50 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



New Federal buildings were occupied during the past year for 

 offices at Denver, Colo. ; Pocatello, Idaho ; Thomasville, Ga. ; Willis- 

 ton, N. Dak., and Wytheville, Va. The Weather Bureau stations at 

 these points were moved to quarters therein from rented offices. 



Local conditions and facilities having changed at the station at 

 Port Crescent, Wash., the Weather Bureau station was removed on 

 February 29, 1916, to Port Angeles, Wash., a thriving town about 20 

 miles to the eastward. The Weather Bureau telegraph line extend- 

 ing from Tatoosh Island, Wash., to Port Crescent, Wash., was there- 

 upon extended to Port Angeles, by the purchase from the Western 

 Union Telegraph Co. of wire and poles already in place and in good 

 condition. This seacoast telegraph line enables the bureau to main- 

 tain continuous communication between the important station of 

 Tatoosh Island and the station at Port Angeles, which became the 

 new eastern terminus of the Weather Bureau line on March 1. 1916. 



A new telegraph office and cottage building authorized during the 

 previous fiscal year was completed at Neah Bay, Wash., October 1, 

 1915. This building affords comfortable living quarters for the re- 

 pairman of the Port Angeles-Tatoosh telegraph line stationed there 

 and office for the telegraph business of the Government handled at 

 that place. Necessary improvements were effected at Tatoosh Island 

 station, where tanks for storage of rain water, required for drinking 

 and culinary purposes were provided. No other source of supply is 

 available on the island. 



All Weather Bureau buildings, of which there are now 46, were 

 maintained in good, serviceable condition by repainting and repair- 

 ing wherever needed for proper upkeep. 



An effort was made to ascertain whether the buildings and prop- 

 erty of the Weather Bureau at Mount Weather, Va., could be utilized 

 by any other branch of the Government, with the result that the 

 Public Health Service, Treasury Department, after investigation, con- 

 templated using the buildings and property as a sanatorium. House 

 bill 13672, introduced by Mr. Carlin March 24, 1916, provided for the 

 transfer and necesary alteration of the property. It has recently been 

 learned, however, that this project has been abandoned or deferred. 



Suit of The United States v. The Northern Pacific Railway Co. to 

 quiet title to land at Bismarck, N. Dak., formerly used as a military 

 post and occupied as a Weather Bureau station since June 1, 1894, 

 was set for trial at the June, 1916, session of the United States 

 district court of North Dakota. Before the case came to trial, how- 

 ever, a compromise was offered, which was accepted by the Attor- 

 ney General of the United States. This compromise is in effect as 

 follows : 



Northern Pacific Railway Co. quitclaims to Government rights to 

 property north of tracks, raihvay company to have property south 

 of tracks for yards and sidetracks and reimburse Government for 

 improvements thereon. 



A saving of about $600 per annum was effected in the arrange- 

 ments for rented quarters and roof exposures at 5 of the stations in 

 the West Indies. 



