the embankment so as to have it safe from an overflow from anything but unusually high water. I have also completed the riprap wall on all portions of the line where the embankment was old and well settled. My assistant on section-work has been Mr. E. Hudson Worrall, civil engineer, who has been connected with the work since December, 1867. He is a most competent and efficient engineer, and I am greatly indebted to him for his indefatigability in the pursuit of his duties. With him I associated this spring Mr. A. H. Blaisdell, civil engineer, a young but highly efficient engineer. LOCK-WORK. The contract for this work was let in 1868 to Mr. E. Owen, covering the sum of $220,000, and the balance of this sum which remained on hand July 1, 1870, was expended on the 20th of October. In addition to this, he performed additional labor covering the sum of $16,361 23. Available funds being on hand, permission was asked and obtained to pay this amount. In the mean time, Mr. Owen refused to prosecute the work further on his old contract, and consequently I determined to employ a small force and push, by days' labor, (using Mr. Owen's tools,) the work necessary to place the lock in a condition to stand the winter. This was done by bringing the masonry of the lock-wall to a level course, laying the roussoins of the filling-culvert on the river side, and, this being completed, covering the green masonry exposed with manure and clay, to protect it from the frost. I also repaired the coffer-dams and embankments about the lock, protecting the portions exposed to the action of the ice, which often gorges at this point, by a riprap of refuse stone; by this means I was able to save the lower corner of the main coffer-dam, which would inevitably have been carried away but for these timely precautions. During the winter many trifling difficulties were met and overcome; the major part of these are not worth mentioning, as they are continually arising in the progress of the work. On March 3, 1871, the President approved the general appropriation bill, in which was the sum of $250,000 for this work. I immediately forwarded to you projects of operations, with the necessary copies of proposed advertisements, &c., which, meeting with your approval, you sent to Washington, and received back on the 29th. In the mean time I took active steps to reorganize my force for the resumption of the work. The advertisement called for bids on both middle and lower locks, and for cement at both places. I opened the bids in your absence. The following are abstracts showing an aggregate of all the bids received for the lower and middle locks. That for cement will be found under that head: In the pursuance of my duty I found it necessary to reject the lowest bidder for the lower lock, he not being considered responsible, and recommended that the contract be awarded to Mr. E. Owen, the original contractor, as the "lowest responsible bidder." The lowest bidder for the middle lock was Mr. Willard Johnson, of Fulton, New York, and the contract was awarded to him. As soon as the approval of these recommendations was received, I gave notice to the parties to commence immediately; this date was May 23, the contracts being executed on the 31st of the same month. Both contractors went immediately to work. I give below the amount of work performed by each, making no further remarks than that the work to June 30 progressed in a very satisfactory manner. Amount of work done by Mr. Owen under his contract dated August 15, 1868, during fiscal year ending June 30, 1871, as follows: Rock excavations.. Surplus stone placed in base of riprap-wall Constructing cut-stone masonry in lock-walls.. Pounds, handling and putting into work .7, 510, 262 cubic yards. .2, 219, 000 cubic yards. 2, 883, 300 cubic yards. 1,309, 150 cubic yards. 1,959, 880 cubic yards. 2, 349, 055 cubic yards. 1,217, 320 cubic yards. 5,857 pounds. 891, 100 cubic yards. 1102. 3 cubic yards. 410 pounds. Amount of overwork done by Mr. Owen during fiscal year ending June 30, 1871, as follows: Constructing cut-stone masonry. Embankment .......... ... 1,000, 105 cubic yards. 17, 019. 08 cubic yards. Amount of work done by Mr. Owen under his contract dated May 31, 1871, during fiscal year ending June 30, 1871, as follows: Bailing and draining three-fifths of the whole amount. Earth excavation.... Rock excavation.. Loose stone.. 6.765. 34 cubic yards. 6.707.517 cubic yards. 340 cubic yards. 374. 25 cubic yards. 53. 33 cubic yards. Constructing masonry,. Constructing masonry, (partly done,) (stone dressing) Constructing masonry, (completing).. 2.093. 373 cubic yards 599. 76 cubic yards 270. 60 cubic yards Amount of work done by Mr. Johnson under his contract dated May 31, 1871, during fiscal year ending June 30, 1871; as follows: Bailing and draining one-half of the whole amount. Earth excavations.. Rock excavations Earth embankment. Constructing masonry for lock-walls, (partly done,) (stone, dressing). STONE. 1,304 cubic yards. 2, 410 cubic yards 1, 328 cubic yards. 833cubic yards 139. 25 cubic yards The contract for stone was awarded to Charles G. Case, & Co. on the 10th June, 1869, and under this was delivered the following amoun of stone during the fiscal year: Face-stone.. Backing-stone.. 3, 475.99 cubic yards 2, 878. 02 cubic yards This contract expired on the 26th of August, 1870, and as more stone was immediately required, General Wilson ordered a canvass of the open market, with the following result: Face-stone. Backing-stone. Rubble-stone R. U. McClonchy, per cubic yard...... $16 50. $9 50. $9.00 3.00 Consequently $60,000 was allotted by General Wilson for the pur chase of stone from Charles G. Case & Co., subject to the same rules, &c. as were contained in their first contract. Under this agreement was delivered the following amount: Face-stone.... 2, 125. 86 cubic yards 2, 292. 14 cubic yards I ordered them to stop the delivery of stone on the 8th of November. 1870, and the order was carried into effect the same day. No further use for stone was had until the lock-work commenced, and in order to prepare for that, having been directed to advertise, and not to purchase in "open market," I hauled from the middle lock all that was sufficient for the immediate prosecution of the lower lock. Adver tisements were made for stone on May 15, and opened by me in your absence on June 15, 1871, with the following result: In the mean time Messrs. Wells, Timberman & Co. handed me a writ ten offer to furnish stone up to the time of the letting, at the same rate as might be granted to the successful contractor. This I forwarded to you with a favorable indorsement, and having been approved by the Secretary of War, they delivered, up to the 15th of June, the following amounts: Face-stone.... Rubble-stone for slope-wall... 81. 60 cubic yards. 161. 19 cubic yards 939. 15 cubic yards. All the quarries, from the owners of which bids were received, were inspected by me and Mr. J. E. Griffith, (late lieutenant United States. Engineers,) one of the best judges of magnesian limestone in this country, so that the quality of stone to be furnished could be known. On the opening of the bids it was found that the lowest bidder, William Brownell, had presented a very informal bid, with only one responsible guarantor, and, as his quarry would furnish stone that was dangerous to use for our purposes, being full of "dregs" and "sandholes," I made the recommendation that the contract be awarded to the next lowest bidders, Wells, Timberman & Co. This was approved by you, and afterward by the Secretary of War. (The contract was signed on the first day of July, 1871.) The stone is of the best quality of magnesian limestone in the western country, and is entirely satisfactory, as a building-stone, for our purposes. CEMENT. The contractor for this article was James Clark, of Utica, Illinois. The cement furnished was slow in setting, but only enough so to allow work in laying stone to progress without delay. This contract ran out on the 30th day of September, 1870, the following being a showing of the amount of cement delivered by him during the fiscal year: 2,223 casks, 300 pounds each. After the expiration of this contract, I made arrangements, with your consent, to buy the small amount necessary for the further pursuance of the work till frost set in, in " open market." Mr. Clark offered to furnish at the following rates: 300 pounds in barrels, at $2 40; 300 pounds in sacks, at $2 15. His offer was accepted, and we purchased of him, up to November 2, 1870, 64 barrels in sacks and 79 barrels in casks. On the recommencement of work on the locks it became necessary to again purchase cement, and the following is the abstract of bids opened on the 29th April, 1871: Mr. James Clark, being the lowest bidder, was awarded the contract, and to June 30, 1871, has furnished the following amount of cement, equal in all respects to the quality used in 1870: 685 casks, 300 pounds each; 113 casks in sacks, 300 pounds each. CASTINGS. During the year the contractor, Morris Sellers, has furnished the entire amount of castings, completing his contract on the 19th day of May, 1871. The iron is of the finest quality, one specimen (the first) bearing a tensile strain of 21,500 pounds, while the second specimen required 29,000 pounds to the square inch to break it. Some few items have been obtained in open market during the year, but not of sufficient account to mention in this report. PLANING. The contractors, Messrs. Copeland, Gray & McClelland, have finished their contract during the past year, having performed the following amount of work, with entire satisfaction to myself, up to the 17th day of November, 1870, when they completed their contract: 113,390.66 feet, board measure. TIMBER. The contract for timber for the lock-gates was given, on the 10th day of March, 1870, to James Carroll. On August 16th he completed his contract, having furnished of the finest quality of white oak timber the following amount: 125,179.7 feet, board measure. For the completion of the improvements at this place I estimate that $1,000,000 will be necessary, all of which could be employed during the year ending June 30, 1873. In fact, it would be of great monetary advantage to the Government if the necessary funds for completing the work could be furnished immediately, instead of by small annual installments. So much has been already said on this subject and on the absolute necessity of completing the work immediately, that I will not enlarge upon them in this report. In closing I must express my thanks to all my civil assistants, especially Mr. E. H. Worrell and Mr. J. E. Griffith, for their cordial cooperations in my endeavors to forward the progress of the work. The following is an abstract of contracts made during the fiscal year: Statement of cash received, expended, and remaining on hand during the Amount received.. fiscal year ending June 30, 1871. $494, 979 70 189,988 03 405, 635 13 10, 300 60 605, 923 76 110,944 06 All of which is respectfully submitted by your most obedient servant, A. H. BURNHAM, Captain, Corps of Engineers, Brevet Major, U. S. A. Colonel J. N. MACOMB, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., Rock Island, Illinois. |