rovement and operating and care of wa terway across. See Keweenaw Bay. ion of bridge across Clinch River at... construction of bridges across, at Milw of bridges to Badgers Island and York ween Bonners Ferry, and internation River thwestern. See Northern and Northwest maintenance of navigable waters. 88, second session, and Fifty-fifth Congres The methods and scope of the work were the same as fully described in my report published in the annual report of the Missouri River Commission for 1896. The total cost of the field work, including the cost of operating the steamer Golden Gate, was $4,920.28. Attached hereto is a tabulated statement giving in detail the amount of the various kinds of work performed, cost, etc., on the topographical survey, and not including special surveys. There is also attached a table showing the amount of caving, in acres, as referred to in the above report on special surveys. On completion of the field work Messrs. Turner, Thomas, and Crecelius were retained in the office, and since that time and up to April 1st, when Messrs. Thomas and Turner were furloughed, have been engaged in mapping the results of the season's work and completing the maps of the surveys made in 1895. The topographical surveys are being mapped on a scale of 1 inch equals 1,000 feet, and on charts covering various lengths of river, the lower end of No. 1 being at the mouth of the river and the upper end of No. 12 being at Lexington, the upper limit of this season's work. Of these maps, the first nine are complete, with titles, notes, and authorities. No. 10 is about complete, with the exception of the title. Nos. 11 and 12 are projected, notes platted and outlines drawn in pencil, and the inking and lettering well begun. In addition to above mapping, the results of the special surveys have all been platted and tracings made showing the changes in bank lines, as referred to in report above. The usual amount of miscellaneous tracing and maps has been made and called for. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Capt. HIRAM M. CHITTENDEN, F. B. MALTBY, Assistant Engineer. Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., Secretary Missouri River Commission. Work done on topographical survey between Dewitt, Mo., and Lexington, Mo., season of 1896. Miles of shore line located (including islands and bars). 142.5 Miles of levels run.... 114 Number of single days on which topography was taken.. 1261 Number of square miles of topography for each observer per working day. 1.09 Amount of caving, in acres, at various points on Missouri River, as determined by special surveys of 1896. APPENDIX B. ANNUAL REPORT ON WATER GAUGES, BY A. H. BLAISDELL, ASSISTANT ENGINEER. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report on the water gauges maintained by the Missouri River Commission during the fiscal year ending this date. Permanent gauges have been maintained at twenty-two stations on the Missouri St. Louis, Mo., June 30, 1897. River during the year, of which seventeen were wire cable gauges on bridges and the remainder inclined and vertical wooden gauges on shore. On August 15, 1896, a wire cable gange on the county road bridge at Townsend, Mont., 2,504 miles above the mouth, which had been established and maintained by the Commission since October 1, 1891, was transferred to the engineer officer in charge of the Missouri River above the southern limits of Sioux City, Iowa. In connection with the rectification works on the first reach of the Missouri River, three temporary gauges have been maintained throughout the year, and one for three-fourths of the year. The gauges were unusually free from accidents. The only radical repair required was the placing of a new shore gauge at Waverly, Mo., the old one having been crushed by ice. Some few of the cable gauges required the renewal of their duplicate cords and weights, a matter of slight expense. Only one complete tour of gauge inspection was made during the year, viz, November 9-December 4. be sufficient for the service, but in order to secure a continuity of readings, these Were it not for the shore gauges, one inspection per year would gauges, being not only liable to injury by ice and drift or displacement by frost, are not infrequently deserted by the channel, and sometimes require both repair and change of location. The gauge observers employed by the Commission have by their long terms of service become exceedingly expert in their work, and are able to maintain their guages in face of obstacles where less experienced men would fail. The pilot-bulletin service, maintained at twelve stations below Kansas City, was discontinued November 30, except at Kansas City, where, at the request of local steamboat men, it was made continuous and resumed on April 1. These bulletins exhibit the existing stage, reading from a zero to 5 feet below standard low water, and correspond closely with the readings of the Weather Bureau gauges. Abstracts of the weekly gauge reports have been mailed two days after the close of each week to the field parties, current hydrographs have been kept platted to date, and the corrected hydrographs of the previous year have been completed in ink. Through the courtesy of the engineer officer in charge of the Missouri River between Stubbs Ferry, Mont., and the lower limits of Sioux City, the records of the upper river gauges have been made available for use by the Commission, reports from two of which-Bismarck, N. Dak., and Townsend, Mont.-have been received weekly. On the Osage River four permanent gauges have been maintained, viz, at the Osage City Bridge, site of Lock No. 1, and at 22 and 60 miles above the mouth, respectively. On the Gasconade River one permanent gauge has been continued, located 30 miles above the mouth. Beyond an unusual rise in the river of from 9 to 14 feet early in January, due to heavy rains, principally in the Osage and Gasconade valleys, the only marked characteristics of the stages for the fiscal year were the unusual high stages prevailing during the month of April of from 1 to 2.5 feet above standard high water. great flood year of 1881 the April stage, which was the maximum, exceeded that of 1897 by from 3 to 7 feet, but in no other year since 1872, in the river below Kansas City has there been higher water during the month of April than in 1897. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, In the A. H. BLAISDELL, Assistant Engineer. Capt. H. M. CHITTENDEN, APPENDIX C. ANNUAL REPORT ON COMMERCIAL STATISTICS BY A. H. BLAISDELL, ASSISTANT REPORT ON COMMERCE OF MISSOURI RIVER DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1896. OFFICE MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION, St. Louis, Mo., June 30, 1897. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report on the commerce of the Missouri River between its mouth and the southern limits of Sioux City, Iowa, during the calendar year 1896. Previous to 1895, when the jurisdiction of the Missouri River Commission included the port of Sioux City, some commerce belonging to that port was included in the statements returned by this office, but footnotes under the tables herewith give the amount of such trade. No change in the method of obtaining the amount of commerce carried on has been made from that adopted in previous years. With few exceptions, steamboat men and others who carry on a considerable amount of traffic fill out with commendable promptness and accuracy the blanks furnished them and state in great detail the kinds and amount of freight handled, and points between which the shipments are made. In some cases the use of the original freight books is extended for making up the returns. Among the smaller class of shippers considerable correspondence usually ensues, and sometimes personal investigation, before their returns are satisfactorily rendered, and some of the small amounts are never obtained. Each water-gauge observer reports on special cards all steamboats, barges, rafts, etc., which pass his station, with details of the trade as far as he can ascertain them, and this list serves as a check on the accuracy of the returns made by the shipper. The tables showing tonnage and measurements of steamers engaged in the trade are compiled from their inspection papers in the custom house at which they are enrolled or licensed. Table 1, giving the amount of freight carried, towed, or rafted and number of passengers carried in 1896, is believed to be a close approximation to the actual trade. |