WEATHER BUREAU. 169 



of service, and are maintained with little increased cost of operation, 

 a? both previously formed portions of other districts. The Indian- 

 apolis district comprises the watershed of the Wabash River alcove 

 the mouth of and including the White lliver, formerly a portion of the 

 Cairo district. The lola district comprises that portion of the water- 

 sliod of the Neosho River from the headwaters to Neosho Rapids, 

 Kans., formerly a ])ortion of the Fort Smith district. 



Nine new river stations were established during the year, and nine 

 were discontinued, excluding those at Dayton, Ohio, and Fort Wayne. 

 Ind., where regular Weather Bureau stations were opened with the 

 river work as a portion of their duties. Four rainfall stations were 

 also discontinued. 



At tlie end of the year river observations taken at regular Weather 

 Bureau, paid, an<l coopeintive stations made a total of 601 stations 

 from which reports are available for the benefit of those interested 

 in the riA'^ers of the country. 



No automatic river gauges were installed during the year, but sub- 

 stantial inclined concrete gauges were installed at Portsmouth, Ohio, 

 and Mount Vernon, Ind. 



Owing to a large deficiency in the precipitation of the year over 

 a considerable portion of the country, there was an absence of great 

 floods, except in California, where, during February and March, 

 heayv^ winter snows and rains combined to cause floods, with re- 

 sultant damage estimated at $1,750,000. In July and again in 

 October the smaller tributaries of the Ohio River were in flood as a 

 result of heavy local rains. The dam.age to crops and other interests 

 amounted to about $5,500,000. 



By informal agreement with the Forest Service of the Department 

 of Agriculture and the United States Reclamation Service of the 

 Interior Department, the Weather Bureau was designated to ascer- 

 tain and publish in the Monthly Weather Review the losses by floods 

 in the United States. A summary of this character indicates that 

 the losses during the vear were about $7,700,000, of which more than 

 three-fourths fell upon the farmers. The value of property saved 

 through the warnings of the Weather Bureau was estimated at 

 $1,047,000. 



The warnings issued for the floods were of value. The great dis- 

 proportion between the losses and the value of property saved is due 

 to the fact that three-fourths of the former were on crops that warn- 

 ings could not have saved. 



From present indications the new work contemplated during the 

 coming year will not be extensive. On July 1, 1911, river service 

 will be extended over the Neuse River of North Carolina, and river 

 stations opened at Neuse and Smithfield. N. C. The station at 

 Edisto, S. C, will be reopened, and a new station established at a 

 suitable location on the Combahee River for the benefit of the rice 

 planters. A few additional stations wdll probably be needed along 

 the lower Arkansas River and its larger tributaries. In the extreme 

 West it is proposed to divide the district of California, establishing a 

 new district for the San Joaquin River, with headquarters at Fresno, 

 Cal. This river is now under the supervision of the local office at 

 Sacramento, and the change will result in more prompt service in 

 time of flood. It is also proposed to establish, if possible, a new dis- 

 trict at Los Angeles, Cal., for the purpose of issuing flood warnings 

 for the smaller streams of that section. 



