302 
WEATHER BUREAU RIVER AND FLOOD SYSTEM 
a sand plain, while its margins are denuded divides of the type 
called escabroduras or bad lands. 
The Rio Grande, like the Canadian, has its caletas in the Rocky 
mountains, gathering into tijeras, but the remainder of its course 
is quite different. It soon enters the great bolson of San Luis 
valley and continues in a longitudinal direction through a chain 
of bolsons the entire distance across New Mexico and into Texas 
as far as Quitman mountains. Thence, until the Cordilleras are 
crossed, it flows through great barrancas. Leaving the moun- 
tains, its course through the Stockton i)lateau is a typical canon, 
finally merging into the low country of the Rio Grande embay- 
ment. 
THE WEATHER BUREAU RIVER AND FLOOD SYSTEM 
By Professor MTllis L. IMoore, 
Chief of the Weather Bureau 
The special work of the \Veather Bureau in connection with 
the rivers of the country is to facilitate commerce on navigable 
streams l)y the dail}’ pul)lication of information as to water stages 
along the course of each river, and to issue timel}" warnings of 
floods, with a view to the saving of life and property. 
On January 1, 181)6, theAVeather Bureau river and flood system 
consisted of 145 sj^ecial river stations, equipped with standard 
river-gauges for measuring the vertical rise of the surface of the 
Avater, and in man}' cases with standard thermometers for meas- 
uring air temperature. Tliese stations were manned by local 
observers, receiving from the Weather Bureau pay commensurate 
with tlieir services. There were 42 rainfall stations, equipped 
Avith rain-gauges and manned by local-paid observers, and so 
distributed in the various catchment basins of the tributaries to 
important rivers as to give, in connection Avith the regular me- 
teorological Weather Bureau stations, a fair ap])roximation to 
the average rainhill throughout each Avatershed. There Avere 
38 completely equipped meteorological stations of the Weather 
Bureau Avhere riA'er measurements Avere made, and 16 Weather 
Bureau stations Avhich Avere centers from Avhich flood Avarnings 
and forecasts of ex{)ected changes in river level Avere issued. 
As yet the rules of flood forecasting are largely empirical. The 
official in charge of a river center is familiar Avith the main river 
