work because the appropriation was about exhausted, the balance then available being only $1,571.93, and this was held to protect the tunnel from damage by flooding during the suspension of work, pending action in Congress in relation to the additional appropriation that had beeu asked for in the last annual report and again urgently recommended in a special communication that was forwarded to Congress by the Secretary of War, under date of January 15, 1886 (published as House Ex. Doc. No. 39, Forty-ninth Congress, first session). Action was delayed, however, until this balance was exhausted, whereupon Congress made a special supplementary appropriation of $5,000 to continue pumping operations. At the close of the fiscal year this appropriation was reduced to $231.03. Since then the general deficiency bill has passed both houses of Congress, and contains the necessary appropriation for resuming work (but the bill has not, at this writing, become a law). The length of excavation accomplished during the fiscal year was 5,040.2 linear feet, and 745 linear feet of tunnel was lined with masonry, making the total length of excavation 18,538.2 feet, or about 3 miles, of which 1,490 feet was lined with masonry. The excavation is now continuous for a distance of 16,327 feet, or a little over 3 miles, from the west end of the tunnel. There remains a distance of about 2,150 feet to be excavated, when the tunnel will be "holed" through from end to end. The sum named in the general deficiency bill for continuing this work is $395,000, and operations will be resumed as soon as it becomes available. The above amount was that estimated as necessary to complete the tunnel before the suspension of operations; but the officer in charge of the work is of opinion that the ultimate cost of completion will be increased as the direct result of the suspension, which has now lasted for a period of six months; but he is unable to submit any estimate of the probable amount of increase until after a thorough examination, and that cannot be made until work on the tunnel is resumed. Work on the reservoir was continued during the year, but the progress has been slow; the principal feature of the work is the excavation of about $50,000 cubic yards of earth and its embankment to form a massive dam, and the laying of about 76,000 square yards of dry stone paving on the slopes of the reservoir and dam. On the 30th of June, 1886, the total amount of excavation was 727,329 cubic yards, and of paving 39,414 square yards, of which 232,033 cubic yards of excavation and 19,722 square yards of paving was done during the past fiscal year; during the same time about 3,700 linear feet of masonry conduits or sewers, for intercepting the flow of storm-waters, sewage, &c., were constructed. The general deficiency bill contains an item of $160,000 for continuing the work, and this, it is believed from all that can now be foreseen, will be sufficient to complete the work in all its essential features. Nothing of moment was done on the main connections during the past fiscal year, this part of the work having been completed during the preceding year, so far as anything can be done until the effluent gate house is constructed at the reservoir, when the outlet-main, 75 inches in diameter, will be connected with that structure. The balance available for this purpose is $2,847.48, and will probably be sufficient. There has been expended to June 30, 1886, for land damages, water rights, and damages to Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the sum of $248,152.19, of which $15,189,51 applies to the past fiscal year. July 1, 18-5, amount unexpended............ $615, 310 81 5,000 00 Amount appropriated by act approved March 26, 1886.. 620,310 81 July 1, 1886, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1885 $380, 162 66 July 1, 186, outstanding liabilities, including retained percentages.. 116, 119 24 496, 281 90 124.028 91 July 1, 1886, amount available Amount appropriated by act approved August 4, 1886. Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. (Sec Appendix S S 2.) 555, 000 00 679, 028 91 3. Erection of fish-ways at Great Falls.-The project for this work provides for building, in the Maryland Channel or Falls Branch of the Potomac River, a fish-way in six sections, in accordance with detailed plans and specifications that were prescribed by the United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, in pursuance of the act of Congress approved July 15, 1882. Active operations were commenced in June, 1885, under contract executed towards the end of the preceding month, and continued until the close of October; at that time a flood in the river carried away the protecting dams, destroyed one section of the fish-way, and caused damage to the others that were in process of construction, the precise extent of which is as yet unknown, for the reason that they have remained submerged since that date. Operations were then suspended and the contract terminated, in pursuance of the recommendation of the officer in charge of the work, who is of the opinion that they were not planned with sufficient strength to resist the effect of floods in that locality. No estimate is submitted at this time for completing the work, for the reason that no intelligent computation of the cost can be made until the flow of water which now submerges the damaged portions has been diverted and the extent of damages determined. Steps to accomplish this have been taken, and the matter will be made the subject of special report and estimate at a later date. July 1, 1885, amount unexpended............. July 1, 1886, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of liabilities outstanding July 1, 1885 July 1, 1886, amount available.. (See Appendix S S 3.) $47,640 12 38, 263 81 9,376 31 IMPROVEMENT AND CARE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Officer in charge, Lieut. Col. John M. Wilson, Corps of Engineers, colonel, U. S. A. At the Executive Mansion, the entire old copper roof, which leaked badly, was removed and replaced with first-quality dipped MartinSiemens steel roofing-plates; the area thus covered was about 18,000 square feet; the fifty-nine telegraph wires which were stretched across the roof were removed during the year; the conservatory and greenhouses were painted, and minor repairs made to the mansion, greenhouses, and stables. A new plant-house and two new brick cold-frames were erected, aud numerous minor repairs and improvements made to the greenhouses and grounds at the nurseries. In addition to the work performed for maintaining in good condition the improved public reservations, extensive improvements were made at Washington Circle, Garfield Park, Smithsonian and Seaton parks, and at the South Carolina Avenue reservation. Water-pipes were laid and water introduced into sixteen reservations. Five unimproved reservations were improved during the year, as follows: One at corner of Massachusetts avenue and Twenty-first street, northwest. One at corner of Massachusetts avenue and Fifth street, northwest. One at corner of New Jersey avenue and Second street, northwest. One at corner of Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth street, southeast. One at corner of Pennsylvania avenue and Tenth street, southeast. The officer in charge has endeavored to distribute the new improvements made through various sections of the city. Attention is invited to the detailed report of the officer in charge, and to his estimates and recommendations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888. His estimates are as follows: For improvment and care of public grounds..... $170, 500 For compensation of persons employed upon public buildings and grounds.. 51, 100 10,000 400 For contingent and incidental expenses of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds.. For rent of Office Public Buildings and Grounds (See Appendix T T.) 500 900 BRIDGING NAVIGABLE WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES 1. Bridge across the Mississippi River at Keithsburg, in the State of Illinois. The plan and location of this bridge, authorized by act of April 26, 1882, were approved by the Secretary of War, July 6, 1885, on condition that certain modifications be made thereto, and having been modified accordingly, were finally approved October 13, 1885. (See Appendix U U 1.) 2. Stone arch bridge across the west channel of the Mississippi River at Minneapolis, Minnesota.-In consequence of representations made to the War Department, that the construction of this bridge, proposed to be built by the city of Minneapolis, under authority of the legislature of Minnesota, might imperil not only the expensive works constructed by the United States for the preservation of the Falls of Saint Anthony, but ultimately destroy the falls themselves, at the request of parties interested, and in view of the contrariety of opinion existing in relation thereto, a Board of Engineer Officers was constituted to examine the subject and report its conclusions. The report of the Board was duly submitted to the War Department and returned to this office, with opinion that there not appearing to be any injury probable to the works constructed by the General Government at the falls by the erection of the proposed bridge, in view of the opinion of the Attorney-General of May 1, 1885, in the matter of the railroad bridge at Saint Paul, the Secretary of War has no authority upon other grounds to interfere with or to regulate the construction. (See Appendix U U 2.) 3. Proposed bridge on the Ohio River, at or near Cairo, Illinois.-The Committee of Commerce of the House of Representatives having trans mitted, with request for suggestions of the War Department, bill H. R. 6047, Forty-ninth Congress, first session, "to authorize the Chicago, Saint Louis and New Orleans Railroad Company and the Illinois Central Railroad Company, or either of them, to construct a bridge at or near Cairo, Illinois," in view of the great importance of the interests involved and the difficulty and expense attending the construction of a bridge at the locality proposed, it was deemed expedient, with the sanction of the Secretary of War, to refer the bill in question to a Board of Engineer Officers for examination and report. The Board, after giving the subject full investigation and study, reached the unanimous conclusion "that no modification of the act approved February 14, 1883," [supplementary to the act of December 17, 1872, prescribing the dimensions of bridges across the Ohio River], "can be recommended which would tend to lessen its requirements, and especially that prescribed in the final proviso of section 2, which fixes a clear height of 53 feet above local highest water, measured to the lowest part of the channel-span, as the minimum for a continuous bridge without a draw." * The Board also "unanimously decided to report adversely to the construction of a draw-bridge at Cairo." * * "A low draw-bridge with clear headway of only 15 feet at high water, with openings on each side of 160 feet in the clear, as proposed in the bill, is regarded by the Board as entirely inadmissible. Such a bridge would be an intol erable obstruction to navigation at all boating stages, and, in the opinion of the Board, should not be seriously considered." The conclusions of the Board were concurred in by the Chief of Engineers and by the War Department and printed as House Mis. Doc. No. 339, Forty-ninth Congress, first session. (See Appendix U U 3.) 4. Bridge of the Selma Bridge Company across the Alabama River at Selma, Alabama.-Representations having been made that this bridge, which was being built, would be likely to create an obstruction to the navigation of the Alabama River, the subject was referred, with the approval of the Secretary of War, to a Board of Engineer Officers for consideration, with instructions to report its recommendations, having in view the requirements of section 8 of the river and harbor act of July 5, 1884. The Board in its report, March 25, 1886, regarded the bridge in question a serious obstruction to navigation, and recommended that the Selma Bridge Company be required to prepare a channel for the pas sage of boats, between the pivot-pier and the north bank of the river, for all stages of water exceeding a 24-foot stage; with the understanding that, if at any time in the future, it should be necessary to provide further facilities for navigation, the bridge company shall then be required to alter and change the bridge, at its own expense, in such manner as may be proper to secure free and complete navigation without impediment. The recommendation of the Board was concurred in by this office and by the War Department. (See Appendix U U 4.) 5. Changes in the original plan of the bridge across the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky.-This bridge, as constructed, differs in plan from that recommended September 24, 1881, by a Board of Engineer Officers, and approved by the Secretary of War October 11, 1881, as appears in annual report of this office for 1882, page 1989. There being nothing in print to show when and in what manner the changes were authorized, the correspondence relating thereto is inserted in the appendix of this report for convenience of reference, and to complete the printed record. (See Appendix U U 5.) 6. In consequence of provisions of section 2 of the river and harbor act of July 5, 1884, which require the Secretary of War to report to Congress whether any bridges, causeways, or structures, erected or being erected, interfere with free and safe navigation, and if so, to report the best mode of altering or constructing them, with the view of supplying the information desired, officers under direction of this office were instructed to submit reports covering all facts necessary to enable the Secretary of War to comply with the terms of the act. A communication containing reports received in compliance with these instructions, and comprising all instances reported to this office up to date of interference with free and safe navigation by bridges and other structures, was transmitted to the Senate December 18, 1885, and printed as Senate Ex. Doc. No. 12, Forty-ninth Congress, first session. PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHARTS OF THE NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN LAKES. Under the supervision of this office the following engraved copperplates of charts of the Northern and Northwestern lakes bave been electrotyped: Lake Michigan Coast Chart No. 4, Niagara Falls. The following charts have been photolithographed and an edition printed: Buffalo Harbor, scale 1000. Erie Harbor, scale 1000. Saint Lawrence River Detail Sheets Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, scale robo. During the year 4,537 charts were issued under the supervision of Lieut. Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, 1,212 of which were sold at 30 cents each, and the amount, $363.60, turned into the Treasury. Amount appropriated by act approved March 3, 1885.. June 30, 1856, amount expended during the fiscal year. Amount available for the fiscal year 1886-87. Amount required for survey of Northern and Northwestern lakes for fiscal year ending June 30, 1888, namely, for printing and issuing charts for the use of navigators, and electrotyping copper-plates for chart-printing. 2,000 00 MILITARY AND GEOGRAPHICAL MAPS. $3,000 00 2,544 04 2,000 00 The following maps have been photolithographed and an edition printed : Map of the Department of Dakota, scale rrobooo, by Lieut. John Biddle, Corps of Engineers, 1886. Preliminary sketches of sheets 3, 4, 7, 8, and 12 of survey of Western Texas, scale 1 inch to 4 miles, by Maj. W. R. Livermore, Corps of Engineers, 1884. Map of a portion of Southeastern Arizona, scale 8 miles to 1 inch, by Lieut. E. J. Spencer, Corps of Engineers, 1886. Map of part of Turkey in Europe, in seven sheets. Map of the Arkansas River from Little Rock to its mouth, in 22 sheets, scale 1 inch to 2,400 feet, made under the direction of Capt. H. S. Taber, Corps of Engineers, 1886, |