facility in reference from unity upward. The resulting sheets were 25 inches square and filled in from the General Land Office maps and other available sources. Thus six sheets of the country around Forts Leavenworth and Riley, Kans., were prepared and sent out in 1896 for revision and completion, while later in the year and during the winter four sheets of the country around Forts Brady and Wayne, Mich., were being prepared to be forwarded to these posts in the spring of 1897 for the necessary revision. On April 7, 1897, however, a confidential communication was issued from the War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Military Information Division, in which new instructions were given for the guidance of the department commanders in the preparation of a progressive military map. These instructions necessitated that all the work done in this department had to be abandoned and a new system introduced. This last work has progressed quite slowly for various reasons. Chief among them is the fact that there is only one clerk in the engineer office, who can not give all his time to this map work, for the reason that there is always current work of a various nature which has to be attended to. Several tracings were made for reproduction and 185 blue prints were taken from these for distribution among the officers of the department. Mounted 12 maps for officers at these headquarters. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. L. MARSHALL, Major, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., Engineer Officer, Department of the Missouri. Brig. Gen. JOHN M. WILSON, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. DDD 2. EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE COLUMBIA. REPORT OF MAJ. THOMAS H. BARRY, ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897. ENGINEER OFFICE, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE COLUMBIA, SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the official transactions of this office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897: PERSONNEL. This office was in charge of First Lieut. John L. Sehon, Twentieth Infantry, A. D. C., until May 8, 1897, when he was relieved pursuant to General Orders No. 12, current series, headquarters Department of the Columbia. C. A. Homan, civil-service clerk, has remained on duty in this office throughout the year. FIELD WORK. Survey levels and grade stakes for a quarter-mile race track for athletic purposes at Vancouver Barracks. Minor surveys for the improvement of the water, sewerage, and drainage systems at Vancouver Barracks. OFFICE WORK. In compliance with request dated office of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, August 22, 1896, a map of the Department of the Columbia, revised to date from the latest railway guides, Land Office surveys, and the best attainable compilations in this office, was forwarded to the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, September 25, 1896. Three hundred copies of the new (fifth) edition of the military map of this department were received January 4, 1897, and are being issued as called for. A map showing the definite location of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway from Spokane to the international boundary has been compiled on a scale of 2 miles to 1 inch from maps and data loaned by the chief engineer of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway. Twenty-three tracings of figures and apparatus for the illustration of cavalry gymnastics, with blue prints of same, were made. A large portion of the year was given to the projection and compilation of sheets of the "military progressive department map" as outlined and directed by letter dated War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, December 2, 1895, with tracings and blue prints for issue to officers detailed for topographical work. Revised instructions, with details and models for the preparation of the sheets of the "progressive military map of the United States," were received April 20, 1897. New projections, skeleton tracings, and blue prints of the sheets assigned to this department for the season of 1897 are being prepared for issue to the topographical officers. Various reports referred to this office for information and action and miscellaneous work as follows: Twenty maps and plans, drawn by hand; 43 tracings made; 553 blue prints made; 24 maps mounted on muslin; 90 department maps issued. There are no funds available for the use of this office. Very respectfully, THOMAS H. BARRY, Assistant Adjutant-General, Engineer Officer. Brig. Gen. JOHN M. WILSON, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. DDD 3. EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA. ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUT. J. D. MILEY, FIFTH ARTILLERY, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897. ENGINEER OFFICE, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA, San Francisco, Cal., July 7, 1897. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of operations in this office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897: First Lieut. J. F. Reynolds Landis, First Cavalry, aid, was (under paragraph 3, General Orders No. 15, dated headquarters Department of California, June 4, 1895) acting as engineer officer until relieved by me under General Orders, No. 17, current series, headquarters Department of California, June 14, 1897. C. Winstanley, clerk, has been continuously on duty in the office as topographer and draftsman. The energies of the office have been almost exclusively directed to carrying out the instructions from the Adjutant-General of the Army of December 1, 1895, and numerous sheets were prepared thereunder until the receipt of the revised instructions, dated April 7, 1897, when all work on the former map and sheets was abandoned and a new index map was at once prepared, the sheets corresponding in area and number with those of the index map on file in this office. Polyconic projections, for sheets, in accordance with these instructions were at once prepared, but owing to the lack of reliable maps, showing wagon roads and the other information that was called for on the skeleton sheets to be prepared in the office, but little progress has yet been made in completing them. Wheeler's surveys west of the one hundredth meridian did not afford us any information of the desired portion, neither did the United States |