Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-09-19
STATE ENGINEER
MAKES REPORT
Of Duties Of His Office
Shows Many Things Falling
To His Lot.
The following is a summary of the
duties of the state engineers office:

The following is a summary of the
duties of the state engineers office:
The state engineers office was Gre
ated by the 1905 legislative assembly
by the adoption OF the Irrigation
Act" The important work of the Of
flee for several years was the making
of preliminary Investigations of water
supply and of i~rrigable lands in the
western part of the state.
Under section 1866 of the Revised
Codes of 1895, It is required of the
state engineer to cooperate with
such counties as may request engin-
eering assistance in drainage work,
since the state Is so located that
while irrigation is beneficially prac:
ticed in the western part, drainage is
essential in many eastern counties.
Chapter So of the Session Laws of
1907 makes the state engineer ex-
officio state coal mine inspector, and
under his direction the inspection Of
Ignite coal mines is made. At the re-
quest of the board OF university and
school lands he shall examine any
lands belonging to the state by virtue
of the Enabling Act" and report as
to whether they are coal bearing or
not within the meaning of the cOnsti-
tuition.
Chapter 218 of the 1909 Session
Laws makes the state engineer Gus.
todian of the township plats, field
notes and maps of the surveys of the
public lands of the state and author.
ICES him to furnish such copies as
may be required, charging such fees
as may be prescribed by the govern.
or, secretary Of state and attorney
general.
Chapter las of,the Session Laws of
1911 requires that the state engineer
shall furnish any county superinten-
dent of highways, upon request, any
information or bulletins on road con-
]struction or maintenance that he may
have at his command, and it is his
duty to attend road Institutes in each
county whenever possible.
The duties of the state engineer
were considerably increased as a re-
suit of legislation passed by the 1913
session. .s..
Chapter 179 of the 1918 Session
laws provides for ga state highway
commission consisting of the COVER
nor, the state engineer and n other
member appointed by the governor,
the state engineer to be secretary OF
the commission. It is required of the
state engineer that he shall have pre-.
pared maps of the various counties
of the state, showing the locations of
all roads and the various bridges and
%culverts.
Chapter 1870 makes it the duty OF
the state engineer, whenever request
ed by any board Of. county commits
sioners or any board of township SUI
pervisors to prepare plans for bridges
or %culverts or to examine and report
on existing structures, and to charge
for such work a. fee of ten dollars
per day and travelling expenses.
The Heart river dam at Mandan
was constructed under the supervis-
ion Of the department. Though the
dam was well constructed, the terrific
rain, approximating a cloud bnrst,
which occurred on June 26, cut a new
channel around the structure, and
somewhat undermined it. The dam,
under no circumstances, could ave
been made to Withstand such a flood,
without the cost mounting to prof.lbl-
tive figures.
Railroad Map.
The department prepared a state
map for the railroad commissioners,
showing the location of all the rail
roads and towns. The state engineer
lis preparing a sectional map Of the
state for the land commissioner.
showing unsold school lands. For the
benefit of the state historical society.
the engineers Office made a survey OF
the Double Ditch Bourgeois Indian
Village Site,' fourteen miles north OF