REPORT OF THE ACTING SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT, Yellowstone Park, Wyo., October 15, 1913. SIR: I have the honor to submit annual report of the condition of affairs in and the management of the Yellowstone National Park from October 1, 1912, to the present date. GENERAL STATEMENT. The Yellowstone National Park, set aside by act of March 1, 1872 (secs. 2474 and 2475, R. S., 17 Stat., 32), is located in the States of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It has an area of about 2,142,720 acres and an average altitude of about 8,000 feet. The military force available for duty in the park consists of one squadron of Cavalry and a machine-gun platoon containing the normal quota of officers and an enlisted strength increased by 75 men. The headquarters is located at Fort Yellowstone, but the command also garrisons 15 soldier stations scattered throughout the park, requiring 200 men during the tourist season and from 75 to 100 during the remainder of the year. A telephone system connects the soldier stations and the post. In addition to the military force which is maintained by the War Department, the Interior Department furnishes certain civilian employees, namely a clerk, scouts, a buffalo keeper, etc. The work of the detachments of soldiers at the 15 soldier stations was well done. The tourists spoke in the highest terms of the courteous treatment received and of the neat and soldierly bearing of the men at all times. Commissioned officers were constantly on duty in those parts of the park most visited by tourists during the season and several visits were made to the stations during the winter months. TRAVEL. The roads were in fairly good condition at the opening of the season, except between the lake and the east boundary, and the thumb of the lake and the south boundary, and these were almost impassable. All of the roads have been improved since the opening of the season, but they are all far from suitable park roads. The aggregate number of persons making park trips during the season of 1913 was as follows: Travel during the season of 1913. Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., entering via northern entrance_-_ Others at hotels, traveling with private or Government transportation, Total hotel travel_. Wylie Permanent Camping Co.: Shaw & Powell Camping Co.: Entering via northern entrance_ With other licensees of personally conducted camping parties. Total number making park trips--- Number making short trips with special licensees- Grand total of travel, season of 1913_. 5, 923 5,760 323 53 12, 059 2, 413 3,989 193 6, 595 1,807 2,426 522 3,080 24, 682 247 24,929 The Yellowstone Park Boat Co. reports that 4,205 passengers took the boat trip across Yellowstone Lake during the season, of which 1,860 were traveling with the Yellowstone Park Transportation Co., 1,345 with the Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co., 765 with the Wylie Permanent Camping Co., 178 with Shaw & Powell Camping Co., and 57 miscellaneous. The Wylie Permanent Camping Co. had 128 vehicles in use during the season, in connection with its transportation business and maintenance of permanent camps in the park, the Shaw & Powell Camping Co. used 85 wagons in transportation of passengers and maintenance of permanent camps, and, in addition to these, special licenses were issued during the season for conducting movable camping outfits covering the use of 65 wagons and 228 saddle and pack animals and for 8 wagons for special livery work. The Monida & Yellowstone Stage Co. reports that 778 passengers made the trip from Canyon to Mammoth via Mount Washburn and Tower Falls during the season in its vehicles, and many others made this trip with other companies and with licensees of personally conducted camping parties, showing a gratifying increase of the travel over the road, from which is enjoyed a view of the most beautiful scenery in the park. IMPROVEMENTS BY CONCESSIONERS. The Yellowstone Park Hotel Co. completed a new wing to the hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs, increasing its capacity by 124 fine guest rooms, and including 28 private baths and 8 public baths. This company has a crew of men at work enlarging Old Faithful Inn, at Upper Geyser Basin, where increased facilities for caring for tourists are much needed. Over 100 rooms will be added to this already large hotel. The Wylie Permanent Camping Co. established a new camp near the eastern entrance of the park for the accommodation of such of its tourists as enter via the Cody route, abandoning the site near Sylvan Lake that was in use during the season of 1912. The Shaw & Powell Camping Co. was authorized to establish permanent camps in the park, and has operated such camps at Willow Creek, near Gibbon Falls, on Nez Perce Creek near Fountain Station, Upper Geyser Basin, West Thumb of Lake, Grand Canyon, and near Tower Falls. Buildings such as kitchen, dining room, storehouse, laundry, wagon sheds, stables, blacksmith shop, granary, bathhouse, etc., were authorized, and many of these have been built dur ing the summer or are now in process of construction. Messrs. Henderson and Lyall sold their concession for a post-office store at Mammoth Hot Springs, with approval of the department, to Mr. George Whittaker, who was appointed postmaster to succeed Mr. Alexander Lyall. Mr. Whittaker has made considerable improvement in fixtures and internal arrangement of his store and contemplates enlarging and improving the building in the near future. On the night of September 10 an outbuilding located just back of the curio shop owned by Mesdames Pryor and Trischman and used by them as a laundry and storeroom was destroyed by fire, caused probably by defective wiring. A plain frame building to take its place is in process of construction. The old log house located in Clematis Gulch near the Mammoth Hot Springs, which was built by James McCartney before the park. was withdrawn from settlement and has been used in late years as a Chinese laundry, caught fire on December 4, 1912, and was completely destroyed. STREAM GAGING. On March 19, 1913, the department instructed the acting superintendent of the Yellowstone National Park to cooperate, as far as possible without interfering with the regular administration of the park, with the water-resources branch of the United States Geological Survey in the matter of the collection of data in regard to the flow of streams in the park. At the same time Mr. G. Clyde Baldwin, district engineer of the water-resources branch, with headquarters at Boise, Idaho, was instructed by the survey to take the subject up with the acting superintendent and to cooperate with him. Mr. Baldwin has recently made a report relative to this subject, as follows: SUMMARY OF STREAM-GAGING WORK, JUNE TO SEPTEMBER, 1913.1 Stations established.-Four gaging stations were established within the park during the month of June, as follows: Madison River near Yellowstone, Mont. Gibbon River at Wylie Lunch Station near Yellowstone, Mont. Yellowstone River above Upper Falls near Yellowstone Park, Wyo. South Fork Snake River at south boundary Yellowstone National Park. Vertical staff gages were installed at the three first-mentioned stations and an overhanging chain gage at the station on South Fork Snake River. All four gages are supplied with cast bronze faces graduated to feet and tenths. Three of the stations are located within a very short distance of a regular soldier or guard station, thus making it possible for the soldiers detailed to these stations to make daily gage readings with very little loss of time and without interfering seriously with their other duties. The fourth station, namely, the one on Gibbon River, is located immediately below the highway bridge at the so-called Terrace Road crossing. The gauge has been read daily during the summer by an employee of the Wylie Co., and during the winter readings can be secured each time the road patrol passes this point. This, I understand, will be about two or three times each week. Methods. The methods employed in carrying on this work are described in detail in the water-supply papers of the United States Geological Survey. In brief, they consist in securing a sufficient number of actual current meter measurements at different stages of flow to define a satisfactory rating curve or curves for each station. Daily gage readings are made and recorded by a local observer, and when the rating curves are satisfactorily developed the discharge for each day is determined by applying the gage height for that day to the rating curve applicable for that period. Where actual measurements are secured at relatively infrequent intervals the accuracy of the above-described methods depends very largely upon whether or not the relation between gage height and discharge remains constant. Great care is taken in selecting the location of each gage in order, if possible, to secure this constant relation or permanent condition. Results. Rating curves have been developed for the range of stage covered by daily gage readings at the station on Madison River and also for the original gage at the station on Gibbon River. On August 30 the original gage at the Gibbon station, together with the bridge abutment to which it was attached, was removed by the United States Army Engineer Corps and a new bridge was constructed. This construction work changed the relation between gage height and discharge and made it necessary to establish a new gage at a slightly different location. A rating has not yet been developed for the new gauge. Cooperation.-Daily gage readings have been furnished by the soldiers detailed to stations adjacent to the location of four gages. 1 By G. Clyde Baldwin. These readings have been made in accordance with instructions to the soldiers issued by the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. In addition, the superintendent of the park has furnished transportation within the park boundaries to survey hydrographers who have visited the different gaging stations for the purpose of securing current meter measurements. In one or two instances, also, where hotel accommodations were not readily procurable, survey hydrographers have been furnished lodging at the soldier stations free of cost. Two trips of this character have been made during 1913. All other expenses incident to this work have been paid from funds of the United States Geological Survey. Future work. The scope of future stream-gaging work within the park is dependent directly upon the appropriation made available. It is hoped that sufficient funds will be allotted to permit the purchase and installation of cable and car equipments at the Yellowstone and South Fork Snake River stations, as these installations are necessary before the stations can be satisfactorily rated for high stages. A Friez type automatic water-stage register has been secured and is now stored at the Canyon Soldier Station. It was not possible to install this gage during the present season, but if the allotment is sufficient it will be installed and housed in a substantial and attractive manner during the year 1914. In addition to this new construction work, in order to maintain the stations already established in such a way as to secure first-class records, it will be desirable to secure a larger number of current meter measurements during the next calendar year. The installation of additional stations on other park streams is undoubtedly desirable and will probably be undertaken if the appropriation is large enough to warrant the expansion. It is believed that quality rather than quantity of records is to be desired, however, and, in consequence, an attempt will be made to provide for securing first-class records at the existing stations before new ones are established. ROADS. The sundry civil bill, approved June 23, 1913, appropriated for maintenance and repair of improvements $125,000, including not to exceed $15,000 for maintenance of the road in the forest reserve, leading out of the park from the east boundary, and not to exceed $5,000 for maintenance of the road in the forest reserves leading out of the park from the south boundary, to be expended by and under the direction of the Secretary of War. For widening and improving surface of roads, and for building bridges and culverts from the belt line road to the western border, from the Thumb Station to the southern border, and from the Lake Hotel Station to the eastern border; all within Yellowstone National Park, to make such roads suitable and safe for animal-drawn and motor propelled vehicles, $75,000. This work is in charge of Capt. C. H. Knight, United States Engineer Corps, who has furnished the following notes on the work under his department since the date of my last report: In the fall of 1912 the work of widening, grading, and surfacing of the west approach road was continued until November 8, when the weather became too severe to continue work in that vicinity. This |