APPENDIX B. ANNUAL REPORT OF S. WATERS FOX, DIVISION ENGINEER, OMAHA DIVISION, 1894. MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION, OFFICE OF DIVISION ENGINEER, OFFICE BOAT MARGARET, Gasconade, Mo., June 30, 1894. COLONEL: I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the operations under my charge, on the Omaha division of the Missouri River, during the fiscal year ending June 20, 1894. A map of the river in the vicinity of Council Bluffs, Iowa, showing location of the work done, accompanies. In compliance with your instructions, a project was submitted, under date of August 29, 1893, for the expenditure of $15,000, allotted for the repair of revetment in the vicinity of Council Bluffs, Iowa. It provided for the repair of the break in the Council Bluffs bend revetment by entirely new upper bank work throughout its length, and with new mattress where necessary. An office was opened in Council Bluffs, Iowa, October 17, 1893, and measures taken at once for carrying on the work as approved. The necessary cable, strand, rock, and brush were purchased in open market, except 120 cords of the latter item, which was procured by hired labor. Under authority dated October 23, 1893, the following plant was chartered for use on the work, viz: One floating pile-driving apparatus, complete, with steam hoist, lines, and all accessories, at $20 per day. One floating hydraulic-grading apparatus, complete, with steam pump, 24-inch hose, lines, and all accessories, at $18 per day. Three barges at $100 per month for the three. One of the barges, 30 by 100 feet, was provided with ways for use as a mattress boat. The removal of rock ballast from the upper bank of the old work was begun November 1. The driving of piles for anchorage of mattress began the next day, and, owing to failure in delivery of piles, was not finished until the 24th of that month. One hundred and seventy-four piles were driven to an average penetration of 20.14 feet each. The grader was in service from November 8 to 26, during which time 1,265 linear feet of bank, containing 3,535 cubic yards of earth, were graded. In addition to this, 519 linear feet of bank, containing 1,422 cubic yards of earth, were graded by teams with scrapers. Weaving of mattress was begun November 10 on the upstream side of Gumbo Point, shown on the accompanying map at C. By November 22, a mattress had been woven in one piece 910 feet long and of average width of 122 feet. It was 155 feet wide at a point 350 feet below its head. This covered the break in the old work below the Gumbo Point, and shown on the map C to D, leaving a break of 1,674 feet in the old work above the Point and which was repaired as follows, viz: From A to B, a distance of 800 feet, the upper bank was faired out to grade where necessary with brush and then ballasted with a full quota of riprap stone; from B to C, a new mattress 874 feet in length and averaging 52 feet in width was put in, and the upper bank regraded and ballasted. On account of the severity of the winter weather and ice movements in the river, in one of the latter of which, on the night of November 23, the mattress boat was torn from its moorings and carried to a point below the interstate bridge, frequent and costly interruptions and suspensions of operations occurred, necessitating an additional allotment, by transfer, of $1,800 and prolonging the work until March 31, 1894, at which time it was finished. The Government property that had been used on the work was then shipped to Gasconade, Mo., and the office closed April 2, 1894. Cost exhibits in detail are given in the accompanying appendix. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieut. Col. CHARLES R. SUTER. S. WATERS Fox, Division Engineer. EXHIBIT A.-Cost in detail of 910 feet of revetment in Council Bluffs Bend. EXHIBIT B.-Cost in detail of 874 feet of revetment at Council Bluffs Bend. EXHIBIT B.-Cost in detail of 874 feet of revetment at Council Bluffs Bend—Continued. EXHIBIT C.-Cost in detail for repairing 800 linear feet of upper bank work at Council EXHIBIT D.-Cost of miscellaneous items of new plant, repair, care, and transportation of APPENDIX C. ANNUAL REPORT OF S. WATERS FOX, DIVISION ENGINEER, ST. JOSEPH DIVISION, 1894. OFFICE OF DIVISION ENGINEER, OFFICE BOAT MARGARET, Gasconade, Mo., June 30, 1894. COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations under my charge on the St. Joseph division of the Missouri River for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894. The only work done on this division was in Belmont Bend, on the St. Joseph Reach, during the fall and winter of 1893. The approved project, submitted under date of May 27, 1893, provided for the construction of 3,500 feet of revetment to close the gap between the works in Belmont and Elwood Bends, and the reinforcement with rock ballast of 4,500 linear feet of the upper bank of the old Belmont revetment. Notification of the approval of an allotment of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) for expenditure in accordance therewith, was received under date of June 24, 1893. An office was opened in St. Joseph September 11, 1893, and measures taken at once for carrying on the work. All of the construction materials were purchased in open market. As none of the floating plant under charge of the Commission was available, the following pieces were chartered under authority from the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, dated September 1, 1893, viz: One steamer, with crew. One sand dredge. Two barges, each. One barge.. Per day. $22.00 8.00 3.00 2.00 Two of the barges were provided with ways, brush platforms, capstans, etc., necessary for their use as mattress boats. The sand dredge was dismantled and outfitted with a Davidson's pump 18 by 18 by 10 inches, 4-inch hose, and other accessories necessary for use as an hydraulic grader. Weaving mattress began with one party October 8 at a point 1,110 feet below point A on the accompanying map. A second party began weaving October 24 at the point A. The former finished work November 24; the latter, November 8. The total length of mattress woven was 4,598 feet, protecting 4,513 linear feet of bank, shown on the accompanying map A to B. The maximum width of mattress at any point was 126 feet; the average width 85.75 feet. The driving of piles for shore anchorage of the mattress was begun October 9 and finished November 30. Four hundred and fifty-seven piles were driven to an average penetration of 19.54 feet each. The progress of this branch of the work and of mattress construction was seriously retarded by failure in delivery of materials. Hydraulic bank grading was begun October 10 and carried on, with some interruptions, on account of ice in the river, until November 30, at which time it was finished. Four thousand and one linear feet of bank, containing 32,575 cubic yards of earth, were graded. The ballasting of the upper bank was finished December 16. The delivery of the chartered plant to the owners at St. Joseph, as provided in the charter, having been made impossible by the closing of the river with ice, an agreement was reached by which they were to accept the plant if pulled out on the bank at the lower end of the work. All of the hulls, except the steamer and one barge (the latter being wrecked by consent of the owners), were pulled out by December 16 and a release from further liability secured. The Government property and records were then shipped to Gasconade, Mo., and the St. Joseph office closed December 23, 1893. Exhibits of cost in detail of the work are given in the appendix. A partial shore-line survey in Belmont Bend, to show the location of the new revetment, was made May 9, 1894. At that time a break about 100 feet long in the upper bank work, at (A) on the map, was reported. Under date of June 11 an estimate of cost for the repair of the break was submitted. The work will be undertaken as soon as the river has receded to a proper working stage. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Lieut. Col. CHARLES R. SUTER, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., S. WATERS Fox, President Missouri River Commission. |