the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the west crossing of the Kootenai River. After finishing the mapping, he organized a vista-cutting party near Porthill. It then being November 1, little was accomplished before early snows and cold weather forced the party to suspend operations for the season, on November 15.

THIRD TOPOGRAPHIC SUBPARTY

To the third topographic subparty was assigned the topographic mapping along the sections of boundary retraced by the astronomic subparties, and work was begun at Gateway. The section of the boundary between the Kootenai River at Gateway and the Wigwam River had been mapped by the United States reconnaissance party of 1901. As this work was accepted after a small amount of checking and revision, practically all of the work of the third topographic subparty lay west of the Kootenai River.

The party measured a preliminary base at Gateway and expanded from it instrumentally to suitable points available for plane-table control until the astronomic party would be able to furnish final control data. The plane table, supplemented by stadia traverse, was then used for the actual mapping.

The topography immediately west of Gateway consists, for about 4 miles, of low, rolling hills covered with a dense growth of timber. Continuing westward, these timbered hills rise gradually in height for about 6 miles and then abruptly rise to the crest of the Purcell Range. This region had to be mapped almost entirely by stadia traverse for which many miles of line had to be cut through the underbrush, making the work slow and tedious. West of the Purcell summit the character of the country is more bold, and though mostly timbered was more easily mapped. In all of this heavily timbered country all work had to be done on foot. No horses were kept for party use. Camp was moved and supplies were brought in by the pack trains of the astronomic party working in the same area.

Topographic mapping was carried on as far west as the Yaak River where a junction was made with the work of the first topographic subparty, on October 21. The party then moved to Porthill, Idaho, and assisted the second topographic subparty in completing the mapping of the section of the line assigned to the United States parties in 1903. Having completed its mission, the party was disbanded on November 4.

FOURTH TOPOGRAPHIC SUBPARTY-LEVELING

The fourth topographic subparty or level party left Gateway on June 15, going by rail to Belton, Montana. There they spent a few days assisting the chief topographer in hiring and organizing transportation to supply the parties about to begin work on the Flathead River. This attended to, the party took up the operations to which it had been assigned.

Beginning at a United States Geological Survey bench mark at Round Prairie on the Flathead River, at the end of an unchecked line from Belton, the party ran a level line to the boundary on the Flathead River, ran spur lines to Kintla, Bowman, Quartz, and Logging Lakes, and checked the line back to a checked bench mark of the United States Geological Survey at Belton. The spur lines, except the one to

Kintla Lake, were run for the use of the United States Geological Survey, and reimbursement for the work was made by that Survey. Permanent and temporary bench marks were set along the line and at its terminus. While at work in the Flathead Valley, the party lived in camp and was transported by a hired pack train.

The level work in the Flathead Valley having been completed, the party moved to Rexford, Montana, and ran a checked line of levels from there to Gateway, Montana. The datum for this line was a Great Northern Railway bench mark established by a checked line of railroad levels from Columbia Falls, Montana, and referred to the United States Geological Survey datum at that place. While so occupied the party lived at hotels and ranch houses.

The level party completed its work on the 25th of October and was transferred to the chief astronomer. A trip was made to the Flathead River for magnetic observations on the boundary at that place. The return trip to Gateway had to be hastened to keep from being blockaded in the mountain ranges by the snow which began to fall early in November. Upon reaching Gateway, observations were made at two stations nearby. By this time the snow had become so deep that it was useless to attempt further work and the party was disbanded on November 20.

The personnel of the United States topographic party was: Chief of party, E. C. Barnard, Chief Topographer; assistant in charge of first subparty, D. L. Reaburn; assistant in charge of second subparty, J. G. Hefty; assistant in charge of third subparty, Sewell Truax; assistant in charge of fourth subparty, A. E. Franklin; transitmen, C. A. Holden, E. H. Loder, H. F. Burkhart; and about 40 hands.

SEASON OF 1904-SKAGIT RIVER TO THE SUMMIT OF

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

The field operations of 1904 were a continuation of the work of the previous season. The number and organization of the field parties differed but little, the Canadians employing one main party and the United States two main parties as during the previous season. The Canadian party, however, was considerably augmented in size. The Canadian party continued work on the section of the boundary from the Kettle River near Laurier, Washington, and Cascade, British Columbia, to the crossing of the Kootenai River at Porthill, Idaho. The United States parties continued work on the section of the line from the crossing of the Kootenai River at Porthill, Idaho, to the summit of the Rocky Mountains; carried on triangulation and other work between the Similkameen River and the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River near Laurier, Washington; and did the major part of the field work on the section of line, assigned to United States parties, between the Skagit and Similkameen Rivers.

CANADIAN PARTY

The Canadian party of 1904 was organized at Porthill, Idaho, during the first week in May. It consisted of 34 men and was provided with 33 head of pack horses. Twenty-one of the pack horses were purchased locally at the time of organization and were immediately available. The remainder of the horses had been used the

previous season and wintered at the Charbonneau Ranch on the Pend-d'Oreille (Clark Fork) River. These were brought across the mountains as soon as the melting snows permitted and arrived at Porthill about June 1. At the time of organization the Kootenai River was in its annual spring flood and the crossing of the river with outfit and supplies to reach the west side presented the usual difficulties. The animals were made to swim and wade the three miles across the flooded valley while outfit and supplies were ferried across in small boats. For efficiency, the party was divided into two general divisions, one for triangulation and the other for line projection, vista cutting, trail building, and phototopography. Each of these main divisions was divided from time to time into smaller crews.

The triangulation party was made up of two self-dependent units, one for reconnaissance and signal building and one for observing. Triangulation was begun at stations "Hell Roaring" and "Hawkins" of the United States party and carried westward through stations on each side of the boundary.

The difficulties of travel through the high and heavily timbered mountains, the rains and bad weather of the early part of the season, and smoke from forest fires in the latter part of the season combined to make the progress of the triangulation very slow. Weather conditions became so unfavorable about the middle of October that the triangulation was suspended for the season before a junction, as planned, could be made with the work of the United States parties at stations "Buck" and "Horn" near the eastern crossing of the Kettle River.

After the suspension of triangulation, the party spent some time before disbanding in measuring the deflection angles of the boundary at the original cairns or monuments between the Columbia River and the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River.

The line-work division of the party began operations with a vista-cutting crew of 16 axmen on May 12 at original boundary cairn 139 (now Monument 206). This crew worked west along the 25-mile chord which had been established the previous season and upon which the vista had been cut only on two short sections.

As the vista cutting proceeded westward twelve intermediate monument sites were selected and marked, and horse trails were cut, over which monuments and material for their bases might be transported from the main trail. The work on this chord was completed on July 10. Three days later the short line, 0.7 mile, between original cairns 137 and 138 (now Monuments 192 and 193) had been cleared and a start made on the 9-mile chord to original cairn 136 (now Monument 188) at Pend-d'Oreille (Clark Fork) River. In order to keep near the work it was necessary to cut a trail along the boundary from the South Fork of the Salmon River to the Pend-d'Oreille. Trail cutting was slow work, the timber being thick and the windfalls heavy. Trail cutting, line projection, vista cutting, and selection and marking of monument sites on this chord were completed on August 10.

This brought the party to the crossing of the Pend-d'Oreille. The stream was too large and swift to ford and the only bridge available was the Great Northern Railway bridge at Waneta, British Columbia. The party moved down the river by trail and road to Waneta, crossed the horses over the railroad bridge by placing relays of plank on the ties ahead of them, and then moved up Cedar Creek over a

wagon road to the Fish Creek Gold Mine, which is about a mile south of the boundary and about 4 miles west of the crossing of the Pend-d'Oreille from which they had started. The party had traveled over 30 miles on this move in order to cross the river and advance a distance of but 4 miles.

From the Fish Creek Mine a trail was cut and camp moved to a point on the boundary about 2 miles west of original boundary cairn 134 (now Monument 186). Work on the 12-mile chord between the Pend-d'Oreille and Columbia Rivers was begun from this camp and carried on until completed on October 8. The chord crosses numerous high ridges and deep, heavily wooded ravines, which seriously retarded line projection and vista cutting along it.

Upon reaching the Columbia River, the party moved to Northport, Washington, where they were able to cross the Columbia on the railroad bridge by loading their horses and outfit into box cars and having the cars shunted across the bridge. Having crossed the river, the party moved by trail up the valley of Little Sheep Creek to Paterson Station on the Great Northern Railway, just north of the boundary. From there they worked westward.

In the meantime a small crew, under the direction of the topographic assistant, had been put to work, on August 25, on the interval of the boundary between the Columbia River and Paterson Station on Little Sheep Creek.

This part of the boundary had been retraced by the Canadian reconnaissance party in 1902. Phototopographic surveys had been made and much of the vista had been cut at that time. The crew now completed the vista, made line measurements, located intermediate monument sites, and made some needed additional phototopographic surveys. The work was completed early in September.

The topographic assistant then reduced the size of his crew by a half dozen axmen and returned to Waneta to complete the phototopographic surveys along the Pend-d'Oreille (Clark Fork) and Columbia Rivers.

Returning now to the account of the main line-work party at Paterson on Little Sheep Creek: the party worked westward along the boundary, widening the vista where it had been cut in 1902, opening it in valleys where it had not been cut, and locating and marking intermediate monument sites. The party completed this work to the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River on November 9.

By this time all the other units or crews had been disbanded. However, as the weather was still fine it was decided to continue work, and camp was moved to Midway, British Columbia. Here the widening of the vista of 1902 was begun to the westward from original boundary cairn 96 (now Monument 141). Operations had no more than been well started when the good weather broke, causing all work to be suspended for the season. The party was disbanded on November 13.

The personnel of the Canadian party was: Chief of party, J. J. McArthur, D. L. S.; assistant in charge of triangulation, Howell Bigger, D. L. S.; assistant in charge of line projection, Noel J. Ogilvie; assistant in charge of phototopography, T. A. Davies; other assistants, W. M. Tobey, J. N. Sheppard, E. T. de Coeli; and 27 hands.

UNITED STATES PARTIES

The United States forces engaged in field work in 1904 were, as in the previous season, divided into two main parties, one under the direction of the chief astronomer, called for convenience the astronomic party, the other, under the direction of the chief topographer, known as the topographic party. Each of these parties was in turn divided into subparties.

ASTRONOMIC PARTY

The United States astronomic party in 1904 undertook the work of completing the vista cutting and stadia surveys along the boundary in the vicinity of the Yaak River where work had been interrupted by the advent of winter the previous season; the locating and marking of the sites for intermediate monuments and the completion of the triangulation from the crossing of the Kootenai at Porthill to the summit of the Rocky Mountains; the execution of a belt of triangulation along the boundary from the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River westward to the crossing of the Similkameen River; and the setting of monuments.

In order to carry out these plans for work so widely separated as to character and locality, the party was divided into three subparties. The first subparty was to undertake the triangulation from the eastern crossing of the Kettle River to the crossing of the Similkameen River. The second subparty was assigned to locating and marking the intermediate monument sites and completing the triangulation on the line from the crossing of the Kootenai at Porthill, Idaho, to the summit of the Rocky Mountains, and to take part in the completion of the vista cutting and stadia traverse on the same section of the boundary. The third subparty was expected to cut vista, run stadia traverse, assist the other parties, and set monuments.

FIRST ASTRONOMIC SUBPARTY

The first astronomic subparty was organized at Kalispell, Montana, early in May. The entire party, outfit and pack horses included, were shipped over the Great Northern Railway to Laurier, Washington, arriving on May 16. Triangulation was commenced by establishing two stations, "Buck" and "Horn", about 6 miles east of the eastern crossing of the Kettle River. From here a reconnaissance was carried westward and stations were selected through which to develop a scheme of triangulation along the boundary to the Similkameen River. The reconnaissance included the location of a base to be measured on the Great Northern Railway near Danville, Washington.

This reconnaissance had scarcely been begun when the observer received an appointment on the Panama Canal and left the party. The assistant in charge of the third astronomic subparty was transferred from the vicinity of Gateway, Montana, to take his place. Work progressed so well that on August 9 the observer was transferred back to take charge of a vista-cutting party. On August 24 the reconnaissance was completed to the Similkameen River and a junction was made with the triangulation of the United States topographic party working westward.

The assistant in charge of the party which up to this time had been carrying on the reconnaissance now took over the observing and carried it on until September