REPORT OF THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL OF NORTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES SURVEYOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Bismarck, N. Dak., July 16, 1891. SIR: In compliance with your letter E, dated April 18, 1891, I have the honor to submit in duplicate the annual report of this office relative to surveying operations in this district for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, together with tabular statement as follows: A.-Statement showing contracts entered into on account of apportionment of $40,000 made to North Dakota for the survey of public lands during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. No contracts were entered into during the fiscal year on account of special deposits by individuals for the survey of public lands. The surveying district of North Dakota was created by act of Congress approved April 10, 1890, and the President, by executive order dated July 16, 1890, directed that the office of the surveyor-general be located at the city of Bismarck. The office was opened for the transaction of business on August 1, 1890, and the greater portion of the records, archives, plats, field-notes, etc., have been received from the surveyor-general of South Dakota, of which district this was formerly a part. There yet remain, however, to be delivered to this office, the plats, field-notes, and other records pertaining to the survey of a number of townships, which are in process of construction at the office of the surveyor-general of South Dakota, and which I am informed will be complete and ready for delivery in a short time. The subdivisional surveys of Ts. 145 N., Rs. 69 and 70 W., a total of 119 miles 72 chains and 72 links, have been completed, the plats, field-notes, etc., transmitted to the General Land Office, and the plats and descriptive lists to the local land office at Bismarck, N. Dak. The deputies to whom were awarded contracts Nos. 2 to 9, inclusive, are now in the field and report fair progress in their work. Since opening this office, on August 1 last, letters, documents, plats, field-notes, etc., have been prepared as follows: Letters to Commissioner General Land Office. Letters to Secretary of the Interior 93 5 There has also been a large amount of miscellaneous work performed in conection with properly indexing and arranging the records of the office and of which no detailed statement can well be given. In conclusion I would state that the portion of this district which remains to be surveyed is all good agricultural and grazing land, and settlements are following as fast as the land is surveyed. Persons who desire to settle and improve the public lands and make permanent homes for themselves dislike to locate on unsurveyed land, as they can not properly locate their improvements, and experience has shown that in this district settlement 385 INT 91-VOL I-25 increases much more rapidly where the subdivisional surveys have been completed than upon the unsurveyed land, and especially will this be the case in that portion of the State north of the Missouri river and along the line of the Great Northern railway, in the counties of Ward, Mountraille, Flannery, and Buford. Very respectfully, ERASTUS S. WILLIAMS, U. S. Surveyor-General. Commissioner General Land Office, Washington, D. C. Hon. T. H. CARTER, A.-Contracts entered into on account of apportionment of $40,000 made to North Dakota for the survey of public lands during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. 2 April 18 George G. Beardsley and Geo. K. Dike... The subdivision lines of Ts. 145 N., Rs. 69 and The subdivision lines of T. 160 N., R. 77; Ts. 3 April 26 Rufus S. Brookings... The subdivision lines of Ts. 135, 136, 137, 141, and 4 May 7 Hiram A. Soule. 5 May 18 142 N., R. 89; Ts. 136, 141, and 142 N., R. 90; Thomas F. Marshall.. The subdivision lines of Ts. 158, 159, and 160 N., R. 81; Ts. 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, and 163 N., 6 May 29. Jas. G. Saunders...... The subdivision lines of T. 142 N., Rs. 95, 96, 97 and 98; all west of the fifth principal meridian, June 1.. Martin B. Severance.. The subdivision lines of T. 145 N., Rs. 71 and 72; 7 8 June 6.. Thos. F. Marshall..... 9 Ts. 145, 146, and 147 N., R. 73; all west of the June 8. Rufus S. Brookings... The lines between Ts. 133 and 134, 134 and 135, and 135 and 136 N., in R. 88; the subdivision $600 5,080 3,015 9,200 9,900 $1,200 1,525 5,000 4,400 REPORT OF THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL OF SOUTH DAKOTA. OFFICE OF UNITED STATES SURVEYOR-GENERAL, Huron, Dak., July 28, 1891. SIR: In compliance with your circular letter E of April 18, 1891, I have the honor to submit in duplicate my report of the surveying operations in this district for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, with tabular statements, as follows: A.-Showing contracts entered into on account of apportionment of $40,000 made to South Dakota for the survey of public lands during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. B.-Showing contracts entered into on account of appropriation of $8,000 for survey, etc., of abandoned military reservations. Act approved August 30, 1890. C.-Showing office-work on mineral surveys during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. No contracts were entered into during the fiscal year on account of special deposits by individuals for the survey of public lands, and no deposits were made for such surveys. The following table shows the number of miles of public surveys in this district upon which office-work was completed and returns transmitted during the fiscal year: Boundary of section of land held for town-site purposes, sec. 22, act approved March 3, 1891, in T. 5 N., R. 31 E., B. H. M. Retracement of base lines. 21 Retracement of township and range lines. 16 68 Retracement of section lines. 1 40 Retracement of boundaries Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Company's lands in T. 104 N., Rs. 71 and 72 W., fifth principal meridian 1 38 Total.. 10, 523 46 53 15 63 Township plats prepared (166 townshps platted)... Diagrams of Indian reservations, town sites, and township exteriors..... 498 78 By act approved April 10, 1890, the territory heretofore comprising the surveying district of Dakota was divided into two surveying districts comprising, respectively, the States of North Dakota and South Dakota. In accordance with instructions of letter E of your office, dated July 18, 1890, the archives heretofore of this office relating to United States surveys in North Dakota were collected and surrendered to the surveyor-general of North Dakota under dates August 25, 1890, and March 11, 1891, excepting that portion of said surveys required in the completion of all the details of the service in this office on surveys under contract in North Dakota. Upon said completion the remaining archives pertaining to North Dakota surveys will be surrendered. To properly execute this transfer much labor was required; and although kindly assisted therein by the surveyor-general of North Dakota, the pressure of other and imperative work was so great that certified transcripts for North Dakota of a large mass of archives of minor importance and not required for current work could not be prepared, and their preparation will have to be postponed. Referring to the rapidly increasing number of mineral surveys in this surveying district, it seems proper to invite the attention of yourself and, through yourself, of Congress, to the necessity for legislative provision for inspection of such surveys, if such provision does not already exist. As the field-notes of mineral surveys furnish descriptions for patents, their accuracy should be well assured. The competition among deputy mineral surveyors, the so-called errors of prior surveys continually reported, the discrepancies between recent deputies-each and all of these call for a scrutiny far more searching than a mere critical examination of field-notes can accord. In addition may be mentioned the increased office-work and increased difficulty of maintaining proper official control of the conduct of deputies when inspection is omitted. In fact, whatever argument exists for inspection of agricultural surveys in which comparatively liberal limits for closings are allowed, the same argument applies with added force to inspection of mineral surveys in which "closed" surveys only are accepted. The matter is worthy of argument longer than the limit of this report permits, and it should have prompt and sufficient attention. The business of the fiscal year just closed has revealed one other matter which may properly have brief mention here. It has referènce to the annual appropriations made by Congress for the contingent expenses of offices of surveyors-general. Current rulings of the Treasury Department, presumably in compliance with law, require all contingent expenses of every nature whatsoever connected with the surveying service, whether incurred on account of surveys under the "regular" annual appropriation or on account of surveys under the "special" or deposit system, to be borne by the annual appropriation. Owing to the largely increased number of mineral surveys it has transpired that the annual appropriation has been burdened with an expense which could not, in the nature of things, have been considered by Congress when making the appropriation. The result of the above construction of law has been disastrous to this office, and has left a mass of its records unprotected by the proper binding, filing, and indexing which should have been given to them. It does appear that, inasmuch as Congress can not be expected to intelligently provide for contingent expenses attaching to so variable a quantity as "special" surveys, it would simplify matters very much if the contingent expenses, as well as all other expenses attaching to "special" surveys, could be made chargeable to the continuing appropriation created by "deposits by individuals," and thereby leave the annual appropriation for contingent expenses free from this variable charge. All of which is respectfully submitted. Very respectfully, HON. CHARLES H. CARTER, BOETHIUS H. SULLIVAN, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Washington, D. C. Surveyor-General. A.-Contracts entered into on account of apportionment of $40,000 made to South Dakota for the survey of public lands during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. Deputy. Character and location of work. Estimated cost. Roscoe K. Watson.... The subdivisional lines of townships 17, 18, and 19 Eli Butterworth.... 1891. 66 Apr. 9 Frederick W. Pettigrew (Special instructions.) The survey of the section of land formerly reserved for the benefit of the $1,550,00 300.00 92.00 A.-Contracts entered into on account of apportionment of $40,000 made to South Dakota for the survey of public lands, etc.-Continued. No. Date. Deputy. Character and location of work. Estimated cost. 1890. 67 May 2 Roscoe K. Watson 68 May 2 The line between ranges 1 and 2 through town. Charles H. Bates...... The third standard parallel from the line between Miles T. Woolley, Bir- The third guide meridian (line between ranges 12 The section any meander lines of townships 1 and The fourth standard parallel (south boundary of The fourth guide meridian (between ranges 16 $5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 5,000.00 |