By your letter of March 9, 1883, I was placed in charge of the Kansas City Division, and instructed to consolidate it with Leavenworth Division, with headquarters at Kansas City, Mo. At this time the construction of revetment near Lexington, Mo., was in progress and a survey party was in the field, completing the survey of the reach from Kansas City to Lexington. The status of the work at Lexington, Mo., at the time of the consolidation of the two divisions was as follows, viz: About 3,300 linear feet of upper and lower bank mat in separate sections had been constructed, but only very little rock had been placed on the mat above an ordinary stage of water. About 900 feet of low-water mat had also been constructed at the lower end of the work, but here the bank had not been graded. The mattress used at Lexington was of a different construction from that employed at Kaw Bend, the meshes in the former being larger and but little strength being given to the work by the method of weaving the mat. The low-water mat was not staked to the bank, but in places the shore-edge had been well weighted with rock. As the hydraulic grader used at Lexington had not proved to be an efficient or an economical machine, and the stage of water was too high to grade the bank properly, work at this point was discontinued about the latter part of March, to be resumed as soon as the stage of water would be more favorable for working and a better grader would be available. The operations of the Kansas City Division survey party were continued until April 14, by which time the triangulation stations had been marked with gas-pipe hubs set in cement and the survey of the reach completed with the exception of taking some interior topography of minor importance. A reduced map of this survey will be forwarded within a week from the date of this report. A table of areas, slopes, &c., constructed from the data taken in this survey marked Appendix B, accompanies this report. Projects for completing the improvement of the river in the vicinity of Kaw Bend and Fort Leavenworth were submitted February 28, 1883, and approved by your letter of March 9, 1883. It was contemplated in the first-named project to complete the protection works then in progress by revetting 13,000 linear feet of bank, involving among other work, the construction of about 1,500,000 square feet of mattress. Since then about 360,000 square feet of mattress, equivalent to about 3,000 linear feet of upper and lower bank mattress, have been woven, and about 55,000 square feet of upper work covered with macadam. According to the supplementary project of May 23, to complete the works now nearly finished, there remains about 300,000 square feet of upper bank work to be macadamized. In addition to this there will be about 375,000 square feet of upper bank mat of the work yet to be constructed according to the project of February 28, to be macadamized. In order to render that part of the work already constructed in the lower part of the bend and its proposed extension down-stream reasonably safe, it will be necessary to reconstruct what remains of the old revetment of 1879, for although this portion of the bank is at present not in any great danger, changes in the river above may, in the near future, expose it to the action of the current. To complete the protection of Kaw Bend, therefore, the following work remains to be done, viz: Completion of work already constructed by covering with macadam, per project of May 23, 1883, at an estimated cost of Covering with macadam 375,000 square feet of upper bank mat of this work as per supplementary project of May 23, 1883, at an estimated cost of .... Reconstructing 1,200 feet of the revetment of 1879, at $5.10 per foot. Ten thousand linear feet of the revetment proposed in project dated February 28,1883, at an estimated cost of.. $7,715 38,500 9,632 6, 120 Total..... 61, 967 On the completion of the revetment at Kaw Bend it will be very desirable to es tablish a stable regimen for the river from Quindaro, Kans., to Kansas City, Mo. As a means to accomplish this end, it would appear advisable to construct works of correction in Parkville Bend, the effect of which would be to restore the shore-line in the lower part of this bend to the position occupied in 1878, and to move the crossing at Quindaro up-stream. It is believed that if this can be accomplished the main channel of the river will follow the left bank at Kaw Bend. If something of this nature is not done, it is probable that the bank above the point to which it is now contemplated to carry the work will be exposed to the action of the current, which would necessitate a further extension of the revetment up-stream. It was proposed in the project for Rialto Bend, now Fort Leavenworth, to train the river by a system of longitudinal and cross dikes, beginning at a point about a mile above the mouth of Bee Creek, these works to be extended down-stream as rapidly as results would justify or circumstances permit. The objects expected to be thereby attained were to relieve the bank in Rialto Bend below Bee Creek from further erosion, thus preventing the formation of a cut-off, and to restore the crossing of the river to Fort Leavenworth. As this work could not be proceeded with until the new plant was available, no operations have been carried on at this point. Recent surveys show that considerable erosion has taken place in the upper part of the bend during the late floods, which may make it necessary to modify the project for this point. In carrying out the work described in this report, I have been assisted in performing various duties by Assistant E. C. Shankland as principal assistant until April 16, 1883, when he resigned and this position was discontinued; Assistant R. H. Bacot, in charge of Kaw Bend subdivision; Assistant E. L. Cooley, in charge of surveys; Assistant E. F. Hermanns, in charge of reports, accounts, and other clerical work; Mr. D. W. Kinnard, in procuring construction material and in conducting special surveys and the collection of physical data. Since the consolidation of the two divisions, Assistant F. W. Tuttle has had charge of the Kansas City division survey work. All of these gentlemen have discharged their duties in a satisfactory manner. SAM'L H. YONGE, SAINT JOSEPH DIVISION. REPORT OF MR. D. W. CHURCH, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. ENGINEER OFFICE, Saint Joseph, Mo., July 21, 1883. MAJOR: I have the honor to submit the following report on the improvement of the Missouri River, Saint Joseph division, for the year ending June 30, 1883: Previous to September 10 the only force employed was that necessary for the proper care of plant and the continuance of gauge readings. In compliance with instructions creating the Saint Joseph division, an organization for resuming active operations was made about the middle of September. The Saint Joseph division comprises 62 miles of river between Charleston and Atchison. Its topographical characteristics are shown on the accompanying map of the low-water survey of 1882, and its hydrographic features on the plats of crosssections and elements thereof," transmitted herewith. 66 Previous to the present year the work done in the portion of the river now comprising the Saint Joseph division was in the vicinities of Saint Joseph and Atchison, and has been fully discussed in the annual reports on work at those points. The following-named works, carried on in accordance with approved projects, comprised the operations of the present year, viz: Right-bank revetment above Elwood. Dike work near Atchison. Low-water and topographical survey of division. ELWOOD REVETMENT. The destruction of the Bridge Company's Dikes, Nos. 2 and 3, during the flood of 1881, and the consequent destruction of a portion of the Elwood revetment of 1878, the absence of the dikes leaving a portion of the bank unprotected, has been mentioned in my reports on the Saint Joseph work for the years 1881 and 1882. The break extended from where Dike No. 2 was washed away to a point 4, 100 feet below. The replacing of this revetment constituted what has been called the Elwood revetment work. It consisted of a continuous brush mattress, woven in the usual manner into a wirenet backing, and having a width of from 80 to 90 feet below the low-water line, and from 30 to 40 feet on the graded bank above. The thickness of the lower mattress was about 10 inches and that on the upper bank 8 inches. Stone, as large as could be conveniently handled, was placed on the portion below water and broken rock on the upper bank to a line two-thirds the way up the grade. A drawing of the mattress-boat used accompanies this report. The hull was 14 feet wide by 72 feet long, the ways projecting over either end sufficient to make up a total length of 80 feet. Extending lengthwise over half the width of the boat was an overhanging platform for carrying brush, and on the other half were the inclined ways upon which the mattress was made. The wire-netting was placed in rolls under the platform and passed onto the ways over rollers at their upper edge. The wire net was made by the machine-twist method, which is described in my annual report for 1882. The mesh was diamond-shaped, 24 by 40 inches, with the longer diagonal running lengthwise the mattress. The net was strengthened longitudinally every 6 feet by an additional wire. No. 12 galvanized wire was used throughout. The Atchison pile-boat was fitted up for use as a grader. The boiler was replaced by a tubular fire-box boiler of twenty-horse power. The pump originally on the boat was a Worthington outside plunger, steam cylinders 10 inches in diameter, water plungers 5 inches in diameter, and stroke 10 inches. Another pump of the same dimension and make, transferred from Nebraska City, was placed on the boat, and the two used together through one hose. The discharge pipes of the pumps were at first connected by 24-inch gas-pipe, from which the stream was taken to the bank through a hose of the same diameter, but this arrangement did not give satisfactory results. A 4-inch hose was then provided for carrying the water from the boat to the bank, and the two pumps were connected with it by 24-inch hose and a V connection. The hose was carried to the bank by the derrick beam, from which it was suspended by straps. The stream was directed by means of a lever attached to the nozzle, and this arrangement, working on a universal joint, was supported by a small movable stand. The manner of using the stream was about the same as on the Bonton Revetment in 1881, it being directed against the bank from a point about half way up the grade. The size of the nozzle which gave the best results was 14 inches. The bank was graded to a slope of 24 on 1, and a 3-foot breast was left at the top to be thrown over the The grading was mainly high-water protection after the completion of the latter. done ahead of the mattress-boat. For 2,630 feet, measuring from the upper end, the high-water protection was made after the under-water work had been completed; but on the remainder, the two were carried along together. The wire-net backing was dispensed with on the upper bank work, except for a narrow width along the foot of the grade. The revetment work was stopped December 2 by running ice. It was, however, continued during the winter, whenever the weather would permit, in order to leave as little unprotected bank as possible at the time the ice would run out in the spring. The work was completed May 5. The brush used was willow, cut from the south side of the Elwood bottom and delivered by teams; 0.47 cords, per linear foot, was used in the portion of mattress under water, and 0.28 cords on the upper bank. A portion of the rock was taken from the points of the old dikes which were exposed at low water, and the remainder was purchased in the quarry at Wathena and delivered by teams. The amount used, per linear foot, was 677 pounds for the under-water work and 450 pounds on the upper bank. The cost of the revetment was $2.98 per linear foot. Three views were taken showing the method of construction, and are transmitted herewith. ATCHISON DIKE WORK. The objects to be accomplished by the Atchison work were the rectification of the channel above the bridge so as to bring it under the draw-span at right angles and the closing of the chute behind Atchison Island. The project for channel rectification contemplated the construction of a main-line dike 4,000 feet long, about on the line of the dikes constructed in 1882 by Assistant G. T. Nelles, and such cross-dikes as were found to be necessary to reinforce the main line and build out the left bank. On account of delay in the arrival of pile-boats and other plant transferred from Sioux City and Omaha, the extraordinary stage of the river during the time that the work was being done, and changes in its condition previous to commencing, it was found impossible to prosecute the work in the manner proposed. The Sioux City plant, including one pile-boat, together with the Omaha pile-boat, arrived May 12, and the repairs and alterations necessary before beginning dike work were at once commenced. For convenience the pile-boats were numbered as follows, viz: The Saint Joseph boat, previously used as a grader, No. 1; the Sioux City boat, No. 2; and the Omaha boat, No. 3. The length of No. 1, as used for grading, was increased by joining with it another boat in such a manner as to practically make one continuous hull 96 feet long. The second boat carried the derrick and a pile platform 16 feet high. The method of handling the pile and the application of the jet was that generally adopted along the river last season. Nos. 2 and 3 have already been described in connection with the works at Sioux City and Omaha in 1882. The machinery and derricks on both these boats were set up after arriving at Saint Joseph, and on No. 2 there was placed an additional upright boiler similar to the one already on the boat. In addition to the above preparations quarter boats were provided for the accommodation of the construction force. On May 23 pile sinking was commenced on the main line dike as at first laid down in the project. Two lines of piles were sunk, 10 feet apart, with piles the same distance apart in the row. Longitudinal and transverse waling was put on with fiveeighth-inch drift bolts. It was the intention to add a third line of piles and protect the dike against scour with a mattress-sill and foot-mats had not the extension of the first two rows been found impossible. The river rose rapidly from the time of beginning the work and soon reached the stage of ordinary high water, producing a rapid cutting in the pocket a short distance above the dike. The fourth day after starting, the boats were sinking piles in 20 feet of water. The current was so strong that it was almost impossible to accomplish anything, and there was little prospect that the dike could be maintained, even if it were possible to continue it. This part of the project was therefore abandoned. The river was then so high that there was no point within proper limits where a new main dike could be started without reaching water too deep for pile-sinking in a very short time, and it was therefore decided to proceed with the construction of cross-dikes until the river should reach a lower stage. Cross-dikes B, A, and C, shown on the map, were constructed in the order named, each being extended as far as the depth of water and current would permit. Dikes A and B consisted of three rows of piles, 12 feet apart each way, braced longitudinally and transversely the same as in the main line dike above described. A wire net, 40 feet wide and having a mesh of 1 square foot area, was hung on the upper side of each of these dikes. Dike C consisted of a single row of piles, with longitudinal waling and wire net. Cross-dikes A and B were run nearly at right angles to the current, and could not be extended beyond a distance of about 600 feet from shore, as the current then became so strong as to make it impossible to move the pileboats along the dikes. Slant-dikes were then started from each of these dikes, from points about 300 feet from shore, with the intention of extending them out to the proposed main line. The outer ends of the cross-dikes were, however, scoured off, and the water soon became so deep that the slants could not be extended. A rapid fill took place after the screen was put on these dikes, and the channel was shifted nearly to the point desired. There was an accumulation of drift against dike A, which eventually carried it out, and the loss of the work below was threatened unless the stream could be diverted at the upper end. The dike shown on the map as "Training-dike was then started from the shore-bar formed by the work of 1882. As far as completed this dike was in every way the same as the main line dike at first proposed, with three rows of piles, mattress-sill, 45 feet wide, and foot-mat. Between June 16 and 19 the river rose 4 feet very suddenly on account of local rains. The shore bar, from which the training-dike was started, was covered, and a rapid scour set in, carrying out about 150 feet of the dike at its upper end, and forming a deep channel along shore, which threatened to destroy the work below. The small portion of the main line dike constructed at beginning work and that remaining of the dike of 1882 were carried out by this rise. The three pile-boats were at once set at work to connect the training dike with the high bank. The shore channel was not fully closed until Training-dike B, and a new Cross-dike A, had been constructed. The latter dikes were similar in every respect to the original Cross-dike A. Operations at Atchison were suspended June 30. As a result of the work, a high bar was formed from the head of the training-dike to a considerable distance below Dike C, and extending to the outer ends of the cross-dikes. It is impossible to tell, at the present stage of the river, how far out this bar will extend at low water, but in any event the training-dike should be extended another season, and the shore bar carried out to that line at as near its present height as possible. The plan for closing the chute was to repair the dikes constructed in 1882 where possible, and to add a sufficient number at convenient intervals to take up the total fall of the chute without allowing enough to accumulate at any one dike to destroy it, the dike at the head to be strong enough to keep out the drift, and the others to be of lighter construction. It was the intention to use tripods in this work, but, as high water came on several weeks earlier than usual, their construction was impossible with the plant available. The emergencies constantly arising at the work on |