APPENDIX W W. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1897. OFFICE MISSOURI RIVER COMMISSION, St. Louis, Mo., July 8, 1897. SIR: The Missouri River Commission beg leave to submit herewith their annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1897. ORGANIZATION AND MEETINGS OF THE COMMISSION. No change occurred in the personnel of the Commission, which remained throughout the year as follows: Lieut. Col. Amos Stickney, Corps of Engineers, president. Richard S. Berlin. Maj. Thomas H. Handbury, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. By paragraph 1, Special Orders, No. 168, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, July 18, 1896, Capt. J. C. Sanford, of the Corps of Engineers, was relieved from duty as secretary of the Commission by Capt. Hiram M. Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, U.S. A. The transfer of duties resulting from this order took place July 29, 1897. At the meeting of the Commission on July 6, 1897, for the consideration of this report, Mr. C. L. Chaffee, of Omaha, Nebr., appeared, with a commission as member of the Missouri River Commission, duly signed by the President of the United States, and with the required oath of office, which he had taken on that day. He was accordingly admitted as a member, presumably vice Mr. R. S. Berlin, who was absent from the meeting. No other official notification of this change has been received. The business before the Commission was of such a nature that only one meeting was deemed necessary during the year and this was held at the Commission office in St. Louis, July 15-17, 1896, to consider the annual report for 1896 and to make allotments from the appropriation (river and harbor act) of June 3, 1896. There were also three meetings of the committee on the improvement of the Osage and Gasconade rivers, viz, July 30, 1896, March 6, 1897, and April 16, 1897. APPROPRIATION AND ALLOTMENTS. In the allotments made by the Commission of the appropriation of June 3, 1896, there has been no change except in the transfer of the sum of $5,000 from the allotment for surveys, gauges, and physical data to the work in the vicinity of Nebraska City, Nebr. This transfer was approved by the Chief of Engineers under date of March 30, 1897. The sundry civil bill of June 4, 1897 contained the following item: Improving Missouri River from mouth to Sioux City, Iowa: For continuing improvement of Missouri River from its mouth to Sioux City, Iowa, including salaries, clerical, office, traveling, and miscellaneous expenses of the Missouri River Commission, surveys, permanent bench marks, and gauges, three hundred thousand dollars; of the sum heretofore appropriated for improving the Missouri River, the Secretary of War is directed to expend not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars to repair and protect the works in the neighborhood of Nebraska City, in the State of Nebraska. It is proposed to recommend the allotment of the $300,000 appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, as follows: Improving the Missouri River. For local works above Kansas City, Mo...... To include work Near Nebraska City, Nebr. For local works below Kansas City, Mo.... To include work Near the mouth of the Little Blue.. At Miami, Mo.... Above Glasgow, Mo Near Rocheport, Mo. At Howard Bend, above St. Charles, Mo. For systematic improvement of the first reach For operating snag boat. For surveys, gauges, physical data, and publications. For office, traveling expenses, and salaries of the Commission. For repairs and contingencies. Total. In the sundry civil bill of June 4, 1897, there is a proviso as follows: "Of the sum heretofore appropriated for improving the Missouri River, the Secretary of War is directed to expend not exceeding $25,000 to repair and protect the works in the neighborhood of Nebraska City, in the State of Nebraska." The sum of $5,000 was allotted by the Commission from the appropriation of June 3, 1896, for the purpose named, and this allotment was approved by the Secretary of War. This action, it is believed, fulfills the requirement of the above-mentioned act. To make a more thorough improvement at this point and to insure the protection of previous work an allotment of $25,000 is made from the appropriation of June 4, 1897. It is also proposed to recommend the transfer of the unexpended balance of $1,295.56 from the allotment for surveys or examinations at special localities named in the river and harbor act of June 3, 1896, to the allotment for surveys, gauges, physical data, and publications. SURVEYS AND EXAMINATIONS. The maps of the Missouri River at present in use (edition of 1890) are on a scale of 1 inch to the mile, and are based upon a system of secondary triangulation extending from the mouth to Sioux City. There was no detailed topographical survey. The main topographical features only were represented, and these were either taken from the maps of the preliminary surveys of 1878-79 or were sketched in for short distances back from the immediate banks of the river. To supply the deficiencies of the present maps and provde a complete contour map of the valley from bluff to bluff, extending from the mouth to Sioux City, Iowa, based throughout upon actual instrumental surveys, a project for this purpose was adopted by the Commission at its meeting September 6, 1894. The survey began in October, 1894, and had continued upstream, the point at present reached being Lexington, Mo., 322 miles from the mouth. The allotment for surveys, gauges, and physical data for the past fiscal year was considerably reduced from that of the preceding year, and it was not the expectation of the Commission that any field work on the general topographical survey of the Missouri River would be done during the year. It was found, however, that the allotment would permit a small amount of work to be done, and a party, under Assistant Engineer F. B. Maltby, was accordingly put in the field about the middle of August and continued at work until the middle of October. The general survey was carried from Dewitt, Mo. (the limit of previous work), to Lexington, Mo., a distance of 51 miles. In addition to this work, special surveys were made by the same party of five localities designated in the river and harbor act of June 3, 1896, viz, at, or in the vicinity of, Rocheport, Mo., Glasgow, Mo., Miami, Mo., St. Charles, Mo., and mouth of Little Blue River, Missouri. This work was done under a special allotment of $6,000. The details of these surveys are given in the report of Mr. F. B. Maltby, assistant engineer, Appendix A. Special surveys were also made by Assistant Engineer Yonge, at Nebraska City, Nebr., Atchison, Kans., and Leavenworth, Kans. No surveys were made on the Osage or Gasconade rivers. In the office the topographical surveys have been mapped on a scale of 1 inch to 1,000 feet, and in addition the special surveys have been platted and tracings made, showing recent changes in the bank lines. The notes of the 1895 surveys on the Gasconade River were all platted, making 13 sheets, covering 29.5 miles of river. The work has not yet all been inked. GAUGES AND PHYSICAL DATA. On the Missouri River 22 permanent gauges were maintained throughout the year independently of those maintained in connection with the works of improvement. Through the courtesy of the engineer officer in charge of the river above Sioux City, the records of the gauges at Bismarck and at Townsend were also furnished this office. Reports of all of these 26 gauges were received weekly, and a hydrograph of each record kept platted up to date. Of the 18 cable gauges there were only three renewals of duplicate cables required during the year, at an expense of less than $2 each. Three of the inclined wooden gauges have also needed but slight repair, but the one at Waverly was entirely renewed in November. The shore gauges gave the usual trouble in low water of having to use a temporary one during such time. Only one inspection trip was made during the year-November 9 to December 4-when everything about the gauges was placed in good condition, and beyond a few known slight discrepancies, they are still in good condition. Of the 12 pilot bulletins between the mouth and Kansas City, 11 of them were withdrawn from use during December, January, February, and March, but the one at Kansas City was exhibited during the entire year in accordance with a written request of local steamboat interest. The four permanent gauges on the Osage and the one on the Gasconade River, referred to in last years' report, have been continued. See report of Assistant Engineer A. H. Blaisdell, Appendix B. Assistant Engineer Seddon, in addition to the routine duties of his office, has made special studies upon data collected in regard to the emptying and filling of locks, upon the probable effects of the proposed dam at Lock No. 1, Osage River, on the flood flow of that stream, and upon the recent floods of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. (See Appendix L.) As a matter of useful information relating to the navigation of the Missouri River, a list of the steamboat wrecks which have occurred on the river from the beginning of steamboat navigation down has been prepared. The information so collected embraces the name and description of boat, trade engaged in, date, locality and cause of wreck, with additional data in many cases. An analysis of these data, showing the principal causes of steamboat disasters, is given in the special report of Captain Chittenden, Appendix D. See also list of bridges, Appendix E. CONSTRUCTION. OMAHA, NEBR., AND COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA. This work was under the charge of the secretary of the Commission, with Assistant Engineer Samuel H. Yonge in immediate control. The present project, approved by the Chief of Engineers August 10, 1896, provides for the completion of the longitudinal training dike and the system of cross dikes designed to restore the shore line at the deep bend about mile above the Interstate Bridge, and also to make the necessary repairs to the existing works in that vicinity. The project was in reality only a completion of that of 1895. The plant for the prosecution of the work was mostly taken from that previously used on the Osage division of the first reach. It was towed to the locality of the work, and reached there on the 20th of September. Work was immediately begun and was carried on continuously until December 19, when the plant had all been secured on the bank, and the force of employees furloughed or discharged. Operations were resumed immediately upon the breaking up of the ice in the spring, the launching of the plant having been completed on the 3d of April. Operations were concluded May 10 by the completion of the project, and the plant was sent to Nebraska City, Nebr., for work at that point. The work at Omaha and Council Bluffs under the last project was conducted under considerable difficulty, particularly that done during the spring high water, but it was nevertheless completed very nearly on time and within the limit of the allotment provided for it. For the details of the work see the report of Mr. S. H. Yonge, United States division engineer, Appendix F. NEBRASKA CITY. This work was under the charge of the secretary of the Commission until May 31, and since that time under the charge of the president of the Commission. Mr. Samuel H. Yonge, United States assistant engineer, has been in local charge. The last work executed by the Commission in this vicinity was the revetment of 5,750 linear feet of bank of Nebraska City Island, completed in 1890, In the fall of 1896, the head of this revetment commenced to undermine, and a caving pocket formed in the bank just above, due to changes in the channel, through a reef extending a long distance up the river. In May, 1896, about 400 linear feet of the revetment had been washed out, and the pocket having enlarged to about 900 feet in width, the safety of the remainder of the revetment was imperiled. It was proposed to check the enlargement of the pocket by constructing three short dikes across it. Piles and other material, based on soundings taken in March, 1897, had been procured, but when the plant was ready at the site to begin work on May 11, it was found that the depth of water in the pocket had been much increased by scour and that most of the piles were too short. It was not practicable to procure longer piling before the expected June rise, which would further injure the old work unless protection works were at once put in; the project was slightly changed by substi tuting two 3-row dikes for the proposed three 2-row ones, and the adding of a short 2-row structure in the eddy a short distance below. The requirements for long piling were partly overcome by procuring cottonwood piles in the near vicinity, and by splicing the shorter pine piles already on hand. Dikes Nos. 1 and 2 are 131 and 130 feet long respectively and were built at an average cost of $1,755 each. The short dike below cost about $264. Work was commenced on May 19 and was completed on June 21, several suspensions of work being necessary on account of high water. In bracing the dikes, besides the usual direct top braces and wales, diagonal cable stays and direct ground braces were used, the latter detail being used for the first time. A full explanation of the method of bracing and the means employed is given in the report of Mr. Samuel H. Yonge, assistant engineer, Appendix G. The changeable channels through the reef, before referred to, also produced a caving of the banks in the Nebraska City side of the river, which, if allowed to continue, would endanger the safety of the city water works and other municipal interests. An examination, disclosing the fact that bed rock existed too near the surface to build protecting works of piles, it was decided to riprap the bank with stone at three places or sections of 50 linear feet each where apparently it was most needed. This work at the end of the fiscal year is about one-third completed. SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENT OF FIRST REACH. This work has been under the charge of the president of the Commission. Mr. S. Waters Fox, United States division engineer, was in local charge of the Gasconade Division during the entire year, and of the Osage division after September 6, when he relieved Mr. S. H. Yonge, division engineer. The river and harbor appropriation act of September 19, 1890, directed that with certain specified exceptions the appropriation therein made for the Missouri River below Sioux City, Iowa, should be expended in systematic improvement of the river from its mouth up, in reaches to be designated by the Commission. In accordance with these provisions, the above portion of the river was, for purposes of systematic improvement, divided into six reaches, the first of which extends from its ENG 97- -241 |