Probursements made under appropriation for improving Mississippi River, act of August 5, 1886. ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1888. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION, PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, SR: The Mississippi River Commission has the honor to submit a report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, embracing the following bjects: L Surveys and examinations. Construction. & Financial statements. 4. Estimates. SURVEYS AND EXAMINATIONS. This work was in charge of Capt. S. S. Leach, Corps of Engineers until March 17, 1885, when he was relieved by First Lieut. J. L. Lusk Corps of Engineers, who was himself relieved by Capt. C. F. Powell Corps of Engineers, May 31, 1888. As stated in the last Annual Report, the survey of the Mississipp River below Cairo is completed, so far as the field work is concerned while the preparation of the maps for publication is still to be finishe and the surveys on the Upper Mississippi have been only partiall executed. During the past year no field work has been done, and the offic work, conducted on a limited scale up to December 31, 1887, has bee practically suspended since that time for want of funds. For details see report of Lieutenant Lusk, secretary of the Commi mission, Appendix B. CONSTRUCTION. General service. This work was in charge of First Lieut. J. L. Lusk, Corps of Eng neers, until May 31, 1888, when he was relieved by Capt. C. F. Powe Corps of Engineers. The survey fleet and part of the general service fleet have been la up at Chester, Ill., where such repairs as were needed have been mad The supply of stone to the works at Memphis and Greenville w attended with a complication of difficulties. The laws relating to t use of convict labor made it impossible to obtain it from the penite tiary authorities at Chester; the low stage of the Ohio cut off the qua ries on that river; and the protracted low water on the Mississipp with the dense smoke from forest fires, made navigation very slow an hazardous. The loss from accident was, however, trifling. For details and financial statement see report of Lieutenant Lus Appendix D. First district. (Cairo to foot of Island No. 40, 220 miles. Officer in charge, Capt. S. S. Leach, Co of Engineers, to March 25, 1888; after that date, Capt. W. T. Rossell, Corps of En neers, Memphis, Tenn.) No work of channel construction has been done during the year, consequence of the prohibitions of Congress as to revetment. November, 1887, a request was made by the citizens of Hickman, K that the specific appropriation of $18,750 for that point might be e pended in protecting their river front; but upon examination and port by the engineer officer in charge it appeared that there was reason for departing from the resolution adopted by the Commission their meeting in September, 1886. The works on Plum Point Reach have suffered but slight damage fro river action; and this has been confined to unguarded parts of the vetment in Fletcher's Bend, which has held out better than, in its unfi ished condition, was expected. In the dry weather of November, 18 fire from the forests was communicated to Osceola cross-dike No. and 800 feet of it was destroyed. The deposits behind the Plum Point dikes, and, to some extent, the chutes and secondary channels on the reachi, have increased in dep and area; and the restriction of the low-water channel has continued maintain good navigation. The least depth found during a season of unusually low water was 8.5 feet, and this only for a day or two, and depending on a single observation, admitting of some uncertainty; aside from this the least depth found was 9 feet. The necessity of holding the bank line is growing evident. Caving in Ashport Bend indicates that protection will be needed there; the upper end of the Fletcher's Bend revetment is endangered by the instability of the bank above it; and caving below the Osceola revetment. possibly threatens to re-open Bullerton Chute. Levees. With the allotment of $75,000 for levees, Pium Point Reach, west bank, new levee has been built and old work enlarged for 22 miles from opposite Ashport to the Craighead Point Levee, closing, in conjunction with work done by private persons, a front of 30 miles, over which, in the flood of 1882, the net escape was 35,000 cubic feet per second. For details see report of Captain Rossell, Appendix E. Second district. (Island No. 40 to mouth of White River, 180 miles. Officer in charge, Capt. S. S. Leach, Corps of Engineers, to March 25, 1885; after that date Capt. W. T. Rossell, Corps of Engineers, Memphis, Tenn.) The channel work in this district has been for bank protection, conthed to Memphis Harbor and Hopefield Bend, just above. During the year there has been added to the revetment in. Hopefield Bend 4,000 linear feet of mattress, 335 feet wide; 105 linear feet of repair work has been done. The entire length of bank revetted is now 12,000 feet. The officer in charge estimates that an extension of 5,000 feet downstream will be needed to secure Hopefield Point. The revetment of Memphis City front down to Beale street and the Citizens' Bluff protection work below that point have been completed, together forming a system 10,000 feet in length and perfectly protect. ing the bank for the present. Caving in front of Fort Pickering, however, indicates that it will be necessary to extend the system about 6000 feet farther down. Lerees.-Yazoo Front.-The allotment of $60,000 for Robinsonville Levee has not yet been expended, awaiting the action of the YazooMississippi Delta Levee Board. The board has lately announced its readiness to begin the work, and authority has been asked to make an agreement with the State contractor for work to the extent of the allotent; the whole construction to be subject to the inspection and approval of the United States engineer officer in charge of the district. White River Front.-In conjunction with the board of Cotton Belt Levee District No. 1, the allotment of $75,000 has been expended on the extension of the levees below Helena, Ark., and a line 14 miles long has been completed to a grade 2 feet above the high water of 1896. For details, see report of Captain Rossell, Appendix F, and report of erations of Mississippi River Commission, dated December 16, 1887, Appendix G. Third District. Mouth of White River to Warrenton, 220 miles. Officer in charge, Capt. W. T. Ewell, Corps of Engineers, Memphis, Tenn.) This district includes Lake Providence Reach and the harbors of Greenville and Vicksburg. Lake Providence Reach-No work has been done during the year. The condition of the work is substantially as at the last annual report, the tops of the piles in all the systems giving way to decay and the attack of drift. This does not sensibly affect the deposits in the closed chutes; the depth of water in them remains stationary or continues to decrease, except at Mayersville, where the caving at the head of the island has flanked the dike. Here the chute has increased in depth. The revetments on Mayersville Island and at Pilcher's Point remain as at the last report, the small portions still in place having undergone no further loss. The lowest water of the year was 15 feet on the Lake Providence gauge November 22-24, at which time Stack Island Crossing, the shoalest on the reach, gave 9 feet depth. The least depth on this cross ing, which has deteriorated since the suspension of operations, was feet, in September, at a higher stage, before the river had selected it low-water channel. The banks of the reach have been more unstable than heretofore, in consequence apparently of changes in the regimen of the river above the total caving amounting to about 300 acres on each bank. Greenville Harbor.-The attention of the Commission was invited, it 1883, to the recession of the bank at Greenville, Miss., and in the An nual Report for 1884 an estimate for the protection of this place was in troduced. In the act of August 5, 1886, a specific appropriation o $37,500 was made, but the Commission, considering this too small fo successful application, did not feel justified in recommending its ex penditure. In July, 1887, the city of Greenville having engaged to supplemen the appropriation by at least on equal amount, a project was adopted which received the approval of the Secretary of War, and has sinc been carried into effect. The system includes 10 sloping spurs of crib work resting on mattress foundations and extending from the deepes water to high-water mark. These are situated about 500 feet apart and by their action on the currents, shown by the filling which the have already induced, have protected that part of the bank immed ately endangered. In case the remaining part of Island 83, which lie just above the works, and has been subject to serious erosion, should b carried away before the strain upon it is relieved, the upper end of th work just finished will be exposed to attack, and additional work wi be required to make it secure. Extension down-stream is also to b provided for. The cost of the work just completed is about $20 pe linear foot of bank protected. Vicksburg Harbor.-The project for improvement by constructin dikes and dredging a basin and canal to 5 feet below the zero of th gauge, as stated in the last annual report, was recommended by the Com mission July 1, 1887, and approved by the Secretary of War, with au thority to begin the work with the specific appropriation of the act August 5, 1886. In pursuance of the project a close dam has been buil from the city to De Soto Island, 1,750 feet, and a screen dike 4,000 fee in length, from the foot of De Soto Island to and along the canal. Th canal has been dredged, for its full length of 5,150 feet, to 18 feet of the gauge, with a width of 75 feet, which under the contract is to be in creased to 100 feet. The mean fill over the canal site during the year has been 1.2 feet It is expected that after completion of the work this will be reduced one-half, leaving less than 30,000 cubic yards to be removed by annua dredging. Delta Point.-No work has been done, but several slips in the bank above the revetment show erosion there which will require extension of the revetment up-stream. Levees-Tensas Front.-With an allotment of $56,500 for the levee from Amos Bayou to Arkansas City, and a later allotment of $155,083 for levees from Amos Bayou to the Louisiana State line, work has been carried on along the whole front. It had been decided by the Commission to build the line 3 feet above the highest water from Amos Bayou to Lucca Landing; from there to Arkansas City 24 feet, and the rest 2 feet, except at lake crossings, where greater height would be given. This work has been finished, with the exception of a portion. below Lucca Landing, where caving is feared, and the Whiskey Chute levee, where extensive sinking has delayed completion. The escape on this front, from Amos Bayou to the lower limit of the district, opposite Warrenton, Miss., during the last high water, has been confined to a gap left in a part of the work done in the State of Arkansas by the State of Louisiana, and a small break near Grand Lake; the levees, with these exceptions, being continuous. Considerable sinking has occurred at Lake Chicot crossing, and more may be expected. For details, see report of Captain Rossell, Appendix H. Fourth District. Warrenton, Miss., to Head of Passes-484 miles. Officer in charge, Capt. D. C. Kingman, Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, La.) Harbor of New Orleans.-In Gouldsboro Bend one new spur has been Constructed and two others raised to grade, completing the system of six spurs, as projected. Examination shows that the construction has protected the bank; it can not be discovered, however, that any deposit between the spurs has been induced. Rectification of Red and Atchafalaya rivers.-The location fixed upon for the first of the projected system of six submerged dams in the Atchafalaya is about 500 feet below the Bayou des Glaizes. The mattress sill for this dam has been laid during the year, and connected with the levees on each side by earthen dikes sodded or (if below ordinary high water) paved with stone. For the maintenance of a navigable channel in lower Old River, $15,000 was allotted. This was expended during the low-water season in an ineffectual attempt to keep the channel open by the methods heretofore sed. The failure was due to the same causes as in the preceding year, viz, the forcing up of the bottom by the weight of the banks, as the river fell, and the absence of scouring force due to the simultaneous decline of both rivers, with feeble currents in alternating directions. Navigation was closed from the beginning of August to the middle of Decem Levees. With allotments amounting to $165,000, the Deer Park levee has been built, and up to May 30 about one-half of the new Kempe vee. The State and district authorities have undertaken the closure of Diamond Island gap by a levee nearly 7 miles long, of which about -thirds has been completed. Repairs have also been made to the vee at Shipp's Bayou and to Glasscock's levee, which had been again damaged by beavers. When work now in progress is completed the only gaps in levees in this district will be Bougère Crevasse, 23,400 feet long, and from Black Hawk to Red River, about 90,000 feet. Surveys in Morganza Bend show an increase in area of the river sectons both above and below the site of the crevasse since its closure. |