An appropriation of $110,000 is asked for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893, of which amount it is proposed to expend $100,000 in constructing lock, and $10,000 in removing obstructions, dredging, and building wing dams when found necessary. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended.......... Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890. $2,531.40 55,000.00 June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1891, balance unexpended.... 54, 070.53 July 1, 1891, balance available. 54, 049.86 137, 244.00 Amount (estimated) required for completion of lock and dam ....... (See Appendix Y 5.) 6. Kaskaskia River, Illinois.-In 1886 Congress authorized an examination and survey of this stream with a view to its improvement. Formerly the mouth of the river was at Chester, Ill., but in 1881 a cutoff in the Mississippi occurred near the town of Kaskaskia, which moved the mouth of the river about 7 miles upstream. This benefited the navigation of the Kaskaskia, for the present mouth is at a point on the Mississippi River about 6 feet in elevation above its former mouth, and thus the backwater from the Mississippi gives this much more depth at the same stage, prolonging the season of low-water navigation. At high water the river is navigable to New Athens; at low water it is obstructed by snags, shoals, and bars, and depends largely for its navigation upon the stage of the Mississippi. The least depth found at low water was about 9 inches, on what is called the "Nine-Mile Shoal," 6 miles above its mouth. Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890.. 57, 531.40 3, 460.87 The project adopted for the improvement consists in deepening the water over the shoals by dredging and excavating, and in the removal of snags and other obstructions found in the channel. Nothing has been expended on this improvement to June 30, 1890, nor was anything expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1891. With the money now on hand and the amount asked for fiscal year ending June 30, 1893, it is proposed to deepen the channel over the shoals, and remove obstructions from the mouth to Baldwin Bridge and thus complete the improvement as contemplated. Amount (estimated) required for completion of existing project... (See Appendix Y 6.) $6,000.00 6,000.00 4,500.00 4,500.00 IMPROVEMENT OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN DES MOINES RAPIDS AND MOUTH OF ILLINOIS RIVER. Officer in charge, Maj. E. H. Ruffner, Corps of Engineers; Division Engineer, Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers. The general project consists in contracting the low-water bed of the river to an average width of 1,800 feet. All island chutes are to be closed by dams, and the river is to be contracted by wing dams where it is wider than the proposed low-water bed. The works are generally built of rock and brush, piling being seldom used. Caving banks and the heads of islands are protected. At times the low-water channel is deepened by dredging. Work was done last year at Cottonwood Island Reach, Sny Island Levee, near Scott Landing, foot of Hickory Chute, Buffalo Chute, and Clarksville Harbor, and in dredging in Quincy Bay. $25, 142.00 165,000.00 190, 142.00 68, 801.09 121, 340.91 July 1, 1890, balance unexpended..... June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1891, balance unexpended July 1, 1891, outstanding liabilities... July 1, 1891, amount covered by uncompleted contracts..... $6, 694.77 34, 202. 41 87,138.50 July 1, 1891, balance available. Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1893 300,000.00 Submitted in compliance with requirements of sections 2 of river and harbor acts of 1866 and 1867. (See Appendix Z 1.) EXAMINATION FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPTEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examination of Mississippi River at Warsaw, Illinois, with a view of removing bar, was made by the local engineer in charge, Major Ruffner, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Major Ruffner, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is not worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, no further survey was ordered. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 68, Fifty-first Congress, second session. (See also Appendix Z 2.) IMPROVEMENT OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN MINNEAPOLIS AND DES MOINES RAPIDS, AND OF DES MOINES RAPIDS; OPERATING AND CARE OF DES MOINES RAPIDS CANAL AND DRY DOCK. Officer in charge, Maj. A. Mackenzie, Corps of Engineers; Division Engineer, Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers. 1. Operating snag boats and dredge boats on Upper Mississippi River.At the beginning of the fiscal year there was available, under act of August 11, 1888, the sum of $25,000. From July 16 to October 10, 1890, and from May 18 to June 30, 1891, the snag boat General Barnard was employed removing snags and other obstructions and assisting interests of navigation between Minneapolis and the mouth of the Missouri River. The snag boat J. G. Parke was not put in commission in 1890; but, in 1891, after receiving thorough repairs, she was employed in connec tion with the dredging plant from May 10 to 29 and was then laid up at Nininger until the close of the fiscal year. The dredge Phoenix, towed from point to point by the snag boat General Barnard and tended by the steam launch Ada, was employed from July to the beginning of October, 1890, in removing wrecks, cribs, etc., and in deepening the channel at various localities. In 1891, during June, she was engaged in deepening the permanent channel at Nininger. The total amount expended for snag boat service on the Upper Mississippi River, between Minneapolis and the mouth of the Missouri River, to June 30, 1890, is $574,640. There has been expended during fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, the sum of $25,000. By the river and harbor act of August 11, 1888, provision was made for operating snag boats and dredge boats on the Upper Mississippi River under an indefinite appropriation, the sum so expended not to exceed the amount appropriated in said act for such purpose. The clause of the act regulating the annual expenditure for snag boats and dredge boats on the Upper Mississippi River is as follows: "For operating snag boats and dredge boats on Upper Mississippi River, twentyfive thousand dollars." The total amount of freight transported on the Upper Mississippi River during the calendar year 1890 was approximately 4,400,000 tons. June 30, 1891, amount drawn from Treasury under permanent appropriation. $25,000 June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year.. July 1, 1891, amount available under permanent appropriation of August 11, 1888, for fiscal year ending June 30, 1892. 25,000 25,000 (See Appendix A A 1.) 2. Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Des Moines Rapids.-Prior to August 11, 1888, this work was carried on under appropriations for "improving Mississippi River from St. Paul to Des Moines Rapids." The act of August 11, 1888, extended the upper limits of the district from St. Paul to Washington Avenue Bridge, Minneapolis. Under this appropriation is carried on the improvement of through navigation. Work has been in progress under approved projects since 1878, and very favorable results have been secured, showing that with a continuance of the work under liberal appropriations the low-water channel of the Mississippi River between St. Paul and the Des Moines Rapids can be made comparatively safe, convenient, and permanent. The interests for which the improvement is being made are very large and important. The amount of freight carried during 1890, including the logs and lumber floated in the river, aggregated, approximately, 4,400,000 tons. The original condition of the channel between the Des Moines Rapids and St. Paul was such that in low stages the larger boats were unable to proceed farther up the river than La Crosse or Winona; and, in many seasons, at points much farther down their progress was checked or seriously interfered with. In all such cases through freight was reshipped on small and light-draft boats or barges. The originally adopted project for the improvement, which has not been materially changed, proposed the contraction of the channel or water way by means of wing and closing dams, to such an extent as, by means of the scour thereby caused, to afford a channel of sufficient width and of a depth of 4.5 feet at low water, to be eventually increased to 6 feet. There was expended on the permanent improvement of through navigation to June 30, 1890, the sum of $2,097,441.64, or $4,010 per mile. At that date and for several years previous, the condition of the channel was such as to permit the passage of the largest boats at the lowest stages through to St. Paul. During the past year work has been carried on by days' labor and use of Government plant between Minneapolis and St. Paul, between St. Paul and Prescott, in vicinity of Fountain City, Winona, Clinton, and Minneiska, at Rock Island Rapids and Montrose Harbor, and be tween Keithsburg and Des Moines Rapids; by contract, between Read Landing and Minneiska, and in vicinity of Prairie du Chien; and, by informal agreement, at Read Landing, Burlington, and Port Byron. Temporary work in deepening channels by dredging was performed at several points. The work of the year has resulted in increased width and depth of channel at all the points mentioned above. It is estimated that there can be expended to advantage during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1893, for the continuation of the improvement of the low-water channel of the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to Des Moines Rapids, the sum of $1,500,000. July 1, 1890, balance unexpended..... Received by transfer settlement with Quartermaster's Department, account of sale of fuel to officers.. Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890. June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1891, balance unexpended...... July 1, 1891, outstanding liabilities.. July 1, 1891, amount covered by uncompleted contracts July 1, 1891, balance available. 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. $2,277.94 July 1, 1890, balance unexpended .... Amount appropriated by act approved September 19, 1890 $64, 196.24 156,29 500,000.00 June 30, 1891, amount expended during fiscal year July 1, 1891, balance unexpended. (See Appendix A A 3.) 564, 352.53 152,961. 67 411, 390.86 53, 112.05 358, 278.81 (See Appendix A A 2.) 3. Des Moines Rapids, Mississippi River.-This work was commenced in 1866. The adopted plan provided for the building of a closed canal 8 miles long and for cutting an open channel in the rock bed of the river over the remaining 4 miles of rapids. The canal was opened in August, 1877, though not fully completed, and has been in operation since that time. . 1,500,000.00 During the past year the work of protecting the outside slope of the canal embankment was nearly finished, as well as the raising of the middle lock walls. The work remaining to be done under approved project, is the removal of a small amount of rock above grade, the completion of sluice at Price Creek, and the completion of the lock grounds, and of the protection of canal embankment. There has been appropriated and allotted for this work the sum of $4,574,950. The net cost to the United States has been, to June 30, 1890, $4,538,013.68. $348. 14 22,000.00 22,348, 14 12, 117. 15 10, 230.99 4. Operating and care of Des Moines Rapids Canal and Dry Dock.During the past year the Des Moines Rapids Canal was open for navigation 234 days, during which time there passed through it 878 steamboats and 357 barges, carrying 15,801 passengers, 45,217 tons of merchandise, and 364,878 bushels of grain. There also passed through 193,358,089 feet B. M. of lumber, 37,176,150 feet of logs, 87,259,690 shingles, and 59,350,595 laths. The expenses of the year have been $44,998.20 and the estimates for the coming year amount to $70,000. The cost of operating and care of the canal is provided for by an indefinite appropriation made by act of March 3, 1881. July 1, 1890, balance on hand... June 30, 1891, amount drawn from Treasury under indefinite appropriation June 30, 1991, amount expended during fiscal year... June 30, 1891, balance on hand.... (See Appendix A A 4.) $1,004.20 43,995.80 45,000.00 44,998. 20 1.80 EXAMINATIONS AND SURVEY FOR IMPROVEMENT, TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF RIVER AND HARBOR ACT APPROVED SEPTEMBER 19, 1890. The required preliminary examination of slough at Hamilton, Illinois, with a view to dredging out the same, was made by the local engineer in charge, Major Mackenzie, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engineers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Major Mackenzie, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is not worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, no further survey was ordered. The report was transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 72, Fifty-first Congress, second session. (See also Appendix A A 5.) The required preliminary examination of Mississippi River at and above Clinton, Iowa, with view of removing bars north of Little Rock Island, was made by the local engineer in charge, Major Mackenzie, and report thereon submitted through Col. O. M. Poe, Corps of Engi neers, Division Engineer, Northwest Division. It is the opinion of Major Mackenzie, and of the Division Engineer, based upon the facts and reasons given, that this locality is worthy of improvement. This opinion being concurred in by me, Major Mackenzie was charged with and has completed its survey and submitted report thereon. The only work which appears advisable or necessary at the present time in connection with the removal of bars above the island is a closing dam between Little Rock Island and the tow-head to its left, the cost of which is estimated to be $5,000. This locality is a part of the Upper Missis sippi River, for the improvement of which an appropriation is provided; and while the locality is certainly worthy of improvement at the proper time, there are no conditions which necessitate a special appropriation for the work. All necessary work in this locality can be carried out, whenever found necessary, under allotments from the general appropriation for improving the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to the Des Moines Rapids. The reports were transmitted to Congress and printed as House Ex. Doc. No. 135, Fifty-first Congress, second session. (See also Appendix A A 6.) IMPROVEMENT OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER ABOVE FALLS OF ST. ANTHONY, MINNESOTA, OF CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN, OF ST. CROIX RIVER, WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA, OF MINNESOTA RIVER, MINNESOTA, AND' OF RED RIVER OF THE NORTH, MINNESOTA AND NORTH DAKOTA; GAUGING MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT OR NEAR ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. Officer in charge, Maj. W. A. Jones, Corps of Engineers, having under his immediate orders Lieut. William E. Craighill, Corps of Engi neers, to May 31, 1891, and Lieut. Hiram M. Chittenden, Corps of Engi |