Page images
PDF
EPUB

Surveying service:

For surveying 400 miles standard lines, at $15 per mile.

$6,000 00

For surveying exterior boundaries of 40 townships, 480 miles, at $12 per mile

5,760 00

For surveying 2,400 miles of subdivisional lines, at $10 per mile..

[blocks in formation]

Total estimates...

45,060 00

B.-Statement showing the condition of surveying contracts entered into since

the office was opened.

[blocks in formation]

2 Allen M. Thompson. April 8 Boise meridian north of initial

point 48 miles, and first standard
parallel north (west) to Snake
river, and east 42 miles.

3 Allen M. Thompson. May 27 Boise meridian north, continued

[blocks in formation]

180 miles, and two standard lines
140 miles.

June 26 Exterior and subdivisional lines of
townships 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 north,
ranges 1, 2, 3, and 4, east of
Boise meridian.

Surveys completed, notes returned and approved, and plats and transcript transmitted.

Surveys comp'd, notes ret'd and ap'vd, and plats and transcripts transmitted. Surveys completed, notes not yet returned. Party in the field.

C.-Statement of account of appropriation for compensation of surveyor general of Idaho and clerks in his office for the fractional fiscal year ending June 30,

[blocks in formation]

D.-Statement of appropriation for rent of office, fuel, books, stationery, and other incidental expenses for the fractional fiscal year ending June 30, 1867.

[blocks in formation]

CR.

$3,000 00

3,000 00

1,469 63

E.-Statement of original plats or diagrams of standard lines, and copies transmitted to the General Land Office.

[merged small][graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

F.-Account of appropriation for extension of public surveys for the fractional fiscal year ending June 30, 1867.

[blocks in formation]

Annual report of the United States surveyor general for California for the year 1866-'67.

Office of the U. S. SURVEYOR GENERAL FOR CALIFORNIA,

San Francisco, July 31, 1867.

SIR: In accordance with instructions from the department, I have the honor to herewith submit, in duplicate, my annual report in reference to surveys executed in the State of California during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1867.

I also forward statements of the business appertaining to this surveying de partment, to accompany the report, as follows:

A.-Statement of contracts entered into with deputy surveyor during the year

1866-'67.

B. Statement showing the number of miles surveyed in California to June 30, 1867.

C.-Statement of account of appropriation for surveys of public lands in the State of California to June 30, 1867.

D.-Statement of account of appropriation for compensation of surveyor general and clerks for 1866-'67.

E.-Statement of account of appropriation for rent of office and other incidental expenses for 1866-'67.

the

F.-Statement of field-notes of public surveys sent to the department during year ending June 30, 1867.

G.-Statement of descriptive notes, decrees of courts, &c., relative to private land claims, to accompany plats for patent, compiled for transmission to the department at Washington in 1866-'67.

H.-Statement of plats made in this office in 1866–67.

I.-Statement of examinations and reports made to the department for patent, of all subdivisional surveys heretofore pre-empted or selected under acts of Congress relating thereto.

K.-Statement showing the number and present condition of surveys of private land claims under instructions from this office in 1866–’67.

L-List of lands surveyed in California during 1866-'67.

M.-Estimates for surveying service in California for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869.

In addition to the office work, as set forth in the foregoing statements, the employés have been engaged in the following duties, viz:

1. Making out contracts for surveys of public lands in triplicate.

2. Examination of the field-notes of public surveys returned by the deputy

surveyors.

3. Copying the correspondence of this office.

4. Making out instructions for surveys of private land claims, in triplicate. 5. Examination of field-notes of surveys of private land claims returned by deputy surveyors as executed under instructions from this office.

6. Keeping in proper order and condition the Spanish and Mexican archives and records of the late board of land commissioners.

7. Keeping in order the records, plats and field-notes of public surveys and of surveys of private land claims.

8. Examination of locations of surveys of private land claims.

9. Making sketches to accompany contracts of public surveys and of surveys of private land claims.

10. Making out bonds and accounts of deputy surveyors for work executed under contracts.

11. Making out bonds and instructions of deputy surveyors for surveys of mineral lands under the special act of Congress relating thereto.

12. Making out quarterly accounts and certificates to vouchers.

13. Posting the books of accounts and records appertaining to the business of the office.

14. Exhibiting the Spanish and Mexican archives, and land commission papers, records, and plats, to parties interested, and making the necessary explanations.

15. Making out in triplicate the annual report with accompanying statements. The estimate for the year ending June 30, 1869, in relation to surveys in California is for the following purposes, viz:

1. For running and establishing the lines necessary for the subdivision of such townships as lie within the congressional grants to the Central Pacific and Western Pacific railroad companies, and in such other portions of the State as may be deemed necessary and expedient.

2. For extending the township and subdivision lines over confirmed private land claims, for the survey of which no application has been or shall have been made within the time specified by the act of Congress approved July 23, 1866.

These unsurveyed private land claims in California number above three hundred, the titles to which are either finally adjudicated or yet pending in the courts. They lie principally in the southern part of the State, and embrace within their claimed boundaries lands well adapted for tillage and grazing, as well as the growth of most of the semi-tropical and many of the tropical fruits and vegetables.

The prosperity of that part of the State embracing most of this class of claims has, without a doubt, been very greatly retarded by reason of the nonestablishment of the boundaries of these claims, which has prevented the segregation of the ranchos from the public domain, and thus delayed the extension of the lines of public surveys over adjacent territory, clearly public land, which ought as speedily as possible to be opened for entry and settlement by the immigrant.

3. For extending the township and subdivision lines over such portions of the mineral districts as may be found necessary to connect the lines of the mining claims recognized by law with the lines of the public surveys.

As the act of Congress, approved July 26, 1866, authorizing and directing surveys of mining claims, prescribes a mode of entry and purchase of all public lands within these mineral districts, and as this class of claims is steadily

growing in importance and value from the increase of mining knowledge and improvement in mining machinery, it is a point of great interest, not only to the public treasury, but to the saving of future litigation as to the established boundaries of claims, that definite connections with established lines and corners of public surveys should be had at the earliest practicable day, and therefore this item of the estimates has been included as yielding to none other in its relative importance.

4. For pay of clerks and draughtsmen in the surveyor general's office.

The entire amount named in the estimate for this service will, in my opinion, be required. The increasing population of the State, and the demand for lands for entry and settlement, not only by immigrants, but by citizens successful in commercial and mining pursuits, who seek homesteads, are daily adding to the labor and complication of the work of this office. In addition to this the natural effects of the act of Congress, approved July 3, 1866, relating to swamp and overflowed lands in this State, are imposing on the present force of the employés in this office much additional labor, and that, too, of a kind not heretofore reckoned part of the duties of this office.

For these reasons the force employed in office work during the past year has been insufficient for as prompt a performance of all the duties devolving upon it as was desirable; and, however unwillingly, I have been thereby unable to furnish the registers of the several land offices with the necessary plats of township subdivisions with the same alacrity (after completion of the field-work by the deputy surveyors) that I would have wished and the public interest demanded.

In this connection it will be noticed that no estimate is made for the surveying service in Arizona, which Territory is now, for public survey service, under the control of this office. But, as this office is not in possession of any official information as to the amount of unexpended balances to the credit of the service in that Territory from appropriations heretofore made, nor of the amount and character of the work necessary to be done there, the consideration of the amount of appropriations necessary, and the classes of estimates under such appropriation, is respectfully referred to the better information of the department.

The surveys of the past fiscal year, executed under the appropriations for the public work, have been principally confined to the northern and eastern portions of the State, embracing Long valley, Surprise valley, part of the country lying between Surprise valley and Honey lake, the eastern portion of Honey Lake valley, a tract north of Marysville and east of the Sacramento river, including twenty-two townships lying partly in Sacramento valley and partly in the low foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada, and a tract of twelve townships (including the Big Meadows) situated in the vicinity of the head-waters of Susan river and of the north fork of Feather river.

Through the portions surveyed, as above described, run the great high roads from Red Bluff and Chico, in California, to the Territories of Montana and Idaho, with their lateral branches.

Under the act of Congress approved May 30, 1862, permitting settlers on public lands to deposit the necessary funds to the credit of the appropriation for work petitioned for by them, subdivision work has been executed to the amount of nearly fifteen thousand dollars. Of this amount there were deposited by the Central Pacific Railroad Company about five thousand dollars, and by the Western Pacific Railroad Company one thousand dollars.

Under the act of Congress approved July 23, 1866, the lines of the public surveys have been extended over the Aguas Nieves or Hensley rancho, situated in Butte county, the title to which rancho had been rejected by the Supreme Court of the United States. The various tracts upon this rancho which each settler had reduced to possession will be protracted upon the township subdivi

« PreviousContinue »