withheld for office expenses and experimental purposes; the work will then have to remain in this condition until another appropriation be comes available. With large appropriations favorable contracts can be made. If only a small appropriation be made, it might be desirable to advertise for proposals under it. Should the bids be unfavorable, they can be rejected, and the amount appropriated be held until further appropriations be made.

The work is situated in the collection district of Galveston, Tex., but has a deputy collector stationed at Sabine Pass who has kindly furnished the statistics appended to this report.

My thanks are due to Mr. T. L. Raymond, the assistant engineer in local charge of the work, for strict attention, hard work, and conscientious devotion to his numerous duties.

Money statement.

July 1, 18-2, amount available

Amount appropriated by act passed August 2, 1882.

July 1, 1-83, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive

July 1, 1833, amount available (under contract).......

152,922 23

Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1885. 600, 000 00

REPORT OF MR. THOMAS L. RAYMOND, ASSISTANT ENGINEER.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Sabine Pass, Texas, July 7, 1883.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report upon the improvement of Sabine Pass, Texas, for the year ending June 30, 1883:

In accordance with your instructions, I reached this place November 27, 1882, and began preparations for staking out the line of the proposed work as laid out in your report to the Chief of Engineers, dated March 28, 1882, recommending the construction of such part of the west jetty as the available funds would pern it.

Upon December 5, 1882, Messrs. Hyatt & Junker, the contractors for the work, arrived at Sabine Pass, but it was not until the 19th of the same month that work was begun.

The interval was employed by me in erecting stations from which to locate the work, establishing bench-marks with reference to the planes of mean low and mean high tides, and in staking out a portion of the line of the jetty.

In our survey of the entrance to the pass of November and December, 1881, triangulation stations were established at necessary intervals along both shores of the pass, and the centers of these being found undisturbed, have been used in locating the work.

The plane of mean low tide as established by Assistant Engineer H. C. Riply in 1876, by comparison with the Galveston gauge and checked by six months' tidal records during 1881, was transferred to a point near the shore end of the jetty by levels from the bench-mark at the life-saving station down the Texas shore.

The line of the west jetty, as laid out by you and shown on the accompanying chart, begins at the high-water line of the Texas bank of the pass at a point 4,800 feet above its mouth, as defined by Texas Point, and opposite the termination of the 13-foot contour. From this point, by a circular curve 7,500 feet long, as measured upon 500-foot chords, with a radius of 8,750 feet, the crest of the bar is reached at a 'distance of 50-foot to the eastward of the wreck of the Clifton, and thence by a tangent to this are the line runs 15° east of south to the 20-foot contour. The whole line follows approximately the direction of the channel dredged by the Essayons, at one point approaching within 200 feet of the narrow cut, which is all that remains of that channel.

PLANT.

As soon as land facilities could be obtained the construction of the mattress wharf and ways and quarters for the men were begun. The site selected is about 24 miles above the shore end of the jetty on the Louisiana bank of the pass, at a point where a 7-foot channel approaches the shore. Although so far removed from the work, this location has the advantage of complete protection from storms, and mattresses after launching are in no danger from destruction by heavy seas, and are, moreover, not subject to the severe strains of the strong currents which pass through the channel on the Texas side. The constructions of these works are shown in front and side elevations on the accompanying tracing. The upper ways are 310 feet long, and were, as shown in the drawing, 30 feet wide, but 100 feet of them have been increased to 45 feet in width recently. They have an inclination of 1 to 74, the lower edge being 5 feet above mean low tide.

The lower ways are 210 feet long and 45 feet wide, with an inclination of 1 to 7, the lower edge being 3 feet above mean low tide.

As shown in the drawing, these ways consist of inclined tables, upon which are spiked in the direction of the slope 2 by 4 inch pieces, spaced 5 feet apart, which is the distance between the cross-fascines in the mattress; upon these pieces are tacked half-round strips to diminish the friction in launching. In the table and along these pieces, holes are bored 3 feet apart, the distance between the longitudinal fascines in the mattress; these holes are for the stakes supporting the ropes used in binding the upper and lower grillage together.

Behind the ways and running their entire length is a platform 8 feet wide for storing the completed fascines until needed.

The wharf, which is between the upper and lower ways, is 100 feet long by 49 feet wide, and upon it are the fascine racks, three of which are 100 feet and one 90 feet long.

Stone runs.-There was some delay in securing a side-track to the bank of the pass to facilitate the transfer of the stone from the cars to the barge, and it was not until February 10 that this spur was completed with the runs from the track to the water's edge.

These runs consist merely of inclined gangways supported upon trestles and piling, extending from the track to the bank, a distance of 130 feet, down which the stone brought by rail is wheeled from the cars directly to the barge. They are on the Texas bank of the pass, about 24 miles above the shore end of the jetty.

Floating plant.-The floating plant consisted until May of the following:

One tug-boat, 65 feet long, used in towing sinking-barge and mattress to the work. One stern-wheel steamboat, for towing brush-barges and transporting material from the Neches and Sabine rivers to Sabine Pass.

One sinking-barge, 100 by 274 feet, capacity 200 tons on a draught of 4 feet.
Three large ship-yawls, for running and lifting sinking-barge anchors.

Three barges for carrying brush, capacity 200 to 350 cords.

In May were added a larger tug-boat and a small brush-barge.

In June the iron tug Fowler, 75 feet long, was purchased, and the two chartered tugs were dispensed with, while another large brush-barge, making five in all, was added. At intervals, when found expedient, other steamboats have been engaged temporarily to assist in transporting brush.

MATTRESSES.

The mattresses sunk have been usually 100 feet long, and the widths have varied from 15 to 45 feet, while the thickness of the brush filling has been from 1 to 5 feet. They have been made in accordance with the specifications of the contract, which describe them as "cousisting in general terms of two or more layers of brush-bundles, compressed and securely bound between grillages of brush or cane fascine ropes." The fascine ropes “average about 6 inches in diameter, choked and securely bound by a single strand of spun yarn, or its equivalent, every 8 inches of its length, thus forming long flexible ropes or cables." The grillage is formed by placing the fascine ropes in two courses at right angles to each other. The fascine ropes in the longitudinal course are spaced 3 feet apart, and in the cross-course 4 to 5 feet apart, and at the crossing are securely lashed with marline or spun yarn where not otherwise lashed.

The filling, the alternate layers of which are laid at right angles to each other, "is compressed and bound between the grillages by 18-thread ratline at each crossing of the fascine ropes around the edges of the mattress and at every alternate crossing throughout the body of the mattress."

In building a mattress, the fascine ropes for the lower grillage having been cut in lengths to suit the dimensions of the mattress, are laid against the stakes previously set in the ways. The ratline is then passed around the proper crossings and the free end attached to the top of the stakes.

The brush barge is then moored alongside and the filling of brush built up between the stakes with brush passed directly from the barge on which it was transported to the work. When the proper height has been reached the top grillage is laid on and the mattress is "tied down" with all the compression the ratline will bear, the rope passing around the crossing in the top grillage directly over those to which it is attached in the bottom. The stakes are now taken out and the mattress launched, usually with little difficulty, by blocks and tackle at both ends, and then moored to piling to await a favorable time for sinking.

METHODS OF SINKING MATTRESSES.

Owing to the shoalness of the water for a distance of 1,100 feet from shore, it was found necessary to build the first eleven mattresses in place. On January 1 work was begun by the construction of the outermost of these. A barge loaded with brush was floated in-shore along the line of the jetty until it was grounded, and the lower grillage was laid out upon the water beside it, the stakes being driven into the bottom. Brush was then passed to the men standing in the water, and the mattress built to the proper height as it gradually sunk to the bottom. The top fascines were then laid on and the mattress tied down. In this manner the work was carried to the shore.

Although no stone had yet been received, the contractors decided to take the risks, trusting to the shoalness of the water to protect these unballasted mattresses from injury. In the interval, however, between the time of completion of the mattresses and the arrival of the stone, several severe storms carried away two mattresses to a distance of 500 feet from the jetty and they had to be replaced by new ones; two others were so far removed out of line that they had to be rebuilt, and the end of another was destroyed; two others were moved slightly out of position, but not enough to interrupt the continuity of the work.

As soon as stone was received, light barges were loaded, floated alongside this shore work on high tide, and the whole properly ballasted, since which time they have remained uninjured. It was not until February 11, 1883, that the first car-load of stone was received, and by the 20th of the same month the entire shoal-water work was completed, and the first mattress built upon the ways was towed to position and sunk. The difficulty of this work was greatly increased by the severity of the weather during January and February, the workmen being obliged to labor in the water most of the time on a bottom so soft as to afford very insecure footing.

Beyond Station 11 (Stations being 100 feet apart and numbered from shore out) the depth of water permitted the floating of mattresses into position which had been constructed upon the ways.

The work of sinking them is accomplished by the use of the sinking-barge. This barge is fitted up with five stages projecting from the starboard side 20 feet apart and 30 feet long, guyed to masts stepped 3 feet back from the side. There are three windlasses at the bow and three at the stern. This barge, loaded with stone, is towed as near the end of the work previously done as may be, and by means of anchors running in necessary directions is hauled directly alongside the posit on of the next mattress to be sunk. During this time the mattresses are towed down, usually three at once, and anchored near the barge. The one to be sunk first is then detached from the others, swung in against the barge, and secured to it by "sinking lines" hanging from the stages. There are two lines from each of the five stages, which, besides holding the mattress against the barge, serve also to support it above water while the stone is being distributed over it. The stages from which the mattress thus hangs projecting over the greater part of it, facilitate the propper distribution of the ballast. Until loaded sufficiently to sink rapidly, the mattress is kept in exact position by heaving on the lines running to anchors in all directions. When the proper amount of stone has been thrown, the sinking lines are let go at once and the mattress sinks to the bottom. More stone is then added until the total amount reaches the proportion of 1 ton to 7 cubic yards of brush, and the barge is then moved into proper position for the next mattress. The amount of stone necessary to sink a mattress varies considerably with the character of the brush, and the length of time the mattress has been in the water, but usually 1 ton of stone to 9 cubic yards of brush will sink a new inattress built of pine brush.

The greatest number of mattresses sunk in a single day was five, and this has been done frequently.

The greatest amount of material placed in the work in a single day was 2,034.6 cubic yards of brush weighted with 279 tons of stone.

The largest mattress sunk contained 530 cubic yards of brush.

GENERAL PLAN.

The controlling idea in the prosecution of this work has been to raise the west jetty to as great a height as possible with the available funds consistent with the perma

nence of this and future work while carrying the foundation course sufficiently prevent scouring beyond it on the projected line where mattresses may be sunk

after.

Upon the accompanying chart are shown the position and dimensions of a mattresses sunk to June 30, 1883, in plan. The longitudinal section shows the h of the jetty along its central line, together with the amount of work done during month, while the cross-section gives an idea of the form of the matresses wher jetty is 60 feet wide. The cross-section, where the width is 45 feet, is of the same i but obtains the width with a single mattress.

In accordance with your instructions, the width of the foundation has been pro tioned to the depth of water and the consequent height of the completed jetty, al ing for side slopes of 1 on 2, and a foundation berme on both sides of 15 feet.

From shore to a depth of 4 feet at mean low tide the jetty was built at once n mean high tide over a length of 1,400 feet, the width being 15 feet for the first 1 feet, and gradually increasing to 30 feet width. Over the next 700 feet to Station the width was increased to 45 feet, with a view to another course to complete height. With these mattresses and all since put in, a change was made in the fo of the mattress; previously the mattresses were built with the top and bottom I allel, and the change consisted in building them so as to form a slope from the cen line of the jetty to either side, thus economizing material, obtaining greater hei with the pliability desirable on the edges, and avoiding the direct force of the against the side of the mattress. Where the width of the jetty foundation is 45 f the single row of mattresses which complete this width are built highest in the cent sloping to either side. Where the width of 60 feet requires a double row of mattres they are built as shown in the cross-section on the chart, sloping from one edge tirely across the mattress and sunk with the thick edges abutting on the central l of the jetty.

From Station 21 to Station 55+ 50, a distance of 3,450 feet, in crossing what is kno as Texas Channel, the width was increased to 60 feet to allow for three tiers in t completed work.

From Station 55 +50 to Station 87, a distance of 3, 150 feet, the width was reduc to 45 feet in crossing the shoalest water of the bar.

The remainder of the work, which on June 30 was at Station 106, is 60 feet wide In that portion of the work where a double row of mattresses is used the ends those in one row project beyond those in the other, breaking the joints across t jetty.

The following table gives the number of days in each month when the weather pe mitted sinking, the number of mattresses sunk, the length of foundation cour built, number of cubic yards of brush, and tons of stone used:

The work having been recently begun, and, as compared with the full project having been carried to so limited an extent on only one of the two jetties contem plated, no extensive examinations have been made to determine the effect produced thus far. A careful examination made, however, in June, along the line of the jetty, the results of which are shown in the chart, reveals the fact of a decided fill behind the jetties. The height of this deposit back of the older portion of the work averages 2 feet, and has reduced the depth of water there to such an extent as to afford considerable protection to the work from the sea on the west side. The mud forming this deposit has been carried during heavy blows into the still water produced by the works and ther dropped; there is every reason to believe that much of this mud hasTM been deposited in the mattresses along the whole line, those left bare at low tide showing this to be the case with them, and the height of the deposit on the west side against the jetty indicating the same.