Coast and Geodetic Survey, except in the immediate ne harbors. Several very useful sheets were found in the Geological Survey, but the lake survey did not assist remote from this department. Four maps have been purchased for the use of this offic tingent fund by the adjutant-general of the departme neighborhood of San Francisco Bay, one of the southe State, one of Contra Costa County, and one of Marin C two being on a large scale. From these much valuable i be derived. From the excess of acid used in its preparation, blac when kept in rolls ready sensitized, quickly deteriorate very brittle. To obviate this I have made arrangements own paper, as required, and print the sheets at once. hope to get better results and prints that can be ha breaking the paper. B By an act of the California legislature, approved Mar State granted and released to the Federal Government or parcels of land extending 300 yards out beyond lo adjoining all military reservations bordering on tidal wat such reservations and the land added thereto to be place office of the recorder of deeds of the county in which t might be situated, and also in the office of the surveyor State. In consequence, maps of a convenient size were transmitted to the adjutant-general of the department of San Francisco, Fort Mason, Alcatraz, and Angel Isl Arsenal and Barracks, and San Diego Barracks. Lieut. Milton F. Davis, Fourth Cavalry, prepared a ve sive map of the Sequoia and General Grant national pa graphy and information contained in which will be trai sheets of the military information department map as so tion is reached. This remark also applies to a map of National Park, prepared by Lieut. Harry C. Benson, of ment, several copies of which have been supplied to the now patrolling the park. Copies have also been furnishe United States surveyor (Campbell), who is about to resur aries and set suitable monuments. ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUT. JOHN L. SEHON, TWENTIE A. D. C., FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDİNG JUNE 3 ENGINEER OFFI HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE COL Denver, Colo., J SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report transactions of this office for the period covered from Sep (date of last report), to June 30, 1897. PERSONNEL. First Lieut. George T. Langhorne, First Cavalry, aid-de-camp, remained in charge of the office since submitting last report until May 8, 1897. First Lieut. John L. Sehon, Twentieth Infantry, aid-de-camp, in compliance with General Orders, No. 12, headquarters Department of the Colorado, May 24, 1897, assumed charge of the office June 8, 1897, relieving Second Lieut. J. B. Bennet, Seventh Infantry, detailed to perform the duty until the arrival at these headquarters of an officer of the personal staff of Brig. Gen. E. S. Otis, United States Army, the present department commander. Mr. Charles Kern. an efficient topographer and draftsman, has continued on duty in the office as assistant to the engineer officer. OFFICE WORK. Excellent work nas peen done on the progressive military map, the section cards returned to this office from the several detachments now engaged in the field revision of the same indicating that more satisfactory results will be attained under the system recently adopted than obtained under the method followed when the scheme was first instituted. No map of the Department of the Colorado has ever been prepared since the organization of the department with the present territorial limits, a substitute for such being had in general land office maps of the States of Colorado and Utah and Territories of New Mexico and Arizona obtained from the Interior Department, but these can not be secured in sufficient numbers to permit a general distribution to all officers serving at posts in the department who may desire them. With a view to surmounting this deficiency, it is the intention to commence at the first opportunity a drawing for the production of a map of this military department containing all attainable information, but with the services of only one draftsman available in the office, progress upon such a work will necessarily be slow. One hundred and fifty five maps of portions of this department have been issued, 15 maps drawn by hand, 36 tracings made, 208 solar prints of different maps made, 51 maps mounted on muslin, and 188 maps. mounted on cardboard. Some miscellaneous work has been done in addition to the foregoing, and numerous verbal reports to the department commander and adju tant-general of the department made at various times. No funds have been available for the use of this office during the year, a few necessary materials and some requisite articles of office, equipment having been furnished by the quartermaster's department. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN L. SEHON, First Lieutenant, Twentieth Infantry, Brig. Gen. JOHN M. WILSON, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. APPENDIX E E E. LAWS FOR PROTECTION OF NAVIGABLE WATERS. [Printed in House Doc. No. 293, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session.] UNITED STATES ARMY, SIR: Section 2 of the river and harbor act of June 3, 1896, directs the Secretary of War "to cause to be prepared a compilation of all general laws that have been enacted from time to time by Congress for the maintenance, protection, and preservation of the navigable waters of the United States which are now in force, and to submit the same to Congress" at its present session, "together with such recommendation as to revision, emendation, or enlargement of the said laws as, in his judgment, will be advantageous to the public interest." In pursuance of the foregoing provision of the act, I have the honor to submit herewith (1) a compilation of the general laws relating to the maintenance, preservation, and protection of navigable waters of the United States now in force, and (2) a draft of an act embodying such revision and enlargement of the aforesaid laws as the experience of this office has shown to be advantageous to the public interest. The draft submitted covers every subject embraced in the existing laws, together with some additional subjects, except those authorizing the Secretary of War to make regulations for the navigation of Government canals and for the opening of drawbridges, which are comprehended in sections 4 and 5, respectively, of the act of August 18, 1894. These two laws have been omitted for the reasons that they appear unobjectionable in their present form; regulations under their provi sions have been prescribed with much care and published at much expense; their force and constitutionality have been sustained by the courts, and no public advantage could be obtained by any change in their provisions. Much care has been given by this office to the preparation of the draft submitted, and the views of some of the most experienced officers of the Corps of Engineers have been invited and considered in connection therewith. It is believed to be clear and free from ambiguity, and better adapted to conserve the important interests of commerce and navigation than the laws in their present form. As the Secretary of War has given personal consideration to the question of changing the existing law relating to the removal of wrecks, special care has been exercised in the revision of the law on that subject, which will be found in sections 11 and 12 of the draft submitted. In this connection attention is respectfully invited to a separate paper* containing a draft of a law for the removal of wrecks, which, it * Not printed. is understood, accords with the views of the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange. This, however, differs but little from the draft adopted by this office. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN M. WILSON, Brig Gen., Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army. Hon. DANIEL S. LAMONT, Secretary of War. COMPILATION OF EXISTING LAWS RELATING TO THE PROTECTION, PRESERVATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THE NAVIGABLE WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES. Bridges injuring channels or banks of rivers.-Whenever complaint shall be made to the Secretary of War that by reason of the placing in any navigable waters of the United States of any bridge pier or abutment, the current of such waters has been so deflected from its natural course as to cause by producing caving of banks or otherwise serious damage or danger to property, it shall be his duty to make inquiry, and if it shall be ascertained that the complaint is well founded, he shall cause the owners or persons operating such bridge to repair such damage or prevent such danger to property by such means as he shall indicate and within such time as he may name, and in default thereof the owners or persons operating such bridge shall be liable in any court of competent jurisdiction to the persons injured in a sum double the amount of said injury. * (Sec. 2, river and harbor act of August 11, 1888.) * * Removal of wrecks.-Whenever hereafter the navigation of any river, lake, harbor, or bay, or other navigable water of the United States, shall be obstructed or endangered by any sunken vessel or water craft, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War, upon satisfactory information thereof, to cause reasonable notice, of not less than thirty days, to be given, personally or by publication, at least once a week in the newspaper published nearest the locality of such sunken vessel or craft, to all persons interested in such vessel or craft, or in the cargo thereof, of the purpose of said Secretary, unless such vessel or craft shall be removed as soon thereafter as practicable by the parties interested therein, to cause the same to be removed. If such sunken vessel or craft and cargo shall not be removed by the parties interested therein as soon as practicable after the date of the giving of such notice by publication, or after such personal service of notice, as the case may be, such sunken vessel or craft shall be treated as abandoned and derelict, and the Secretary of War shall proceed to remove the same. Such sunken vessel or craft and cargo and all property therein when so removed shall, after reasonable notice of the time and place of sale, be sold to the highest bidder or bidders for cash, and the proceeds of such sales shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of a fund for the removal of such obstructions to navigation, under the direction of the Secretary of War, and to be paid out for that purpose on his requisition therefor. The provisions of this act shall apply to all such wrecks whether removed under this act or under any other act of Congress. Such sum of money as may be necessary to execute this section of this act is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, to be |