progress of the work. The excavation is to be done by the General Government. The advance of wharves and bulkheads is under the control of the local authorities and private owners, a portion of the material to be removed by the Government being considered available for the necessary filling. The estimated cost of the work to be done by the United States, exclusive of the cost of the islands, is $3,500,000. The river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, appropriated $500,000 for the work, of which not to exceed $300,000 was to be applied to the purchase of the islands. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, the legal proceedings for the condemnation of the islands were completed. The commissions appointed by the courts awarded the owners of Smith and Windmill Islands the sum of $484,000, and of Petty Island $202,288.50; the legal costs of the condemnation proceedings were $22,364 36; making the aggregate cost of the islands $708,652.86. In payment of this award the State of Pennsylvania appropriated $200,000, the city of Philadelphia $208,652.86, and the balance, $300,000, was provided from the appropriation of Congress in the river and har bor act of August 11, 1888. The payment of these amounts by the State, city, and General Government was made, and the property taken deeded to the United States. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890, $300.177.91 was expended in the purchase of the islands and in the preparation of a project for the application of the funds available for the commencement of the work. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $9,848.17 was expended in making necessary surveys for establishing harbor lines and determining the details of the work and for office expenses. Proposals for the commencement of the improvement were opened on September 16, 1890, but in view of new legislation during their consideration all the bids were rejected. The river and harbor act of September 19, 1890, contained an ap propriation of $200,000 for continuing the improvement, and provided that the Secretary of War might enter into contracts for the work required, to be paid for as appropriations may from time to time be made by law; the work to be done according to the plan of the Board of Engineers of 1888, or such modifications thereof as may be determined upou by the Secretary of War without increasing the cost of the improvement. Proposals for the entire work were opened on February 12, 1891, but pending their consideration new legislation materially changed the conditions under which the improvement is to be executed, and all the bids were accordingly rejected. The sundry civil act of March 3, 1891, appropriated $300,000 for continuing the improvement, and provided that the line limiting the excavation on Petty Island might be changed to such position as the Secretary of War might consider desirable, title to the necessary additional lands to be vested in the United States without charge to the latter. It further required that all material removed under this and previous appropriations should be deposited and spread on League Island, the cost to be paid from said appropriations. Since the use of a portion of this material for filling is necessary for the advance of shore lines provided for in the project adopted by Congress in the act of September 19, 1890, this legislation is a modification of the adopted project so far as it relates to the expenditure of funds now available. Under date of April 23, 1891, a contract was entered into with James A. Mundy & Co., of Philadelphia, Pa., for all the work required for the improvement. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. Amount appropriated by sundry civil act approved March 3, 1891 June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year $199, 822.09 200,000.00 300,000.00 699,822.09 9,848. 17 July 1, 1891, balance unexpended... July 1, 1891, amount covered by uncompleted contracts 689,973.92 659,973.92 2,800,000.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1893 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix G 2.) 500,000.00 3. Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania.-When the work of improvement was commenced in 1870, there was a channel of entrance into the mouth of the river carrying a depth of only 10 feet at mean low water. The original project under which work was commenced in 1870 proposed the formation of a channel 100 feet wide, with a depth of 20 feet from the mouth of the river to Gibson Point, about 4 miles, and a depth of 18 feet from thence to Chestnut Street Bridge in Philadelphia, about 3 miles. In 1875 and 1883 this project was amended so as to increase the lowwater channel between the mouth and Girard Point, a distance of about 1 mile, to 400 feet wide and 24 feet deep, and from Girard Point to Gibson Point, about 3 miles, to 250 feet wide and 20 feet deep. The amount expended upon these projects to June 30, 1890, was $393,527.65 and had resulted in the formation of a channel as follows: Between the mouth and Girard Point Piers the minimum channel was 150 feet wide and from 18 to 19 feet deep at mean low water; from Girard Point to Point Breeze the channel was 250 feet wide and 20 feet deep, except for about three-fifths of a mile directly above Penrose Ferry Bridge, where the 20-foot channel was only 100 feet wide; from Gibson Point to Chestnut Street Bridge the channel was of navigable width and 18 feet deep at mean low water. This latter reach of river has required no other improvement than the removal of about 1,000 cubic yards of rock near Locust and South streets. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $20,205.06 was expended in widening to 250 feet the 20 foot low-water channel directly above Penrose Ferry Bridge, and to 300 feet the channel at Yankee Point. In its present condition a channel 100 feet wide aud from 18 to 20 feet deep at mean low water exists over the bar at the mouth; from thence to Point Breeze a channel from 200 to 250 feet wide and 20 feet deep; from thence to Chestnut Street Bridge a channel of navigable width and from 17 to 20 feet deep at mean low water. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended..... Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890. June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1891, balance unexpended $222.35 45,000.00 45, 222.35 20, 205.06 25, 017, 29 Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... (See Appendix G 3.) $46, 250.00 46, 250.00 4. Ice-harbor at Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.-This work in its present plan was commenced in 1866, the object being to provide a harbor in the Delaware River to protect vessels against moving ice. In 1785 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania built, for the convenience of commerce, piers at Marcus Hook extending from the shore line into the river. It is assumed that at some subsequent time these shore piers were turned over to the United States, since in 1829 an appropriation was made of $5,000 for repairing these piers, improving the harbor, and removing obstructions. No further appropriation was made until 1866. At this latter date the project was adopted for the construction of detached piers in the harbor, consisting of stone superstructures upon crib foundations filled with stone, together with the deepening of the harbor by dredging. In 1881 it was proposed to increase the area of the harbor by the construction of a bulkhead about 1,800 feet in length parallel to the shore line, and about 150 feet outside of high-water line, and the deepening of this added area by dredging. Nothing was done towards the carrying into effect of the modification of 1881, on account of the objections of some of the abutting property owners, and in 1888 this hitherto proposed modification was abandoned and an increased depth proposed for the areas protected by the detached piers outside of the natural shore line of the river. The amount expended from 1866 to June 30, 1890, was $208,497.89, and resulted in the construction of two shore or landing piers, and seven detached ice piers, the deepening by dredging of the area protected by the piers, and the placing of mooring piles within the harbor. By this expenditure a harbor was formed with an area of about 10 acres, carrying a depth of from 12 to 25 feet at mean low water. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $465.75 was expended upon office expenses. It is proposed to hold available funds for such incidental repairs as may be required from time to time. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890. June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.... $502.11 5,000.00 5,502.11 465.75 July 1, 1891, balance unexpended (See Appendix G 4.) 5,036.36 5. Ice harbor at head of Delaware Bay, Delaware.-The act of August 2, 1882, appropriated $25,000 for the commencement of work on the iceharbor at the head of Delaware Bay, to include the removal of some sunken piers, the remains of an old ice-harbor, in the channel east of Reedy Island, Delaware. The desirability of an ice harbor at the head of Delaware Bay has been long recognized, but until the improvement of the main ship channel shall have been materially advanced it is believed that appropriations can be applied, with better results to commerce, to the improvement of the channel rather than to the formation of an ice-harbor suited ENG 91-8 to the requirements of the case. As to location, the prevailing judg ment would place the ice-harbor at or very near Liston Point, but since the works already planned for the improvement of the channel in this part of the river involve the construction of about 11 miles of dikes, the changes which may result from such extensive constructions render the prior location of an ice-harbor hazardous. The amount expended to June 30, 1890, was $8,723.07, of which $3,700 was applied to the removal of the sunken piers back of Reedy Island, as provided in the act of August 2, 1882, making the appropriation of $25,000. The balance was expended in surveys, examinations, and preliminary studies. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $40 was expended upon office expenses. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended.... June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended (See Appendix G 5.) $16,276.93 40.00 16, 236.93 6. Construction of iron pier in Delaware Bay near Lewes, Delaware.— The original project for this work proposed the construction of a landing pier about 1,700 feet in length, extending from the shore south of the breakwater into Delaware Bay to a depth of 22 feet at mean low water, the pier to consist of a substructure of wrought iron screw piles surmounted with a timber superstructure. The work was commenced in 1871, and completed, except as to superstructure, in 1880. The amount expended to June 30, 1890, was $368,453.66, and resulted in the construction of 1,155 linear feet of pier 21 feet in width, and 546 linear feet 42 feet in width, or a total length of 1,701 feet. The depth of water at the outer end of the pier head was about 21 feet at mean low water. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, $9,623.89 was expended in replacing about 200 linear feet of the pier destroyed by the collisions of wrecked vessels in 1889, and in placing fender piles along 1,200 linear feet of the shore arm of the pier. From the decayed condition of the timber superstructure of a large part of the pier it is not available for use by the railroad to which the right was given to use the pier under the provisions of the act of July 15, 1870. If the pier is to be rendered available for the general purposes of railroad traffic, as contemplated in the act above referred to, it will be necessary to replace the present decayed wooden superstructure by an iron construction, which has been estimated at $93,000. The sundry civil act of March 3, 1891, contained the following provision: And the Secretary of War is hereby directed to assign to the Secretary of the Treasury so much space on the Lewes iron pier as may be necessary to enable the Marine Hospital Service to establish and conduct thereon such disinfection machinery as may be required for the proper disinfection of the cargoes of vessels detained at the quarantine, and when the breakwater shall have been completed then the said pier shall be permanently assigned to the Treasury Department: Provided, That such occupation and use of the pier by the Marine Hospital Service does not interfere with the engineering operations of the War Department in the completion of the breakwater improvement. It is understood that the use of the pier as above provided will at times prohibit its use for any other purpose. The pier is of considerable value to vessels frequenting the breakwater harbor, being the only communication with the shore; it is necessary for the purposes of the light-house service, and its free use at all times will probably be indispensable for many years for the engineering operations of the War Department. It is therefore suggested that other arrangements be made for the requirements of the quarantine service. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended (See Appendix G 6.) $10, 046. 34 9, 623.89 422.45 7. Harbor at Delaware Breakwater, Delaware.-Under act of Con. gress, May 7, 1822, $22,700 was appropriated for a survey of Delaware Bay, near Cape Henlopen, for the purpose of determining upon the site for a harbor of shelter. In 1828 an appropriation of $250,000 was made for commencing the work under a plan submitted by a board of commissioners appointed by Congress. The project of the board contemplated the construction in the concavity of the bay, just inside Cape Henlopen, of two massive works on the pierres perdues or riprap system, separated by an interval or gap of 1,350 feet, the greater, called the breakwater, to afford safe anchorage during gales from the north and east; the other, called the icebreaker, to protect shipping against northwesterly gales and the heavy drifting ice of the bay. This project was completed in 1869, under aggregate appropriations, including the first for survey, of $2,192,103.70. The stone used in the work amounted to 892,528 gross tons, and varied from one-quarter of a ton to 7 tons in weight, the smaller constituting the bulk of the mass, the larger used to cover the exterior slopes. As completed in 1869 the break water is 2,558 feet long, and the ice. breaker 1,359 feet long on top. The average width on top is 22 feet and at base 160 feet. The top is from 12 to 14 feet above mean low water. In 1882 a project was adopted for closing the gap between the breakwater and the ice breaker by means of a random stone foundation with a concrete superstructure. The random stone foundation was to be brought to a height of 12 feet below low water, with a width on top of 48 feet. The concrete superstructure to have a width on bottom of 24 feet rising to a height of 12 feet above mean low water, with a width on top of 12 feet. The estimated cost of this project was $675,000. In 1883 and 1884 the project was modified by providing a foundation of brush mattresses for the random-stone superstructure and omitting the construction of a pile bridge across the gap, which formed part of the project of 1882 for closing the gap. In 1890 the concrete superstructure was further modified by establishing its base at 15 feet below mean low water, by making it rectangu lar in section, with a width of 27 feet and height of 27 feet, and by constructing the work to above the plane of high water of large concrete blocks, above which concrete in mass is to be used. The estimated cost of the modified project, including the $356,250 appropriated from 1882 to 1888, was $856,250. In 1891, the random stone substructure having been practically completed, the project for the hitherto proposed concrete superstructure was modified by substitution of random stone for the remaining part of the work, so as to raise the structure to a height of 14 feet above mean low water with a width on top of 20 feet; the width at low water to be |