Shelton is in the collection district of Fairfield. The nearest light-house is on Stratford Point, at the mouth of the river, and the nearest work of defense is Fort Hale, New Haven Harbor, 13 miles east. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available July 1, 1884, amount available...... July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883... Amount appropriated by act approved July 5, 1884.. $1,997 00 1 15 1,995 85 2,500 00 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1885...... 4,495 85 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... 30,000 00 Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. 30,000 00 COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. Through the courtesy of the collector of customs at New Haven, Conn., the follow ing statement of the commerce of the Housatonic River during the past fiscal year has been obtained. Chief articles of commerce: Coal, iron, brick, and lumber. 143 14, 300 110 12, 300 $165,000 140,000 143 110 14,300 D 9. IMPROVEMENT OF BRIDGEPORT HARBOR, CONNECTICUT. The history of this harbor is to be found in the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1879, page 350. In 1882 a project was adopted for widening the channel between the inner beacon and the Naugatuck Railroad Wharf, to relieve the crowding of the main channel by vessels which anchor there in large numbers when caught by stormy weather. The estimated cost of increasing the width of this channel to 600 feet was $60,000; $10,000 have been expended on this work in increasing the width from 300 to 350 feet for the upper half, and to about 400 feet for the lower half of the distance. No money has been available for this harbor during the past fiscal year, and no work has been done upon it. According to the estimate, the completion of this channel to the width of 600 feet, will cost about $50,000 additional; half this sum, or $25,000 could be profitably expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. Appropriations for the improvement of Bridgeport Harbor have been. made as follows, viz: Bridgeport, the port of entry for the collection district of Fairfield, is situated about 2 miles from Long Island Sound, at the head of Bridgeport Harbor. There is a lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor, and Fort Hale, New Haven Harbor, the nearest work of defense, is 18 miles east. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available. $-27 23 July 1, 184, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883 162 32 July 1, 184, amount available... 664 91 Amount appropriated by act approved July 5, 1884 5,000 00 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1885....... 5,664 91 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project. Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1886. 25,000 00 50,000 00 COMMERCIAL STATISTICS. The following statement of the commerce of the port of Bridgeport, Connecticut, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1884, is, by the courtesy of the collector of customs, furnished from the records of the custom-house: Value of coastwise merchandise received. Total coastwise merchandise. Total foreign merchandise. Total value of merchandise. Total amount custom-house receipts... Estimated number of vessels entering the harbor for refuge, 900. $34,330, 000 00 34,660, 000 00 68, 990, 000 00 8,950 04 68.998, 950 04 4,844 36 D 10. IMPROVEMENT OF SOUTHPORT HARBOR, CONNECTICUT. The project, adopted in 1876, and modified in 1880, under which the improvement of this harbor has been conducted, contemplates excava ting a channel 100 feet wide and 4 feet deep at mean low water, corresponding to about 103 feet at high water, from Long Island Sound to a point opposite the upper wharves, a distance of a little less than a mile. The channel has been made 95 feet wide from Long Island Sound to the south end of the breakwater, 0 feet wide from there to White Rock, and 50 to 60 feet wide above White Rock. At the request of those interested in navigation in this harbor, the channel was prolonged in a Y, bringing it near the principal warves instead of increasing the width above White Rock. The improvement of this harbor may be considered completed as far as at present desired. During the past fiscal year no money has been available for this harbor, and no work has been done upon it. Appropriations for the improvement of Southport Harbor have been made as follows, viz: Southport Harbor is in the collection district of Fairfield, on the north shore of Long Island Sound, about 6 miles west of Bridgeport. The nearest light-house is on Penfield's Reef, 34 miles east of the harbor. Fort Hale, New Haven Harbor, 24 miles east, is the nearest work of defense. I have as yet been unable to obtain any statement of the amount of commerce at Southport, Conn., during the past fiscal year. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available $314 07 July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883. 155 00 July 1, 1884, amount available 159 07 D II. IMPROVEMENT OF NORWALK HARBOR, CONNECTICUT. The project for this improvement, adopted in 1872, contemplates making a channel 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep, from deep water at Gregory's Point to the Norwalk wharves, a distance of 24 miles. The depth at Norwalk originally was about 1 foot. The progress already made gives a channel 6 feet deep and 60 to 100 feet wide above the railroad bridge, and a channel below that bridge 75 feet wide and 8 feet deep. A survey of the lower part of the Norwalk River should be made with the view of determining what improvement is needed in the channel leading to South Norwalk. During the past fiscal year no money has been available, and no work has been done upon this harbor. It is proposed with future appropriations to widen the present channel, in accordance with the project. According to previous estimates the cost of its completion will be about $10,000; this sum could be profitably expended in a single year. Appropriations for the improvement of Norwalk Harbor have been made as follows, viz: Norwalk Harbor is in the collection district of Fairfield, 11 miles west of Bridgeport. Norwalk light-house is on Sheffield's Island at the entrance to the harbor. The nearest works of defense are at fortifications at Throgg's Neck, 29 miles distant. I have as yet been unable to obtain any statement of the amount of commerce in Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut, during the past fiscal year. Money statement. July 1, 1883, amount available.. July 1, 1884, amount expended during fiscal year, exclusive of outstanding liabilities July 1, 1883 $515 35 Amount available for fiscal year ending June 30, 1885....... Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project .... 90 17 425 19 5,000 00 5,425 18 10,000 00 10,000 00 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF NORWALK HARBOR, CONNECTICUT. Dredging in Norwalk Harbor has been continued each successive year, with two exceptions, since 1872, and, including the cost of the original surveys, a total of $68,080 has been appropriated by the United States for the improvement. During this time several examinations of the whole or of parts of the river have been made to determine the condition of previous work, and also to lay out proposed work. In this way my acquaintance with the river has become such as to obviate the need of a personal examination of the locality. In the original project for the improvement of the river it was pro-posed to make a channel 100 feet wide and 6 feet deep, at mean low water, from Long Island Sound to Norwalk; the full depth has already been obtained for a width of 60 feet. It appears now that this width of channel can be kept open only by frequently dredging the shoals that form during winter, and in my opinion a width of 100 feet would require much more expenditure for its preservation. The commerce of Norwalk is fairly well accommodated by the channel as it now exists, but the business of South Norwalk, which is increasing very rapidly (the village being about 2 miles nearer Long Island Sound than Norwalk), calls for both greater depth and width than the present plan affords. For this reason I had purposed at an early day requesting authority to make a survey, in connection with the improvement, to ascertain the cost and desirability of enlarging the channel below South Norwalk beyond what was originally contemplated, with a view to modifying the project for improvement accordingly. This, I am informed, is the object for which the survey is desired. The fact that the importance of this improvement has been so frequently recognized by Congress in appropriations which have been recommended by myself and by other officers of the Engineer Corps, shows that the desired improvements are considered public benefits and worthy to be made. Therefore I recommend that the survey be ordered to be made, and that $300 be allotted from the general appropriation for surveys for this purpose. NEW LONDON, CONN., J. W. BARLOW, November 8, 1882. D 12. IMPROVEMENT OF MAMARONECK HARBOR, NEW YORK. The plan of this improvement, proposed in 1881, provides for the removal of one rock to a depth of 4 feet, five rocks to a depth of 7 feet below the surface at mean low water, the dredging of a channel 7 feet deep and 100 feet wide to the old steamboat wharf and 4 feet deep and 80 feet wide above that wharf, and the building of a sand-dike to close the channel east of Grassy Knoll, the total estimated cost of this being $43,000. Under the appropriation of $15,000 made by act of Congress passed August 2, 1882, a contract dated June 6, 1883, was entered into with John H. Fenner, of Jersey City, N. J., for removing Round Rock to a depth of 4 feet, and Bush Rock and Inner Steamboat Rock to a depth of 7 feet below mean low water, for the sum of $13,000. Work was begun August 13, 1883, and was completed December 22, 1883, the three rocks being removed to the required depth. A steamdrill was used for drilling, and Atlas powder, a nitro-glycerine preparation, for blasting. The débris were gathered up as far as they could be found, and placed above high-water mark or deposited in deep water in Long Island Sound. |