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Show Sit IF II ramus Government Gives Attention to Montana and Nevada During Dur-ing Past Year. WATER RESOURCES OF DESERTS INVESTIGATED Truckee and Carson Streams May Have Waters Utilized Willi in Year. Tho twenty-sixth annual report of the director of lho United States geological survey, which has recently como from tho irjss, contains an nccount of work done by tho tuirvey during tho last fiscal year July 1, 190-1. to July 1, 106 In tho various State. In Montana, 13-16 squaro miles of now area wre topographically surveyed, 735 miles of levels were run and 1ZJ bench marks woro established during tho last fiscal year. In co-oporatlon with the reclamation re-clamation service, three parties were engaged en-gaged in topographic surveys In tho Kremlin. Box Elder and Loncsomo Special Spec-ial quadrangles, and In parts of the Big Sandy, Vlrgelle. Laredo, Vnndnlla and Glasgow quadrangles, and completed work In the Hinsdale Special quadrangle. The Hold work was done on the scales of 1:45,000 and 1:24,000, for publication on the scale of 1:02,500, with contour Intervals of CO and C feel. Lonesome lake was also surveyed for a reservoir site, on tho scale of l:i.0C0. In addition to this topographic topo-graphic work two parlies were engaged In running Independent lines of levels, one to ascertain the subsidence of tho surface of the earth In the vicinity of Butte, and tho other to check old work In tho vicinity of Garrison, tho latter work being chargeable charge-able partly to forestry. Forest Reserve Surveyed. Some of tho topographic work In Montana Mon-tana was within the Lewis and Clark forest for-est reserve. One party was engaged In completing the topographic survey of the Klntla Laftcs quadranglo and beginning that of the Murston quadrangle, both for publication on the scale of 1:1:5.000. with a contour Interval of 100 feet. In addition, for the control of this and ajolning areas, one level parly was maintained. Tho boundary of the Lewis and Clark foresi leservo was surveyed by Mr. W. II. Thorn, United States surveyor, who, during dur-ing tho season surveyed and marked with Iron posts CIVt miles of new line, nnd retraced re-traced 112 miles previously surveyed, for the purpose of setting Iron posts, which had been omitted the year before. In connection with this boundary survey CVj miles of public land lines were run. During the season of 1901, Mr. Fred McLaughlin connected the trlangulntlon which had been extended eastward from the Burnham base with the Missouri River Commission trlangulntlon near lho Junctlou of Missouri and Milk rlvors, in Vallty county. Later In the season an area of about 1000 square miles in Chou-leau Chou-leau county was controlled, extending from a point a little north of the Burn-ham Burn-ham base, in Chouteau county, south of the Burnham base, to connect with tho line Recess ridge of the Missouri River trlangulallon. and thence westward across Marias river. Tho work was done under the supervision of Mr. II. L. Bnldwin, Jr. Eight old stations were rcoccupled, Including those of the Missouri River commission, and IS new ones were selected select-ed and occupied. Ten topographic atlas sheets of areas In Montana were engraved nnd printed by the survey during the fiscal year 1901-05. These Include maps of the Bowdoln. Butte. Asslnlbolne Chinook, Harlem. Havre. Ovando. Saco, Wayne Creek and Ynntlc quadrangles. Mr. W. H. Weed was engaged during the larger part -of the year in preparing maps and manuscripts manu-scripts for a report on the Butte copper district. A week of his tlmo was spent in a study of the recent developments In the Leonard mine, which threw now light upon certain complicated problems. Certain bodies of land lying along tho Yellowstone and Big Horn rivers arc to be reclaimed under the name of the Crow reservation project. Most of the land lies In the ceded portion if the Crow Indian reservation. Three parties have been actively ac-tively engaged on tho preliminary surveys. sur-veys. The llrst party wns put In the field about June 1. 1904, and ran a line of levels to determine tho feasibility of a high lino canal from the mouth of the Bighorn canyon. Toward the. lael of June this work was completed, and it was decided to make a preliminary location of the i'lgh lino canal. About the middle of Julv a topographic party was organized and put to work on the di-rslon sites and special fedtures requltCSj detailed topography. In August a third party was outfitted and starled on a preliminary rannl location for th lands along the Yellowstone bel'iw Huntley. Zffaps of Nevada Camps. In view of the rapid development of tho mining dlstrlcLs of Nevada and the consequent demand for Information, the survey undertook the preparation of a reconnaissance topographic map of the entire region. Including tho Bullfrog, IvHWlch, Tokop, Llda and other districts, nnd of a special topographic map of lho Goldfish! district, the principal center of activity. A geologic reconnaissance map of the mining regions was made by Mr. S. II. Bttll. who accompanied the topographic topo-graphic party fcr that purpose. Mr. J. E Spurr spent sevoral weeks In the Tonopah district, studying its latest developments. Hydrographlc wok in Nevada was carried car-ried on In co-opcratlon with the State, through the State engineer, Mr. Henrv Thnrtell. Gauging stations were maintained main-tained at Empire, Gardnervllle, Yerlng-ton. Yerlng-ton. Golconda. Oroana, Palisade, Elburz. Elko, Wadsworth, Moapa. Vista and Wabuska. The character and depth of the ground waters .n the Carson sink, bent be-nt alh the area which It Is proposed to irrigate under the name of the Truckee Carson project, were Inevsllgated by Mr. Herman Stabler, under the direction of Mr. M. O. Lelghton. chief of the survey's hydro-economic section. TJie large amount of Information available avail-able concerning the water resources of Nevada made It possible lo reach an early conclusion regarding the merits of various vari-ous Irrigation projects. Work was therefore there-fore begun at an early dnte on lho plnns and estimates for utilizing the waters of Truckee and Carson rivers. A number of reservoir sites on the headwaters of Truckee and Carson rivers were surveyed and oportunilles for diverting the water were examined. Tho waters of Truckee river are used for the Irrigation of lands In the vicinity of Reno. Below theso lands the river flows through a narrow canyon and then turns to the north. Us waters being lost In Pyramid and Wlnne-nuicca Wlnne-nuicca lakes. In this lower ennyon Is now completed a canal, taking out the flood and excess waters of Truckee river, which would otherwise be lost in the lakes, and carrying them southeastward to a reservoir reser-voir on the lower part of Caraon river, In this samp reservoir the excess waters of the latter ntronm can also bo used. From this reservoir distributing canals have been built. The main canal from Truckee to Carson Car-son river was completed and formally opened in June, 190. A large canal and' headworks. to divert water from Carson rlvor lo tho Irritable land to the south have been completed. A great area of land In Carson valley will be under Irrigation Irriga-tion from this system In 19015. An Investigation Investi-gation of the ground waters In Carson valley wns made during tho year. "Wherever "Wher-ever wells had been sunk the water was taken from them, but tho larger proportion propor-tion of the samples were collected from wells bored for that purpose with a hand auger. In this way data were obtained hy which tho alkaline constituents of tho ground water of tho entire area wore determined de-termined and a map w-uj prepared which nhowa tho variations in concentration of alkalies in tho water, i |