A special appeal is made to the liberality of Congress for the following urgently needed funds in excess of last year's appropriations: For the employment of a clerk for the care of the old records of the city of Washington, as explained under the heading of "Old records" Increase in the salary of the public gardener to $2,500, for reasons given above, and because it is more nearly what is paid for such services elsewhere throughout the United States...

$1,500

700

For the item "Salaries of overseers, foremen, gardeners, laborers," etc..... 7,000 Our funds are now so limited, that in May and June, when men are most needed for the care of the parks (that being the most favorable season), we have to begin discharging, and in this way lose men trained in our work and have to train green hands later, which is not economical, but expensive.

In conclusion, I desire to express my sincere appreciation of the faithful and efficient manner in which Mr. George H. Brown, the skillful and accomplished public gardener, and Mr. E. F. Concklin, overseer and chief clerk, have performed the various and important duties committed to their charge.

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

THEO. A. BINGHAM,

Colonel, U. S. Army, Captain Corps of Engineers.

APPENDIX C C c.

NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN LAKES-SURVEYS-CORRECTING ENGRAVED PLATES-PRINTING AND ISSUING OF CHARTS.

Report of LIEUT. COL. G. J. LYDECKER, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,

Detroit, Mich., July 23, 1897.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit herewith my annual report, in duplicate, on the "Issue of the published charts of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes, and surveys made for the purpose of keeping these charts up to date," for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

G. J. LYDECKER,

Brig. Gen. JOHN M. WILSON,

Lieut. Col., Corps of Engineers.

Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.

ССС 1.

NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN LAKES-SURVEYS-CORRECTING ENGRAVED PLATES-PRINTING AND ISSUING OF CHARTS.

The sundry civil acts of August 18, 1894, March 2, 1895, June 11, 1896, and June 4, 1897, have each contained appropriations as follows:

Survey of Northern and Northwestern Lakes.-For printing and issuing of charts for use of navigators and electrotyping plates for chart printing, two thousand dollars. For surveys, additions to, and correcting engraved plates, to be available until expended, twenty-five thousand dollars.

Under the first item the issuing of charts has been done from the United States Engineer Office, at Detroit, Mich., the rest of the work required by that item being attended to in the office of the Chief of Engineers, in Washington, D. C. During the fiscal year ending June

30, 1897, charts were received and disposed of at the Detroit office as follows:

The sum of $787.30 was turned into the United States Treasury from sales of charts. The total number of charts disposed of to June 30, 1897, has been 214,512.

Operations during the fiscal year under the second item of the act have been as follows:

Corrections and additions were made in the Detroit office on charts named below, and these charts were then forwarded to the office of the Chief of Engineers, where the engraved plates were correspondingly amended, as follows:

These corrections have been based, to a very large extent, on information obtained from engineer officers in charge of lake harbor improvements and other reliable official sources.

RESURVEY OF ST. MARYS RIVER.

Conforming to a general plan for meeting the demand for new and perfected charts, a resurvey of the St. Marys River was commenced in 1892, and has been continued since then whenever funds were available. The field work needed for this purpose was completed during the last fiscal year, except some magnetic observations, which will be made in the near future. The field work included the completion of triangulation between Lake Superior and Straits of Mackinac, remeasurement of the Mackinac base line, topography and hydrography from St. Joseph Island to mouth of the river, precise levels from mouth of Charlotte River to Detour, and a few magnetic observations. In office work, chart No. 3 was completed, except those features that depend on further