REPORT OF LIEUT. COL. O. M. POE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, BVT. BRIG IMPROVEMENTS.-Hay Lake Channel, Saint Mary's River, Mich., 2098; Saint Mary's Falls Canal and River, Mich., 2104; operating and care of Saint Mary's Falls Canal, Mich., 2108; dry-dock at Saint Mary's Falls Canal, Mich., 2124; harbor at Cheboy- gan, Mich., 212; harbor at Thunder Bay, Mich., 2129; harbor at Au Sable, Mich., 2130: Saginaw River, Mich., 2138; harbor of refuge, Sand Beach, Lake Huron, Mich., 2151; ice-harbor of refuge, Belle River, Mich., 2157; repairs of Saint Clair Flats Ship- Canal, Mich., 2159; operating and care of Saint Clair Flats Ship-Canal, Mich., 2160; Clinton River, Mich., Detroit River, Mich., 2165; information concerning Portage Lake and Lake Superior Ship-Canal. &c., 2170. EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Mackinac Harbor, Mich., 2180; Pine River, Saint Clair County, Mich., 2183; for harbor of refuge at or near Cross Village, Mich., 2185; old locks at the Saint Mary's Falls Canal for use as a dry-dock, 21×6; Clinton River, Mich., 2190; Saint Clair River, Mich., to ascertain whether the erosion of the right bank is injuring the navigation of the river and Saint Clair Flats Canal, 2197. REPORT OF MAJ. L. COOPER OVERMAN, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Monroe Harbor, Mich., 2209; Toledo Harbor, Ohio, 2211; Port Clin- ton Harbor, Ohio, 2215; Sandusky City Harbor, Ohio, 2216; Sandusky River, Ohio, 221; Huron Harbor, Ohio, 2219; Vermillion Harbor, Ohio, 2222; Mouth of Black River, Ohio, 2223; Rocky River, Ohio, Cleveland Harbor, Ohio, 2227; Fairport Harbor, Ohio, 2235; Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio, 2240; Conneaut Harbor, Ohio, 2245; Dunkirk EXAMINATION.-At Cleveland, Ohio, for opening and improving the channel known REPORT OF CAPT. EDWARD MAGUIRE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Erie Harbor, Pa., 2253; Buffalo Harbor, N. Y., 2255; Niagara River, N. Y.. Wilson Harbor, N. Y., 2258; Olcott Harbor, N. Y., 2269; Oak Orchard Harbor, N. Y., 2270; Charlotte Harbor, N. Y., 2271; Pultneyville Harbor, N. Y., 2473; Great Sodus Harbor, N. Y., 2274; Little Sodus Harbor, N. Y., 2276; Oswego Harbor, N. Y., 2278; Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., 2282. EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Niagara River, N. Y., from Youngstown to Lake On- tario, Seajaqnada [Scajacnada] Creek, at Buffalo, N. Y., 2283; Salmon River, N. Y., at and below Fort Covington, 2286; mouth of Salmon River, and the inner natural barbor thereat, on Lake Ontario, N. Y., with a view of making a harbor of refuge for vessels in distress and for purposes of commerce and navigation, 2291. REPORT OF MAJ. MILTON B. ADAMS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Whitehall Harbor, N. Y., 2310; Lake Champlain at APPENDIX P P. REPORT OF LIEUT. COL. GEORGE H. MENDELL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, IMPROVEMENTS-Oakland Harbor, Cal., 2327; Wilmington Harbor, Cal., 2333; Red- wood Harbor, Cal., 2338; Petaluma Creek, Cal., removal of sunken vessels or craft obstructing or endangering navigation, 2339. EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Islais Creek, San Francisco Bay, Cal., 2340; REPORT OF COL. C. SEAFORTH STEWART, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. REPORT OF CAPT. APPENDIX RR. . PAYSON, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Humboldt Bay and Harbor, Cal., 2351; San Joaquin River, Cal., REPORT OF CAPT. CHARLES F. POWELL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Columbia and Willamette rivers, below Portland, Oreg., 2376; mouth of the Columbia River, Oreg. and Wash., 2382; entrance to Coos Bay, Oreg., 23-8; entrance to Yaquina Bay, Oreg., 2393; mouth of Coquille River, Oreg., 2398; Skagit, Steilaquamish, Nootsack, Snohomish and Snoqualmie rivers, Wash., 2403; Chehalis River, Wash., 2405; gauging waters of the Columbia River and principal EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Bar at the mouth of the entrance to Nehalem Bay and APPENDIX TT. REPORT OF MAJ. WILLIAM A. JONES, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Upper Willamette River, Oreg., 2424; Columbia River at the Cas- EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEYS.-Suake River between Lewiston and mouth of Boisé REPORT OF MAJ. G. J. LYDECKER, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. IMPROVEMENTS.-Washington Aqueduct, 2453; increasing the water supply of the city of Washington, 2469; erection of fishways at the Great Falls of the Potomac IMPROVEMENT and care of public buildings and grounds in and around Washington, APPENDIX Y Y. Issue of Published Charts of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes... 2519 REPORT OF LIEUT. JOHN BIDDLE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. REPORT OF LIEUT. THEODORE A. BINGHAM, CORPS OF ENGINEERS. REPORTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION. Q. A. GILLMORE, Col. of Engineers, Bvt. Maj. Gen., U. S. A., President. C. B. COMSTOCK, Lieut. Col. of Engineers, Bvt. Brig. Gen., U. S. A., CHARLES R. SUTER, Major of Engineers, U. S. A., Mr. HENRY MITCHELL, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Mr. B. M. HARROD, Civil Engineer, Letter of the Secretary of War, 2535 ; report of Commission for 1884, 2535; list of appendices accompanying the report, 2571; list of plates accompanying the report, REPORTS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION. CHARLES R. SUTER, Major of Engineers, U. S. A., President. ALEX. MACKENZIE, Major of Engineers, 0. H. Erxst, Major of Engineers, Letter of the Secretary of War, 2989; report of Comunission for 1884, 2989; report of Commission for 1883, 2999. (EXTRACT FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR.] WAR DEPARTMENT, , ENGINEER BUREAU, The attention of Congress is invited to the defenseless condition of our sea-coast and lake frontier. This subject received careful consideration in the report of the Chief of Engineers, submitted at the last bession of Congress. As the question of the defensive system of the country, so far as the ports at which fortifications or other defenses are most urgently required, has been referred by Congress to a Board, of which the Secretary of War is president, the Chief of Engineers, in his annual report submitted at this time, restricts his estimates to the sum required for the repair and modification of existing works and for tor. pedoes for harbor defense. The Board on Fortifications or other Defenses, appointed in accordance with the provisions of the act approved March 3, 1885, held its first meeting in this city on the 3d of June last, and has held subsequent nieetings at New York and elsewhere. It has inspected the Government works at Governor's Island, Fort Wadsworth, David's Island, Sandy Hook, Willets Point, and Newport; and has visited the establishments of the Otis Steel Works, at Cleveland, Ohio; the Black Diamond Mills, Park Brothers & Co., and the Soho Iron Works, at Pittsburgh, Pa.; the Edgar Thomson Steel Works, at Bessemer, Pa.; the Cambria Iron Company, at Johnstown, Pa.; the Pennsylvania Steel Works, at Steelton, Pa.; the Midvale Steel Works, at Nicetown, Pa.; the West Point Foundry Association, at Cold Spring, N. Y.; and the South Boston Iron Works, at Boston, Mass. It has received numerous papers from inventors and other persons, which have been referred to the proper committees for examination. As it will deal with the whole subject of coast defense, it is not deemed necessary or proper at this time to consider that question or make any recommendations on the subject. The report to be submitted to Congress is now in preparation, and it is hoped that it may be presented in January next. The limited amount of funds available during the past year has been mainly applied to placing in serviceable condition the platforms of heavy guns and mortars bearing upon the channels of entrance to the various harbors. The funds with which the works for the improvement of rivers and harbors were prosecuted during the past fiscal year were derived from |