From an examination made by the officer in charge, it appears that the present and prospective demands of commerce for a long time to come would be met by changing the location of the western breakwater to the southwest about 6,000 feet, and constructing a break water crossing Luddington Rock on a course S. 540 W., commencing at a point on this line 1,000 feet N. 54° E. from Luddington Rock, and extending S. 540 W. 5,000 feet, leaving an opening of 2,000 feet or less between its western end and the southern end of the westerly breakwater, in its proposed change of location. The location of these works is shown on a sketch with Appendix D 6. The cost, in addition to the present estimates of $1,311,134, will be about $750,000. The space behind the breakwater proposed through Luddington Rock is free from obstructions and has a depth of from 15 to 29 feet, with good holding ground; it can be reached at the eastern end with a depth of 17 feet and at the western end with a depth of 29 feet. This plan will not interfere with its extension further to the westward should the necessities of commerce demand it in the future. This work should commence at Luddington Rock and extend in both directions as funds are provided. This rock, which now forms an obstruction, will be covered by the breakwater, and a permanent beacon at the eastern end will, with the light-house on Southwest Ledge, clearly mark the entrance. The entrance between them will be 2,500 feet wide, with a minimum depth of 17 feet and a maximum depth of 25 feet. For the better protection of the harbor, the space between the eastern breakwater and the shore, a distance of 2,000 feet, should be partially closed by a breakwater, extending from the shore towards the east end of the easterly breakwater, leaving an opening in the present eastern channel 13 feet deep, of 800 feet width. The cost of this is estimated at $90,000. It is not as important as the works proposed on the western side of the harbor, and may be deferred until they are completed. Whichever plan be adopted for the westerly breakwaters, during the ensuing fiscal year $250,000 could be profitably expended towards its execution. July 1, 1888, amount available... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888. July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888. July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities.. July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts.. $91.21 75,000.00 75,091. 21 $17,845.66 51,655.90 July 1, 1889, balance available...... 23, 435. 31 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project....... 941, 134.00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1891 250,000, 00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix D 6.) 7. Milford Harbor, Connecticut.-This harbor consists of a broad, open bay, from the bead of which a small tidal stream extends three quar ters of a mile inland to the upper wharf. Originally the depth on the bar at the mouth of the river was less than 2 feet at mean low tide; the channel in the river ran nearly bare in places. Under the first project of improvement, adopted in 1872, a channel 4 feet deep and 100 feet wide was excavated through the bar, and thence 40 to 60 feet wide to the upper wharf; small jetties were built to pro tect the east bank from erosion and two jetties were built to preserve the channel on the bar, at a total cost of $34,000. In 1881 a project was adopted for making the channel over the bar 8 feet deep at mean low water and 100 feet wide, at an estimated cost of $11,000. The total sum appropriated for this harbor is $44,600; of this amount about $8,000 has been expended on the last project, completing the 8-foot channel to 100 feet width. During the past fiscal year the 8-foot channel was completed to the projected width and partial repairs were made to Long Jetty. The project is completed, but $2,500 will be required for necessary repairs to the jetties. July 1, 1888, amount available... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888 July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888... July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities... July 1, 1889, balance available...... $241.02 5.000.00 5, 241.02 $2,214.89 1,621.78 3,836. 67 1,404.35 2,500.00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1891 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river andharbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix D 7.) 8. Housatonic River, Connecticut.-The navigable part of this river extends from Derby, Conn., to Long Island Sound, a distance of 13 miles, and was originally obstructed by several bars, upon which the low-water depth was from 3 to 5 feet. In 1871 a project was adopted for making and maintaining a channel 100 feet wide and 7 feet deep at mean low water throughout this distance. Besides the necessary dredging, it contemplated building a breakwater east of the channel over the bar at the river's mouth. The amount appropriated for this river is $111,242, of which $75,250.82 has been expended, including outstanding liabilities. A channel of required depth has been dredged several times through the worst bars. The present available depth over them is about 5 feet at mean low water. Drew's Rock has been removed to a depth of 7 feet. During the fiscal year contracts have been entered into for dredging and for breakwater construction, but work has not yet been begun. The estimated cost of the breakwater and of the necessary dredging, as revised in 1887, was $202,000, of which $35,000 has been appropriated; $70,000 could be advantageously expended on this work during the next fiscal year. July 1, 1888, amount available... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888. July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888... July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities.. July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts.. July 1, 1889, balance available...... $1,705.41 35,000.00 36,705. 41 $614.23 27,860.00 28,574.23 8, 131. 18 $167,000.00 (Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30,1891 70, 000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix D 8.) 9. Bridgeport Harbor, Connecticut.-The available depth in this harbor was originally 5 feet at mean low water. The first project for improvement provided for an 8-foot channel over the outer and inner bars. This was dredged on the outer bar in 1837, and on both bars in 1853. In 1871 a project was adopted for making a channel 12 feet deep and 100 feet wide, subsequently modified to 300 feet, and for building a jetty on the east shore to check the influx of sand. This was accomplished in 1882, and a new project was adopted for widening to 600 feet the channel from the Inner Beacon to the Naugatuck Railroad wharf, to provide for vessels driven in by bad weather, without blocking the main channel. The estimated cost of the latter project was $60,000. It is very nearly completed. A small area remains near the Inner Beacon, which it is considered desirable to dredge. The project was extended in 1888 to include widening the channel above the railroad wharf, in order to relieve the crowding of the channel at that point, and was further extended by act of Congress authorizing the expenditure of the last appropriation towards dredging a 9-foot channel up to the head of the upper harbor, above the bridges, the total estimated cost of which is $35,000. In addition to this, a further extension has been asked by citizens to provide for a breakwater from the Tongue to the Inner Beacon, estimated to cost $30,000. The total amount appropriated for this harbor is $242,485.38, nearly all of which has been expended. During the past fiscal year the 9-foot channel has been extended about three-quarters way up the upper harbor above the bridges. Fifty-five thousand dollars is estimated to be necessary to complete the project, including the breakwater at the Tongue. Twenty-five thousand dollars could be expended to advantage during the next fiscal year. July 1, 1888, amount available... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888.. July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of $197.06 10,000.00 liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888... July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities... July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts.. July 1, 1889, balance available... 10, 197.06 $1,418. 41 5, 269.50 7,758.19 2,438.87 55,000.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.. Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1891 25,000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867, (See Appendix D 9.) 10. Black Rock Harbor, Connecticut.-This harbor consists of a bay partly sheltered by Fairweather Island and of two small streams extending inland from the head of the bay. The depth in Cedar Creek, the more important of these streams, was from 2 to 4 feet at mean low water, and the channel was narrow and very crooked. The project for improvement, submitted in 1883, includes dredging a channel 3,300 feet long, 80 feet wide, and 6 feet deep, to extend up Cedar Creek, and a breakwater from Fairweather Islaud to the mainland. The estimated cost was $80,000. Thirty-five thousand dollars has been appropriated for and, including a contract now in force, expended under this project, making the proposed channel up as far as the Forge Company's wharf. During the past fiscal year a contract for extending the channel by dredging has been made, but work under it is not yet begun. The breakwater has been built to the full length, but not to the width and height projected; it needs slight repairs. July 1, 1888, amount available.... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888.. $140.30 10, 000. 00 July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts...... July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888.. 10, 140. 30 exclusive of $55.74 8,000.00 8, 055. 74 2,084.56 July 1, 1889, balance available... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project..... (See Appendix D 10.) 45, 000.00 20,000.00 11. Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut.-This harbor consists of the tidal part of Norwalk River, about 3 miles long, and of the harbor between Norwalk Islands and the mainland. South Norwalk, on the river, is about 1 miles below Norwalk. Originally the depth up to South Norwalk was about 5 feet at mean low water; between there and Norwalk the river-bed runs nearly bare. The first project for improvement contemplated a channel 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep to Norwalk. In 1881 the project was modified to provide for a depth of 8 feet below South Norwalk. The last estimate upon this work places the cost from commencement at $84,000. Up to the close of the fiscal year $80,246.66 had been appropriated for this project and nearly all expended. Some parts of the river have required dredging several times. A channel has been dredged 100 feet wide and 8 feet deep up to South Norwalk, and thence to Norwalk from 60 to 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep. This channel is now in good condition. The river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, appropriated $28,000 for improvement of the harbor, and provided that $25,000 should be expended in dredging and deepening the lower harbor up to Wilson's Point. The estimated cost of the latter work was $52,900. During the fiscal year the money available for dredging in the river was expended in removing shoals from the sides of the channel, and that required to be applied to the channel at Wilson's Point is partly expended under a contract not yet completed. Owing to the low price obtained for the work at Wilson's Point, and to the fact that a large part of the contemplated work had been done by a railroad company whose terminal docks are there, the work can be completed as desired with the remaining funds, and no further appropriation is needed at this point. The remainder of the estimate for work in the river, $4,000, could be profitably expended during the next fiscal year. July 1, 1888, amount available...... Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888................ July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888... July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities... July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts... July 1, 1889, balance available................ 4,000.00 4,000.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.... (See Appendix D 11.) 12. Harbor at Five Mile River, Connecticut.-This harbor is a small inlet over a mile long and from 300 to 800 feet wide, on the north shore of Long Island Sound. The natural low water depth at the mouth is about 3 feet at low water, shoaling to zero about half way up the harbor. The project for improvement, proposed in a report on a survey made in 1886 and adopted under the appropriation of $5,000 made August 11, 1888, provides for dredging a channel 8 feet deep at mean low water, 100 feet wide, and about 6,000 feet long, extending to the head of the harbor; the cost was estimated at $25,000. During the past fiscal year an 8 foot channel has been made about 40 feet wide and 750 feet long under a contract now in progress. The estimated amount to complete this improvement is $20,000, of which $10,000 could be profitably expended during the next fiscal year. Amount appropriated by act of August 11, 1888..... $5,000.00 July 1, 1889, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1888.. $383.53 July 1, 1889, outstanding liabilities.... 1,859.50 July 1, 1889, amount covered by existing contracts.. 2,756.97 5,000.00 20,000.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project.. (See Appendix D 12.) 10,000. 00 13. Stamford Harbor, Connecticut.-This harbor consists of a shallow bay on the north shore of Long Island Sound and of the tidal part, about three-fourths of a mile long, of Mill River. The original depth in this part of the river at mean low water was from 1 to 3 feet, gradually increasing in the bay to a depth of 12 feet. The project for improvement, proposed in 1883 and adopted in 1886, provides for dredging a channel 80 feet wide and 5 feet deep at mean low water from the bay to the head of the harbor, at an estimated cost of $20,000. Fifteen thousand dollars has been appropriated and expended in making a channel 5 feet deep, 100 feet wide for more than half its projected length, and from 25 to 50 feet wide the rest of the distance. During the past fiscal year dredging has been done to widen the channel. ENG 89. -5 |