REPORT OF THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL OF ARIZONA. OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SURVEYOR-GENERAL, Tucson, Ariz., July 25, 1891. SIR: Agreeably to your circular letter, dated April 18, 1891, I have the honor to hand you my annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. The sum of $5,000 was apportioned to Arizona for surveys during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, and contracts for surveys to that amount were let. These surveys were carefully distributed in both the northern and southern land districts, so as to subserve the interests of the largest number of settlers. The greatest difficulty is experienced in Arizona, in following the requirements of the act making the appropriation for surveys, and at the same time serving the interests of the settlers, by putting the surveys in places where surveys are most desired. To follow the requirements of the act appropriating for surveys the money annually expended would be, in many instances, to make surveys where people would not take up the land, and where the result of the expenditure of money in surveying would be highly unsatisfactory and almost useless. The instructions we receive for making surveys under the law as enacted each succeeding Congress are to the effect that the surveys must be confined to "agricultural lands." Such instructions, as applied to many of the States and Territories, would simply mean the general run of land, and would take in under its provisions most of the lands perhaps in a large majority of the States of the Union, and do ample justice to the settlers and furnish no cause of bitter complaint. In this arid belt of land these instructions mean lands that are or can be artificially irrigated, and we possess a very limited area of country that can be made to produce the ordinary agricultural crops without careful irrigation. I have repeatedly represented that the law, as passed during the last few years, regulating the matter of surveys, works a great hardship on the Territory of Arizona. It is the means of depriving settlers of surveys and titles to their homes, homes that in many instances they have been occupying for many years, and on which they have in several instances made valuable improvements. Under the peculiar conditions in Arizona, it is very difficult to determine what is agricultural land; in Arizona, for instance, what would be agricultural land if water was brought on to the land may be at the present moment the most barren of desert land, and consequently, though agricultural in point of soil,not agricultural in the prac tical sense of the word; within 5 miles there may exist a flow of water in winter anda natural dam-site location, where the flow of water might be husbanded for agricultural uses in the summer at small expense, which would make the land very valuable and agricultural land in the meaning of the statute. In executing the surveys I deem it to be to the interest of the government and the people to be lenient in interpreting the spirit of the statute as applied to Arizona, where the circumstances are so peculiar, inasmuch as soil that is in every way superior agricultural soil and adapted to wonderful crops, and which is comparatively sparsely settled at the present moment, on account of its desert state and its inability to produce any agricultural crops, may, even by the time the survey is approved and filed in the local land offices, have been redeemed by the successful storage of water and its application to the surveyed lands. There are many instances of this kind within the boundaries of this Territory. In considering the character of the lands for which application is made for survey, I conceive it to be competent for the surveyor-general to consider the peculiarities of the location and the general adaptability of the land for future artificial irrigation. In connection with this understanding I have to say that west of Gila Bend, and in its neighborhood, there are thousands of acres of land the soil of which I believe to be the equal of any in the world. It is adapted particularly to the growing of semitropical fruits, and will produce mammoth crops of cereals or hay. At present this land is as sterile as the lands on the Sahara desert, because water has not been brought on to the land, and no remunerative crop can be grown without water at this point, although in small places, by the application of water, it has been demonstrated that this land is in every way better adapted to the raising of fruits than the best land in California, and will produce fruits fully a month in advance of California. The Gila river flows within a few miles of this magnificent body of land, and has a flow of water that is not utilized sufficient to redeem hundreds of thousands of acres of this most desirable land, but until recently no means had been found whereby water could be permanently placed upon this land. At present the preliminary work for the "Wolfley dam," which is located 24 miles north of Gila Bend, has been commenced, and the work will probably be completed within 6 months at the outside, when all this desirable land will be as fruitful as any land on our continent. I hold that it would be perfectly competent for this land to be surveyed as agricultural land. In asking for increased allowance in the surveying apportionment for Arizona in my letter of June 25, 1891, I particularly cited the large amount of surveying that would be required for the lands that were redeemable by the water from the "Wolfley canal" in the neighborhood of Gila Bend, and also for lands in connection with the vast dam to be constructed above Calabasas, for the irrigation of lands along the Santa Cruz valley. Almost all the lands lying adjacent to mountains in the form of mesa lands, and at present entirely unproductive, may properly be termed agricultural, though at present used chiefly for grazing purposes. The land will grow almost any ordinary crop by means of water stored in the cañons in the winter time, and such cañons exist in the neighborhood of the mesa lands, and a liberal outlay of money would make them highly productive; still the people making permanent homes on the mesas can not get surveys under the law as passed by Congress, because they happen to be compelled to live on land that is excluded from the beneficial provisions of the act providing for surveys. These men may have highly productive mines in the mountains adjacent to their mesa homes, or they may live on these mesas in the pursuit of the cattle industry; in either case I can not see why these bona fide settlers should be deliberately excluded from the benefits of the act for surveys, and thereby deprived from getting a government title to their homes, which are as useful and as dear to them as the average homes of the people of the United States elsewhere. It appears to me a grave injustice to the people of Arizona, and if the word "agricultural" must appear in the act appropriating money for survey as a word of limitation, I most respectfully ask that the Territory of Arizona be excluded from the general rule, as such an act works an unmerited hardship on the people of Arizona. THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM FOR SURVEYS. I have to reiterate what I said in my last annual report, to the effect that the deposit system of surveys, honestly administered, is highly beneficial. In the face of the law, Commissioner Sparks suspended all surveys under the deposit system, to the detriment certainly of Arizona, and in the face of advice to that effect. With the strict wording of the act, that the appropriation for surveys shall be used for "agricultural" purposes, the deposit system served a valuable purpose, in allowing the settler who was desirous of obtaining a survey of his and land, a title therefor, to obtain a survey, even if his land was not of an agricultural nature. Settlers who lived in exposed localities during Indian outbreaks found this system of survey of great value, and they had it in their power to get a survey and get their titles in shape so they could leave their places without jeopardizing their land. During the great Indian outbreak, when Mr. Sparks was Commissioner, I wrote him most urgently to allow some settlers who were in the line of the Indian raids to have a deposit survey made, as they were willing to pay for the same, in order to get their land in shape where they could leave it without the danger that the first man who came along would jump their property. These men at the time took their lives in their hands to stop on the land, and they would unquestionably have fled had their homes been protected, as far as the land was concerned. Mr. Sparks, however, was deaf to their appeals, and they were deprived of the advantages of the law at a very critical moment. Where there is only a very small amount of valuable land in a township the provisions of section 2401 are of material advantage. PRIVATE LAND GRANTS. The law creating the private land-grant courts relieves me of the duty of investigating the titles to private land grants in this Territory. WESTERN BOUNDARY WHITE MOUNTAIN INDIAN RESERVATION. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, I forwarded to the General Land Umce the returns of the survey of the west boundary of the White Mountain Indian reservation. I made a strenuous effort to have this survey made in a manner that would be as useful as possible to the government and do ample justice to the important country the survey passed through. In all respects I feel that my efforts were successful. The topography on the map sent to the General Land Office is very accurate and comprehensive, and will serve the purpose of correctly representing the country adjacent to the line of survey and be invaluable for map purposes. I do not believe a finer piece of drafting was ever forwarded to Washington in connection with a survey. Along this Indian boundary was property of great value, which it was most earnestly hoped would be found off the reservation. The deputy surveyor did his work faithfully and carefully, and as a result much very valuable mining property was found on the reservation, which is of no value to the Indians, and I would respectfully recommend that these mining properties be cut off, and that the interests of the Indians be served by making the west boundary a north and south line, in lieu of the tortuous line at present defining its western limits. I most earnestly urge that the government take some steps to throw open to the white people of this Territory the coal fields on the extreme southern portion of the San Carlos reservation. This can be done to advantage by defining the southern limits of the reservation by a straight line just north of the coal fields. The land is at present valueless to the Indians, except for purposes of manufacturing their whisky. Too much importance can not be attached to the question of securing coal as a fuel in Arizona. The effect on the Territory would be magical, as the mining industries would be benefited to an incalculable extent, and the advancing of this great industry means the building of railroads and towns throughout the Territory. At present the cost of coke alone is causing many promising camps to lie dormant that would otherwise be full of life and activity. The output of the valuable metals in Arizona would be doubled within three years after coal was placed in the market at reasonable prices. The Indians simply occupy a dog-in-the-manger position, as the land is not of the slighted utility to them, and the whites are deprived of the greatest benefits to be derived from coal simply because the matter has not been properly represented at Washington, or 'possibly has been misrepresented by those interested in the continuance of the present state of affairs. THE DESERT LAND ACT. No government act in connection with lands has done greater good to Arizona than the desert act. It is my firm belief that to abolish this act would be to retard the advancement of this Territory fully a quarter of a century. The present precautions that have been thrown around the entering of government land under this act are ample and healthy, and calculated to make the desert act by far the most important land act on the statute books as far as Arizona is concerned. TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS. In my last report I urged that topographical surveys in Arizona could be conducted to greater advantage and far more economically through the medium of the surveyor-general than in any other manner, and now that the time of the surveyorgeneral is to be no longer taken up with the consideration of private land-grant titles, he would be able to give much time to topographical surveys if authorized by law in the premises. The surveyor-general's office is already established, and many expenses connected with the office work, at least of topographical surveys, would be avoided, while through the deputies going out on surveys much could be accomplished in addition to a regular topographical force. All of which is respectfully submitted. ROYAL A. JOHNSON, The COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, INT 91-VOL I- -22 There were 9 townships and 4 exterior plats made. Amount appropriated to Arizona fiscal year 1890-'91, $5,000. List of contracts under same. No. Deputy. Date. Amount. $1,900 Description of survey. Agricultural lands in T. 7 N, R. 1 W.; T. 22 N., 1,350 Agricultural lands in T. 6 S., R. 30 E.; T. 6 S., R. 5,000 SUBDIVIDING INDIAN LANDS INTO FORTY-ACRE LOTS. Amount of the special apportionment out of the appropriation for new allotments, act of 1887, reimbursable $12,000 Forty claims surveyed. Thirty-seven mineral surveys approved. Three surveys are still pending. One hundred and forty-eight plats were made. Amount of deposits fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, $2,370. REPORT OF THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA. OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SURVEYOR-GENERAL, San Francisco, Cal., August 5, 1891. SIR: In compliance with circular letter E of April 18, 1891, I have the honor to submit in duplicate the following annual report of the surveying operations in this district for the fiscal year ending June 3), 1891, and tabular statements as follows: A. Statement of contracts entered into with deputy surveyors for surveys of public and private land claims during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, payable from the appropriation for the surveys of the public lands for that year. B. Statement of contracts entered into with deputy surveyors for the surveys of public and private land claims during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, payable from special deposits. C. Statement of special deposits made by the Central Pacific Railroad Company and its branches for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. D. Statement showing amount of appropriation for salaries, contingent expenses, special deposits, and private land claims for the compensation of clerks and draftsmien for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. Owing to a better understanding by the department of the situation connected with the surveying service in this district, in allowing remunerating rates for the surveys of the public lands, greater progress has been made during the past year, and more satisfactory results obtained than in the year immediately preceding, so much so that probably the entire apportionment for surveys in this State will be expended. Applications by settlers for the surveys of many townships in this district are being constantly received, and the increasing settlements upon others will undoubtedly require the expenditure of all that has been apportioned for surveys in this district for the next fiscal year. The policy of allowing pay to deputy surveyors for the retracement of the necessary lines to establish lost and obliterated corners, in order to determine the initial and closing points of new surveys, is just, and should be adhered to by the department in all of the surveys to be made in this district. In fact, I consider it imperatively necessary in order to obtain the services of capable and experienced surveyors. Also the policy of the department in authorizing the survey of suspended and rejected townships is considered a great improvement over that in vogue during the past year, and will be of much benefit to the settlers upou lands in those townships. The policy adopted by this office in withholding the approval of a survey until examined in the field by an examiner of surveys has seemed to work well, and has resulted in obtaining an excellent class of work by the deputies employed, and I would recommend the continuation of the practice by providing for the examination of all surveys as soon as the same are completed by the surveyor-general in person or under his immediate supervision, believing it to be conducive to their better execution and a more speedy adjustment of the accounts pertaining to the survey. During the year there have been seventy-two applications for the survey of the public lands. Contracts awarded will be found in the tabular statement. The aggregate number of miles surveyed is 518 miles 54 chains and 55 links, segregated as follows: |