anticipated, and the estimated cost of the improvement has been increased, therefore, to $210,000, of which $190,000 have been appropriated. With this money the channel has been widened for the full width proposed, and deepened in some places to 24 feet, but in most parts to 26 feet. The work done includes the crest of the shoal, and outside of the lines of dredging there is a depth of not less than 17 feet of water. During the past fiscal year operations have been confined to deepening parts of this channel where the low-water depth was less than 26 feet. Under the appropriation of $10,000 made by act of Congress approved July 5, 1884, proposals for dredging were called for, and bids were opened September 16, 1884. The following is an abstract of the bids received: Abstract of proposals for dredging shoal in Buttermilk Channel, New York, opened September 16, 1884. Henry Du Bois' Sons, being the lowest responsible bidders, a contract with them was entered into September 23, 1884. Work was begun October 1 and closed November 3, 1884, during which time 30,097 cubic yards of material had been removed from the channel. No survey has been made since the dredging was completed, so that it cannot be definitely stated whether a depth of 26 feet has been gained over it or not. Twenty thousand dollars are still needed to complete the work under the original project; but it is evident that the channel is not yet wide enough, and that it should be made at least 300 feet wider, unless, indeed, it is decided to remove the whole shoal, which is estimated to cost $150,000. To determine the exact cost of widening the channel 300 feet a survey must be made; but in order to begin the further widening it is recommended that $50,000 be appropriated. Appropriations for the improvement of Buttermilk Channel, New York, have been made as follows, viz: This work is in the collection district of New York. The nearest port of entry is New York City. COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. No statement of the commerce of Buttermilk Channel has been re ceived for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. A statement of the commerce up to June, 1884, may be found in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1884, Part I, page 703. July 1, 1885, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1884.... July 1, 1885, amount available...... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... $658 11 10,000 00 10, 658 11 10,333 14 324 97 20,000 00 20,000 00 D 22. IMPROVEMENT OF GOWANUS BAY, NEW YORK. Gowanus Bay, which is a part of New York Harbor, lies at the mouth of Gowanus Creek, on the southwestern side of the city of Brooklyn. The depth of water in the channel of Gowanus Bay and Creek was orig. inally only from 7 to 12 feet at mean low water, which was wholly insufficient for the wants of vessels employed in the commerce of the district. A survey of it was made in 1880, and a project for its improvement was submitted in January, 1881. This was, briefly, to dredge a channel between the pier lines established by the State commissioners from the bay up the creek to Hamilton Avenue Bridge 18 feet deep at mean low water, with a width of 200 feet, except for the last few hundred feet near the bridge, in which part the width was to be gradually reduced from 200 feet to 100 feet. The total length of the proposed channel was about 9,000 feet. The estimate for the improvement was: 530,000 cubic yards of dredging, at 30 cents per cubic yard Contingencies..... Total.... $159,000 23,850 182,850 Owing, however, to the location of these pier lines, laid down by a special commission appointed by the legislature of the State of New York in 1875, the proposed channel was not the natural channel through the bay, which ran across private property bordering on the Erie Basin, and the natural channel could not be improved without the consent of the property-owners. These owners, however, Messrs. Beard and Robinson, agreed, should the old channel be maintained, to relinquish for all time their right to build out into it, and the Maritime Association of New York at the same time petitioned that the old channel should be kept open. As improving this channel alone would not, however, help the wharves on the opposite or southerly side of the creek, General Newton recom. mended that the natural channel should be dredged from the Hamilton Avenue Bridge down to the southwest corner of the Erie Basin, and that from that point two channels should be dredged, one running northerly along the west side of the Erie Basin to deep water near Red Hook, and the other running southerly along the wharves on the south side of the bay. Both of these channels were to be 200 feet wide and 18 feet deep at |